Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

This Jul is another jewel I had at Eulogy in Philly (labeled Winter). Even the label looks cool - understated in a Nowegian sort of way. Nothing understated in the bottle. Pours like a ribbon of foggy midnight under a small tight dark khaki head. Lots of caramel and toffey up front in the aroma with a little coffee and some spice as well. The flavor initially reminded me of those old fashioned Chunky "bars" with raisins - lots of chocolate complimented by raisins at first, followed by roasted coffee, mild herbal notes and some more dark fruits (restrained). Surprising hoppy bite in there as well. Texture is spot-on and silky with just a little prick of carbonation. Complex and sweet finish but with a respectable hop note to clean it up and give it a dry quality as well. A really well done Winter Seasonal that I’d be more than proud to serve again and again.

Big, creamy, off-white head; black opaque body going brownish round the edges. Subdued sweetish toffee aroma with hints of chocolate, coffee, and citrusy hops. Deep, sweet coffee taste, well rounded, ending in a nicely rounded dry, roasty aftertaste. Strong notes of citrusy hops run underneath the taste from start to finish, and is a nice contribution. Taste not that powerful, but deep and lovely. An excellent Christmas beer.

1 year old bottle. Strong winter spice, lightly lactic aroma. Big malts, very chewy and rich. Super-thick, perfect body, carbonation is dead on. Flavor has less spice than the flavor but is really balanced, and has combined well over the past year. Slight hints of booze. Beautifully aged.

Aroma: sweet, lovely yeast. Fresh, fantastically good hops, roasted, powerful malt, a bit coffeelike-bitter. Slightly of alcohol and allspice. Very complex, vaguely smoky and sourish. Very well balanced, faint grapefruit- or Sevilla orange-scent. Appearance: extremely dark brown with browntinted, fluffy, appetizing head that sticks to the glass. Flavor: rare, sweet like burnt sugar, very full-bodied, lovely, slightly burnt with a rough ’bite’. Exceptionally deep, a very round and sourish aftertaste, fruity, rowanlike. Palate: as good as perfect, right co2, right body. Very close to a 5, only the slime hinders. Very good with an extra old Swedish, salty Präst cheese. Definitely a choice for Christmas. I believe in Nøgne Ø.

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!

21 oz. bottle labeled "Winter Ale." Very dark, essentially opaque, mahogany with ruby highlights and a generous creamy tan head with good durability and lace. Dark caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, roasted nut, and a hint of spruce in the aroma. Rich, medium/full body, light carbonation, some astringency, and a quite dry palate. An initial blast of dark malty sweetness is quickly supplanted by a burnt/roasty bitterness that brings on a long dry finish. When I see "Winter Ale" or some similar name, my expectation is something that’s all spiced up, but this is decidedly different. This is just a very good beer, no pretensions and no gimmicks

0.5 l bottle. Black color with creamy tan head. Roasted, vinous and hoppy aroma with strong citrusy and mentholy hop aroma, chocolade and some alcohol. More chocolade, coffee and flowery hops in the aroma. Sweet, hoppy and roasted finish. Soft and full palate. Nice beer, although american hops roll over other aromas and flavors.

2007 bottle from WLV. Dark brown color with medium beige head. Wonderful roasty sweet malt aroma with bourbon-like notes such as vanilla and alc, also dark fruit and chocolate. Flavor is very roasty, dark fruit, yeast spiciness, medium sweet, very nice. Full body with creamy carbonation. One of the better winter seasonals.