Nils Oscar Julöl 2007

Formerly brewed at Nils Oscar
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Nyköping, Sweden

First time I had this was at its release at Stockholm beer festival on draft in late september, the second time was bottled after the official release in the beginning of November.

In Stockholm it was a muddy brown with no head, while bottle it is a deep red with a medium bubbly brown head, so the appearance is going from 1 in Stockholm to 4 in the bottled version. The aroma is sweet spicy combined with notes of chocolate and berries, the same score applies for both draft and bottle. The flavor is very sweet malty with notes of chocolate, ground cocoa beans, alcohol, cinnamon, raisins, and cardemmome, I find it more complex in the bottle so I raise my score from 6 to 7. The alcohol and power of the body is also much more evident in the bottle, so I raise the score from 3 to 4. The finish is dry and alcoholic with a slight note of berries and wood. I also raise the overall score from 12 to 13. So all in all I gave the draft version, which I found unfinish in Stockholm a 2.8 and the finished bottled product 3.4. I wonder why Nils Oscar presents an unfinish and that raw a product at a festival, it doesn’t do the product any good.

(Bottle 50 cl) Pours a clear, warm, reddish brown with a creamy, beige head leaving some laces. Roasted, coffeeish aroma. Full body with initial sweet accents of fruit and some almonds before these burned coffee notes appear combined with some dark chocolate. The finish is soft and smooth without much bitterness. This has a fairly unusual combination of the burned malt and the fruity, Belgian yeast. Overall this to me appears mostly like a Porter. 251207

50 cL bottle. Pours clear and golden amber with a tan and lacing head. Chocolate and roasted caramel malty aroma with a mild spice note. Flavour is caramel malt, distinct roasted note and with a smooth chocolate flavour. Ends with a lingering spice note swept in smooth chocolate flavour.

Draught at Stockholm Beer Festival. Cloudy nut brown. Concentrated earthy orangey aroma. Medium sweet and near full bodied. Roasty with plenty of orange. Lovely soft malt and an intriguing mix of flavours of earth, licorice and fruit. Salty licorice finish. Really, really good with highly concentrated flavours.

Bottle. Unclear sparkling dark brown / red color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, beige head. Aroma is light heavy malty, roasted, caramel, licorice, dark raisin / dry plum. Flavor is light heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (111107)

Bottle, 8.0%. Yeasty, creamy, roasted aroma. Quite sweet flavour, distinctly roasted with coffee aftertaste. Too sweet to be balanced. Very dark brown colour, very small creamy tan head. Distinct coffee aftertaste.

Draught@SBWF2007. Really hazy brown colour with big beige creamy head. Aroma is yeast, alcohol, malts and some slight hay and fruits. Flavour is quite much the same with caramel malts and alcohol being the strongest along with the yeast.

Bottle. Clear red brown coloured with a small beige head. Roasted aroma dominated by coffee and cocoa with notes of caramel. Roasted flavour of coffee, liquorice and spiceswith noyes of hops. Roasted finish.