Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

500cl - "Winter Ale" - Well I didn’t give this one enough time to settle down after my trip to the store so it gushed on me and I lost a good portion of it. Aroma is roasted chocolate malt, caramel and molasses followed by subtle hops and a touch of spice. Pours dark brown with a big brown head (see above) and good lacing. Flavor matches aroma. Palate is roasty and creamy. A unique and tasty brew.

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.

Black with a thick, creamy brown head. Aroma is sweet chocolate malts and caramel. Flavor is rich chocolate, roast nuts, caramel. Smooth and creamy. Chewy. easy drinking. Good beer!

500 ml bottle
Gushing a bit when I opened it the beer soon settled down. With about a year on it I decided I did not want to wait any longer and shared it with a friend. I’m not sure I will buy more just because of the price tag and the number of beers out there but if you are looking for a solid winter seasonal this falls neatly into that category.

Aroma / Appearance - As mentioned above as soon as I cracked the bottle I was greeted with a gush of dark brown foam. This lasted well into the pour before settling into a sticky black liquid. Sweet coffee, milk, fresh ash, and coffee notes reminded me of a porter.

Flavor / Palate - Smoky, bitter, and chocolately the flavors leap onto the tongue and then slide towards towards the throat. The dry trail makes you want to immediately reach for another sip despite the 8.5% ABV. Well hidden and balanced I think it has aged decently. Having said that I don’t think I would keep it any longer than a year; it already was showing notes of beginning to slip.

500ml Bottle-Very dark brown in colour with some red tinges and a small head. Rich and fruity aroma with raisins, spice and a hint of Christmas pudding. Bitter, fruity,rich and full bodied taste with raisins again featuring and a nice malty,fruity and bitter aftertaste which is quite nicely balanced. The bitterness is not very strong but it does linger.

A dark brown, almost black colored beer. It has a thick foamy beige head. The aroma of dark malts, chocolate with coffee. There are dark fruits. The taste of smoked malt with chocolate, some coffee with fruits. It is nice bitter. Some spices with notes of alcohol. The aftertaste is dark bitter with hints of sweet.

16.9oz bottle, labeled as Winter Ale. Thick black-brown color, with ever the slightest stained-glass red when you hold it to light. Nice thick head. This beer is rich, sweet, and deep bodied. Lots of caramel tastes and a faint spice characteristic reminiscent of classics like Anchor Christmas. Exceptionally smooth, this one is right on.

bottle. dark mahogony pour with huge foamy tan head. nice lacing. hoppy aroma with roasted chestnuts, dark fruit, spice, mollasses and chocolate. smooth and sweet. mollasses, coffee, caramel, sweet milky chocolate. lingering coffee bitterness. nicely balanced. Very nice!