Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Second Edition

Formerly brewed at Nøgne Ø
Style: Imperial Stout
Grimstad, Norway

As black as can be, vanishing dark brown head. Aroma is lots of licorice with roastiness and vinous note, thin vanilla and smoke also come up. Still too much alcohol here, burns my nose. Near full bodied, surprisingly carbonated and oily-sticky palate. Flavor is more roasted with still licorice here, mild vanilla-smokiness also here. Aftertaste has medium alcohol with same oily palate lasting. Well, slight disappointment.

The bottle says do not open until fall 2009... too late. Pours a very dark creamy near black with a very dark gray head that settles into a lovely thick creamy fine silky mocha froth. Great IS aroma, dusty dark chocolate, deep roasted coffee, dark fruits and berries, some very noticeable alcohol overwhelms subtitles the more it breaths. O, now I feel foolish for opening this early, way too hot. Why have so many of you opened bottles already? Really great flavors that are washed over by the strong alcohol. Chocolate, plasticy malts, toffee, roasted coffee, vanilla bean, licorice, light tobacco, almond skins and plums. Not particularly bitter. The closest beer to Black Albert Ive tried. Expensive beer to baseline fresh, however I see the great potential here and will invest in agers.

Black with a small dark tan head. Intense aroma of roasted malts, light smoke, chocolate, coffee, some light spice, dark, nearly wine like fruits and some noticeable alcohol. Full, coating mouth. Bittersweet chocolate flavor with plenty of roasted malts, strong, black coffee, vanilla, tobacco, smoke, liquorice, and a very strong alcohol finish. What is an excellent stout now will be an amzing stout after a few years of aging.

Poured an opaque black color with a small, tan head that left light sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, dark chocolate, smoke, vanilla beans, espresso, and chestnuts. Taste of bitter dark chocolate, smoked malts, roast, coffee, some astringent green apple, and a sharp alcoholic finish. Probably, like 1st Edition, this should not be touched for two years after bottling.

Bottle. Pours a black color with a brown, small foamy head which almost disappears, though there is a small amount of it left around the edges. Aroma of liquorice, almost salmiac, espresso coffee, spices, dark chocolate, toffee and almonds. I would say it is as the classic toffee with almonds - mandelknäck - which we eat around Christmas here in Sweden. Vinous. Some alcohol too, but this is strong. Flavour has lots of liquorice and salmiac, hard roasted coffee, quite espresso-like, toffee with almonds just as the smell, some dark chocolate. Not as sweet as expected. Some hops in the background, medium bitterness. A small alcohol-kick. Very smooth for being so high in alcohol, filling, full-bodied, low carbonation, a bit viscous. A very nice sipper with some noticable alcohol, but it is well hidden for 16%. It will probably be even better within a year or two or ten... but it is already very good. Beer of the year? According to me... yes.

Black with dark, brown head. Port aroma with alcohol, tobacco, coffe and fermented grapes. Thick flavor with port, coffee, toffee, tobacco and much more.

EBF 2008, Copenhagen. Black in colour. Very soft on the tongue with tons of flavour - chocolate, coffee and lots of hot, warming alcohol. Still very dry at the finish though. Perhaps I am more accustomed to the style now than when I had the first edition. Very drinkable given the extreme strength.

500ml Bottle # 14292: Lightly sweet aroma of coffee, dark chocolate, alcohol, slight smoke, roasted malts, slight vanilla, and slight tar. Poured dark black in color with a tiny dark brown head that disappeared immediately except around the edges where it lasted throughout. Opaque. Sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of coffee, chocolate, alcohol, roasting, malts, light smoke, light tar, and some licorice. Fully body. Thick, viscous, smooth texture. Soft carbonation. Roasty, malty, chocolaty, coating, finish, with significant alcohol warming/burn. For a 17.5%ABV brew, the alcohol burn was on the low side of what it could have been. Fucked me up.