Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Second Edition

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

EBF2008. It’s pitch black and the aroma has tons of dark fruits, berries, coffee and licorice. The mouthfeel is oily. The flavour has notes of roasted malt, coffee, licorice, dark fruits, berries, a slightly burnt bitterness, chocolate and its vinous. I think it might be less sweet than First Edition but with a little more alcohol. It would be great to taste the two of them side by side. No matter what, this is world class!

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.

Been wanting to try this one for a while now... Bottle #07654, November 2007, 17.5%, into snifter. Pours a very dark brown, not quite black, opaque, with a gorgeous little head that is the color of milk chocolate! That’s pretty dark for just foam. My hand is getting sticky from holding this, and all I’ve touched is the bottle and the snifter... Aroma is glorious; Cherry/berry at first, then huge cappuccino/dark chocolate/fine coffee. Then follows with alcohol, but not overpowering the aroma. Also a little tar and leather, smoke. Very complex aroma. Flavor: Wow, this beer is hefty. HUGE dark chocolate, cacao, a little espresso, fruity upon finish. Very tarry cigar flavors. Amazing; The booze is so subdued! You can taste it and feel it a little, but it is so mashed down by the huge chocolate and other flavors, keeping that bitch in check. Wow again: Flavor is just so complex and amazing, I don’t even have the words to describe or emphasize further. This is, without a doubt, one of the 2 or 3 most amazing beers I’ve ever experienced, right up there challenging Dark Lord, and easily knocking The Abyss down to third on my impy list. Mouthfeel is oily, greasy, not as full as DL, but still very hearty. Man, I have to get more of this as soon as possible. I am in total disbelief that this isn’t in the Top 20 or even 10. Memo to all big impy lovers: This one will change your life. Overall, world-class+++. ( At this time I now bow to Nogne.)

50 cl Bottle. Cool packaging in the tin container. Pours midnight black with a small, tight cocoa color head. The aroma is huge, notes of roasted espresso, bitter chocolate, tobacco, oak, whiskey. It has great legs. The body is full and rich, somewhat oily. It sips like a fine brandy. The flavor is almost as it smells with the addition of ripe plums, and an alcoholic zing like a fine cognac. The finish is warm and comforting. Great stuff.

Thank you very much to Gypsy19 for sharing this one! Bottle # 07675 ~Pours black with creamy yellowish brown head. ~Rich aroma of dark fruits, alcohol, chocolate, scotch whisky like, and wet coffee grounds. Very pleasant scent. ~Dark chocolate flavor, dark fruits, alcohol present, whisky like, Coffee grounds. ~Creamy feel, slight alcohol tingle. Nice chocolate bitter finish. ~Awesome brew! Why is this not in top 50?! One of my favorites! Excellent!

Bottle: Black colour, with a werry nice creamy head. Aroma of : Smokey, citric, Iron, vanilla, chemical,coffee, dark chocolate and dry fruits. Flavor is amost the same, but a lot moore complex, coffee, vanilla,expresso coffee,alcy, saltlakris raisins, long smoke/viny coffee finish. full body. An IMPY, who will get better after a few years againg. But werry nice

THOUGHTS: Great beer. With some more time it could be stupendous. The alcohol was there, but hidden as much as it could be in the flavor for a beer with this high of an ABV. It was very warming and I wished that it had been colder on Thanksgiving, the night I tried it. It went down easy for a beer with this much alcohol. It was sweet, but never cloying. Tons of flavor and aroma. Thank God it’s expensive, because if it was cheap I’d destroy my liver, because I’d be drinking it all the time. The bottle also clearly states 17.5% ABV not 16 as listed here. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark, opaque black with a small, audible, light to medium brown head that nearly fully diminished quickly, but left fair lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy roasted malt, mild coffee and chocolate syrup; plenty of alcohol, tons of dark fruit, flowery esters and raisinets. The initial flavor was sweet; while the finish was very sweet and slightly bitter with a pretty long duration. There was dark fruit, roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee aftertaste, slight hops, red wine, port, chocolate syrup, alcohol, chocolate-covered dark fruit and nuts. It kind of tasted like an alcoholic Chunky bar. The full body was sort of creamy, but really rather oily and then dry, but still sticky on the lips with lightly fizzy carbonation and a moderate to heavily alcoholic and rather bitter finish.

Bottle from la bodega. Black with a fizzy dark brown head. Chocolate espresso molasses and brown sugar aroma. Thick syrupy bright palate. Big cherry taste up front chocolate burnt sugar and coffee taste. Alcohol well hidden for a 17.5%