Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

Bottle. Very dark hazy brown, dense velvety light brown head. Spicy dark caramel and cream aroma with a little coffee-- very enticing. Dark caramel, toast, subtle fruity yeast with some mild coffee bitterness in the finish. Beautifully balanced, delicious. A real treat!

Bottle. Pours a cloudy light brown with a big beige head. Malty aroma with a bit of hop, nut and spice. Sweet and spiced malt flavor up front with a dryer hop finish. Pretty good and well worth the risk.

Thanks to JaBier for sharing a bottle. This beer is a deep dark brown color with a medium frothy tan head that burns away slowly. Patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malt and nuts plus some spice. Medium body with flavors of dark chocolate, malt and honey nuts. There is a decent amount of hops present as well. The finish is nicely spiced with a roasted malt and hops aftertaste. Enjoyable all around.

Excellent, complex winter ale. Pours dark brown, almost black, with a medium tan head. Aroma is porter-like roastiness plus some hops. Flavor is really complex: molasses, roasted malts, coffee, licorice, spices, floral hops, and some alcohol. The only flaw in my opinion was that it seemed a little boozy at times. Smooth palate. One of the best examples of its style that I’ve had this year.

Smell of caramel, floral bits, and hops. This carried a good strong malty backbone and focused mainly on the sweet caramel aspects with an emphasis on the hoppy side as well. Lasting bitterness and a slight smokey feel. The head was outstanding...long lasting and vibrant. Supremely well balance beer here. Another great offering from Nøgne.

25oz Winter Ale bottle. Poured a deep brown, nearly opaque color with a frothy, cascading tan head. Molasses hits you right in the nose with some roasted malt, earthy spice, and cocoa as well. Smooth taste of molasses, but blended nicely with the caramel and chocolate malt. The hops give it a porter-like balance, as well as a spiced quality. A nice smooth winter warmer.

Pours a deep brown with a fluffy light brown head. Aroma of caramel, chocolate, malt and licorice. Flavor is licorice, chocolate, malt, caramel, spices. Hides alcohol rather well. Decent beer but not worth the price tag.

Deep brown with auburn hues. Delicate pour generates a voluminous and rocky cap of froth. Nose is cleanly lined with an array of malt-derived subtleties reminiscent of tobacco, charcoal, black chocolate, and toasted bread. Quite lively with airy esters fused with relaxed plum, anise, and raisin notes. Fluffy and expansive on the palate. Airy and spicily estery, initially, yet densely chocolaty and teasingly malty-sweet. Brisk flash of charcoal acidity briefly tempers the sweetness before giving way to a soft and lush bed of deep-rooted malt. Although the succulent core is bolstered by juicy hops, the hop character is entirely devoid of brashness or acidity. Chalky bitterness imparts dryness while underscoring the perceptible yet wonderfully composed citric-tinged hop bitterness. Stacks of rich complexities and pillowy textures, coaxed cleanly from the malt, link up with a tangy twinge of black licorice and plums which underscores the sophisticated malt profile. Finished deceptively sweet due to the clean attenuation and snappy malt accents, with a peppery estery bite which dovetails with a note of chocolate pudding and pine needles. The vast majority of American breweries could learn a thing or two from Nøgne Ø, as this particular beer features the classic combination of high-alpha “C” hops yet contains absolutely none of the typical dirtiness, brashness or overt acidity found in such styles like American Strong Ales with similar hop formulas. In fact, in a blind tasting you’d be hard pressed to peg any of these hops as being American. Really good beer.