Nøgne Ø God Jul

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: American Strong Ale
Grimstad, Norway

Dark and scary looking. Almost glutinous as it comes out of the bottle. Sticky, sweet, thick, cloying. Pretty unpleasant.

22oz bottle. Very dark pour, tan head. Not much of an aroma really, can’t make much out. Pretty good flavor, dark and fruity, not bad.

.5L bottle as Nøgne Ø Winter Ale, served in a Duvel tulip. Pours nearly black with a dense tan head. Smells sweetly of brown sugar, coffee, chocolate. Rich bitter chocolate dominates the flavor, some coffee, dark fruit, just a hint of bitterness lingers. Reminiscent of an English made Imperial stout. Thick sheets of lace cling down the glass. Slight warming effect. Very nice.

Bottle @ at home. Pours a very dark brown with a beige head. Smells of clove and alcohol. Sweet with aromas of alcohol and cloves. As it ages in the glass you notice aromas of hard roasted malts and tiny ashy hints. Medium to full bodied. Medium carbonation. Dry finish with somer clover and a hint of alcohol.

Let me start with thatI don’t love cloves too much, not in beer or in cigarettes. Gladly there is some chocolates for the less naughty kids here, the ones without the eyeliner. And plums and vanilla and the spirit of xmas. Wasnt overwhelmed and I expected more so it is very much true to the experience of opening your xmas presents.

50cl bottle from Vinmonopolet. Batch 315. It poured a black colour with a medium light-brown head that settles down slowly in the glass. It has a sweet aroma that smells of caramel, coffee and spices. The flavour is spicy and tastes of alcohol, pepper, burned malts and dark chocolate. It has a long, lingering aftertaste.

This guy is a keeper, and a horrible monster who would darken my Christmas if I ever drank it during that holiday. Thick like cough syrup, and dark enough that people with coughs would begin leaping out of windows if this was the only remedy. Would be a porter if it wasn’t so impossibly sweet - thick with date syrup and brown sugar. Heavy on charcoal and dark nutmeg.

(Bottle) Very dark brown colour with ruby hints through light. Frothy, lasting, brown head, leaving traces of lacing. Roasted, malty, spicy nose with chocolate, clove, ginger, citrus and dark rye bread. Malty, roasted taste with dark chocolate, Christmas spices (ginger, clove), gingerbread cake, juniper berries, Seville orange and a hint of tar and smoke. Full body, rather sweet, with a hint of alcohol lingering in the background. Lovely beer, leaning in the porter direction. These uncompromising Norwegians never seem to let me down. Keep ’em coming.