Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Second Edition

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

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.

Bottle #04632, aged about a year. The body is absolutely pitch black, crowned by a frothy, dark brown head the quickly fades away to nothingness. Some dense sheeting slides down the glass, but no lacing remains. The nose is fairly enticing, and certainly unique. An overtone of burnt honey lends a fruity, floral sweetness to the requisite black patent malt and bitter dark chocolate. Strong anise and licorice lend a boozy sharpness, while hints of Turkish coffee offer further roast. Vanilla, blackberries, black cherry, and raisin round out the complex aroma. The flavor is again very sweet, actually a little too much so. The prominent honey note is almost mead-like and very floral, completely unxpected in a monster stout. Anise, coffee, and strikingly bitter chocolate come across sharp, roasty, and earthy. Stewed raisins and dried out blueberries give further sweetness and fruity depth. The palate is expectedly hot, yet full and creamy, perhaps a little overly sugary. Overall, it’s an interesting and complex experiment, pretty tasty actually, but the massive sugar content and boozy warmth just aren’t really my style.

Bottle, thanks to Secret Santa from last year. Pours an extreme black with thin, but everlasting dark tan head. A swirl yields high legs that last quite some time. The aroma is that of a sweet liqueur, something like Bailey’s, with some coffee and lots of alcohol. The flavor is dark, bitter chocolate, Indonesian coffee, vanilla, oak, black cherry, and a little bit of burning cigar. The warmer it gets, the more charred and smoky it seems. There is a ton of alcohol in the finish, but it’s all very clean. The aftertaste lasts forever, and after the alcohol fades, it’s a lot like mint chocolate ice cream. This is one intense beer, and quite tasty at that.

From the Bottle at the Falling Rock Tap House, Denver 26/09/2009 Caramel malt aroma. Dark coloured strong in alcohol and fruity with a crisp and slightly dry creamy malt finish.

Bottle. Have been holding onto a bottle of this for some time and I thought my 300th rating was as good a time as any to try it. It certainly is dark, jet black with no light getting through and a thin, bubbly dark brown head that quickly disappears. Nose has strong notes of port wine, dark chocolate and cherry, as well as lesser notes of roasted malt, licorice and coffee. Flavour has strong chocolate, coffee and spice, and also very noticeable alcohol which is less like port and more spirit-like (whisky?); notes of roasted malt, and cherry aren’t as strong but are still present as well as some nuts on the finish. Mouthfeel is thick and oily with warmth from the alcohol and a fairly long sweet/bitter finish. Although it is full-bodied, it isn’t as thick or syrupy as some other Imperials in this calibre. Would love to have tried the first edition as I think this is a particularly fine and interesting, though hideously overpriced stout. Looking forward to edition 3.