Nøgne Ø # 100 (Batch 100)

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Grimstad, Norway

Bottle 0.5 l. Dark cloudy brown, pretty much opaque. Beige fading fluffy head. Hay, grass, pine, soap, juniper, big outdoorish nose. Flavor is extremely bitter. Pinethorns combined with burning alcohol. This would be difficult with sore throat. No sweetness at all, just bitter. Totally evil beer. I read it might be like this when too young, but I like it already. I’d say the most hopped beer I’ve had so far. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and Norrebro North Bridge Extreme come close. I can’t wait to see if this developes some sweet notes after some aging. Big full mouthfeel with smooth carb.

The bottle claims to be a Barleywine, and its leans in that direction. Pours murky brown with a thick, light tan head. Strong aroma of caramel, licorice, earth, oranges, alcohol, and piney hops. Syrupy mouthfeel. Butterscotch, scotch, peppery hops with lots of resin, and a heaping of caramel malt in the taste. Some nice hop bitterness, and a long a sweet alcoholic finish.

Bottle. Pours a deep, dark red/brown with a big, fluffy light brown head. This is the darkest IIPA I have seen. Beautiful! Sweet, spicy and hoppy aroma. Flavour is sweet and spicy. Lots of fruity notes; plums. Notes of cough medicine (!) and sweet licorice. This feels more like a Belgian Strong than an IIPA, although not completely. Finish is candy-like. Bitter, but as bitter as a lot of other ipa’s and iipa’s. The alcohol is quite visible, but not annoying. Lingering notes of yeast. 26-12-07.

Bottle: Deep brown with reddish highlights topped by a fading head, no lace, oily appearance. The aroma is phenolic and boozy, caramel, chocolate, walnut, plum, fig, bready and hint of clove. The taste has a nice fruity twang and bittersweet character. A tad syrupy and malty in the middle. The finish has light spice and a note of nuts. Sharp and warming mouth feel with a dry mineral finish. A solid brew but I will still re-rate from one of my bottles. (FYI, maybe this was an IIPA when first released but now it more barley wine) THX Ryan

50 cl bottle, brewed 03/05. Clear but dark burgundy with a coating bone head. Nose is soft and bready caramel with cheese and orange. Hard to believe this is 10%. A bit of carb, body is medium light. Toffee and caramel, green grass bittering with underlying citrus. Not a lot of hops remain but still good.

Strange beer. Pours like a porter, dark and opaque. The aroma is sweet, dark and bitter with a hint of pine. The flavor is almost like a porter mixed with a double IPA. Lots of dark flavors to go with the color. Great amount of effervescence and full mouthfeel.

500 ml bottle from Holiday. Pours a very dark brown--almost black--color that only shows a few red highlights when held to a light. The head is khaki colored, three fingered and last a while. The aroma is strong with citrus and pine telling you that this is a big bold IPA. Biter hops greet you in the tasting forefront, followed by grapefruit, burnt malts and more piney hops. The mouthfeel is full, smooth and creamy. The finish is long and showcases more biter hops with a touch of caramel, but its the palate that really carries the day and makes this a special brew. Overall: This is one beer that malt-heads and hop-heads alike will appreciate. A very original DIPA. Recommended.

Pours a dark brown with a medium, yet quickly diminishing, foamy light brown head. Smells of mild hops, toasty malts, light caramel, raisins, and molasses. The flavor has more profound hops than the aroma let on. Definitely a distinct hop bitterness attacking the palate throughout. Also mixed in, were some syrupy malts, walnuts, and slight roast that kept the hop bitterness somewhat in control. This is exactly what it seems. A former double IPA, turned barley wine. Still it has transformed fairly nicely, and drinking quite well at the moment.