Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Second Edition

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

17.5% on bottle, bottled 11/07. Two years and still a moderately full head; the body is black with dark brown edges and the head is brown, fizzy, frothy, and mostly diminishing but leaves a light bit of froth throughout and minimal lace rings. Nose is still young but developing nicely with notes of light espresso, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, port notes of black plums and black currants with a healthy dose of alcohol, molasses underneath, even some bakers’ chocolate. Flavor is unexpected with more non-sweet complexity than the nose led on; certainly starts with chocolate syrup notes and fudge, light molasses, but moves into light port notes of the same dark fruits and light tannins, some tobacco, some leather, espresso and Columbian roast, and faint notes of oak and spice. So many things to take in, but all working together. Palate is very full, velvety and thick, round and chewy, and a bit less than moderate carbonation; perfect with just the right amount of warmth. Finishes not quite as long as I would like but pleasant with chocolate covered fruits lingering on the tongue, light anise, a spicy warmth felt down to my stomach, and a coffee bitterness to tone down the sweet notes. I do not know where to start with this one, so many things to handle: port notes, coffee hints, chocolate all over, and bold warmth. I am surprised that after two years is still seems to be young in the nose and wondering what it could have been in a couple more years. I did not get to try the original DH but I am curious to know why it was rated so much higher; this was a nice IS but I have had better from this 15+% range. I would like to give it a try in a couple more years but I have no more. Nice IS and nice experience but not a marvel.

0.5 l bottle from Alko, cellared one year. Sweet and boozy aroma with rose, raisins, cherry, licorice, vanilla, oak and solvent. Dry roasty and boozy flavor with coffee, licorice, oak, cherry and charcoal. Burning palate. Too boozy, I guess this needs to be cellared several years more.

A dark brown almost black pour. Roasted malts and chocolate on the aroma and body. Sweet and boozy. This was HOT. I’d hoped that cellaring for a while would tone it down a little but apparently not. I’ll try a second bottle in a year, but this was indeed a shadow of the 1st edition.

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.

500ml bottle, with thanks to TheEpeeist! Pours a dark brown/black with a moderate fizzy dark brown head that quickly disappears to no head whatsoever. Aroma is very port-like, with an expected stronger nose, but there’s also dark fruits, espresso, oak, and lighter notes of heavily roasted malts; maybe a little rum-raisin thing there as well. Flavor is very warming but not blatantly alcoholic, with more dark fruits, espresso, oak and some background spice notes. This was a good deal like the 1st Edition, toeing the line of lots of warmth and that higher ABV but not crossing over into an alcoholic mess that stomps everything else out. Unfortunately the amazing complexity and depth of character of the 1st Ed. is not quite there on this one, but decent stuff for sure and Dark Horizon just works for me. An enjoyable cold weather sipper!

Bottle #06223 poured into a Snifter at 49°. Color is black with good carbonation yet no head at all. Looks like a black Coke. Aroma is dominated by the alcohol, behind that there is molasses, cask wood and coffee. This is a full bodied and rich brew, but the alcohol cuts through making it have a lighter mouth feel going down with a sharp little bite. Finish comes in rich like a port wine with vanilla, dark coffee and oak, then on the end it lets a medicine like solvent taste break out. After taste is a little dry with an earthy taste and a warm alcohol feel. Overall its not the tastiest brew I have ever had but it cares the 17.5% abv quite well. Although the alcohol is big I would not call it hot, the flavors that carry it well and the dryness in the after taste make it a nice sipper.

BDR shared this one. Thanks for a nice taste. Pours a thick black with some head. Initial nose is all that stuff you want in an Imp Stout: Roasted grains and a little chocolate. No noticeable alcohol in the nose. The taste is bitter roasted flavors with some balancing sweetness underlying. There are hints of ripe fruits in the tail end of the flavors. Mouth feel is smooth enough and I didn’t have any sense of alcohol. I was finished with my first cigar for the evening and may not be tasting all that the beer had to offer, but I don’t think that I would feel especially guilty giving this one a mid-threes range rating. There are lots of good Imp Stouts out there but this one is mostly just OK.

A mere shadow of the 1st Edition, which was one of the finest imperial stouts ever produced. This beer is merely, good. Heavily roasted malt in the flavor and aroma. Thinner palate than the first, and maybe a touch more carbonation. All malt, with grain. Just a little chocolate, but overall lacking complexity. The high abv is well hidden. Thick, lightly sweet finish. Thanks to BDR for sharing. For as expensive as it is, rather disappointing.