Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

Thanks again to Drewbeerme for another great newcomer. Tipical Stout style with more hops and caramel than ususal, smells sweet but palate is very dry and even salty. Smokey finish with some underlying dark fruits. Goes great with cheese.

Hazy dark brown, with a nice thick foamy brown head, leaving lacings. Heavy aroma of roasted/smoked malts and chocolate, with underlying porty notes. Lots of dusty hobs in the flavor along with roasted bitterness. On the sweet side we have the underlying overripe darkfruits, but its mainly a complex bitter roasted/hobby brew i think.

Deep, dark mahogany body with crimson highlights. Small, asymmetrical, bubbly khaki head. Minimal sudsy lace. The aroma is rich, robust, and inviting with darkly roasted caramel malts, dark chocolate, coffee, oak, and hazelnut liquor showing through. The taste is exactly what a winter warmer should be. Rich, creamy coffee blends smoothly with bittersweet chocolate, burnt oak, dark caramel, hazelnuts, and a touch of vanilla. Very earthy in its use of wood and nut flavorings. Some piney hops show on the back end, adding bitterness. Well balanced, and not too sweet. Substantial body. Very smooth. Lingering, dry roasted finish. A nice, warming, roasty slow sipper. Great beer.

[Bottle] Pours brown with a medium tan head. Aroma is weak, a little malt, a little vanilla, maybe a tiny bit of chocolate. Taste is hops, roasted malt, almost a fruity character. medium thick. Good finish.

Pours dark brown with a fine light brown head. Nose ofmlt and spices. Flavour of malt, raisins, coffee and juniper. Nice bitter finish. A well composed x-mas ale.

The aroma was aromatic with chocolate and caramel. The caramel contained a light sweetness and a bready and biscuity presence. The beer poured into the glass clear black with an amber highlight and a tannish head which lasted to lace the glass. The flavor was nutty and chocolately with a winey character of dark fruits, namely raisins and prunes. The flavor also was nutty and bready and contained a light bit of roast which was never overpowering. The bittering was well achieved, but the malt characteristics ruled the day. The finish was dry with a lasting chocolate character lasting into the aftertaste. The body was medium-full with a moderate level of carbonation and a creamy texture on the palate. A really nice Strong Ale, more of a Porter, very smooth and interesting. 16.9 ounce bottle. Labeled as Winter Ale.

tick, tick, tick...
rating 997

pours a dark brown with a decent size khaki head and spotty lacing. aroma is grainy malt, some spice and vanilla. flavor gets a bit more interesting with additional flavors of molasses and a hint of smoke and nuts. very enjoyable. thanks to RLB for the 19 oz. bottle.
tick, tick...

Bottle consumed on Sunday Ocotber 21st, the day the Red Sox beat the Indians 11-2 to win the American League and advance to the world series. Nose is chocolate, vanilla, a little smoke. Flavor is strong with more vanilla, molasses, and some dark fruits with a warm finish. Unique winter ale.