Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

Bottle picked up at BevMo in San Fran for 2 bucks cheaper than I’ve ever seen a Nogne O here in Oregon. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Smells heavily of caramel, toffee and some nuttiness. Very nice flavor of chocolate, caramel and some nice citrus hop backing. Very solid beer, would love to get some more of their stuff if it wasn’t so overpriced.

Purchased at Rozi’s in Lakewood a while back, I’m fairly certain they are clean out by now. This one gave me a surprise foam over after I opened it. Fortunately I got the goods into a glass quick enough. That hasty pour gave a nice thick mocha head on top of a black body. Aroma just smells of quality, strong citrus notes mingling with rich caramel malt, coffee and a little bit of wood. Flavor is very much the same. This has a heck of an initial bitterness, clean and citrus-y followed by a chewy malt character. This is just all around quality, it even ends with a finish reminiscent of an English barley wine. This beer sure is darn tastey.

Poured from a 500ml bottle labeled as Winter Ale and served in a snifter. This beer poured muddy dark brown with some caramel highlights and a thick, lasting cap of tan foam. Excellent lacing. Looks delicious sitting in the snifter. The aroma consisted of cocoa, raisins, plums, and some light hoppy citrus notes. The flavor was rich and malty and included caramel, chocolate, pine, oranges, and also some dark fruits. Tons of flavor going on here. Layered and complex. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and had a moderate amount of aggressive carbonation. Malty and full of American hops. A well executed winter warmer.

2008 Bottle. Gushing! The beer came rushing out of the bottle even though it was quite cold. Aroma is quite chocolatey at first ith a hint off sulphur reminiscent of rubber. some dark fruit (raisin, prune). No info on yeast, but it smells like a laer yeast. Maybe a bit oxidized already. Quite sweet taste with sticky artificial chocolate note. Almost no hint of all the different american hops. Taste like homebrew.

Pours extremely dark brown almost black with a big manila head. Nose of rich caramel, toffee, bread and nuts. Flavor is the same with rich and full mouth feel. Hops coming through the finish. Good winter beer!

Pours dark with a tan head, lots of head. Goes down very smooth with a ton of flavor. Lots of caramel and malts! Excellent brew.

Crushed with Jakebra. Nice brew. These guys have yet to disappoint. Even though it’s 75 degrees here at the beginning of February, it’s still nice and warming infront of a fireplace. Impressed by the hop presence on the nose. Medium-bodied which is pretty cool. Nice mouthfeel and good flavor. Prety sexy brew.

Bottle pours black with tan head. Aroma is leather and roasted malts. Has a full mouthfeel. Flavor is complex. Leather, dark roasted malts, currant, bread, coffee, and slight licorice flavor. Overall a really nice brew.