Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

1 pt .9 fl oz bottle from Blue Max in Burnsville, MN. Pour is a deep brown with some redness. 1/2 inch khaki head goes away pretty quickly. Aroma is caramel and some raisin sweetness. Also a bit of smokiness in there as well. Taste is roasty - smoky malt. A bit of nice hop bitterness at the finish and a touch of sweetness (almost more cherries in the taste) throughout. A nice, interesting brew.

Bottle. "Winter Ale" Pours a beautiful black with brown highlights. Great nose: caramel, roasted coffee, roasted malt, caramel and nuts. Nice malty sweetness balanced by some hops. Finishes quite robust and dry. I really enjoy this brewery.

Bottle. Poors dark brown almost black in the glass. Aroma is wonderful with chocolate and a lot of other Christas spicies. I also sense liqourice. Taste is creamy with chocolate, liqourice and nuts (?). Nice long taste. A relly nice beer.

Bottle. As soon as I popped the cap, it started gushing and didn’t stop for a good minute. I was upset, thinking it’d be my second infected beer in a row. I frustratingly pour a glass but notice the pour is normal. No overabundance of head. It pours much like a porter, semi-opaque ebony with a velvety beige head that creates some decent lacing. As I lean over to take a whiff I notice it also doesn’t smell infected. Ah, so far so good. The aroma has some molasses, a good amount of earthiness, a medium amount of cocoa, and subtle hints of coffee. Now for the taste test. Oh yes, quite tasteful. No hints of infection. This makes me happy. I guess this bottle just seemed to be a gusher. The beer is creamy to the tongue and has some nice carbonation. The flavour is strong in cocoa qualities. Caramel notes become quickly apparent giving a good amount of sweetness. Coffee and molasses are other defining characters that mix nicely with this brew. As the brew passes, hops qualities begin to show themselves, but doesn’t overpower the cocoa flavour. The finish is lightly bitter and lightly sweet, much like pure cocoa. There is also a noticeable alcohol presence that creates a nice warming sensation as it passes through. This is a delicious desert beer. I’d much rather take this over a slice of chocolate cake after a hearty, steak meal. Mmm.

From a 500 ml bottle, this was the third beer sampled at Cellar’s Nøgne Ø on Friday. Pours a heavy dark brown brew with a tan head. Dissolves fast and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma has tones of yeast, vegetables, caramel, roasted malt and some licorice. Taste is bitter with some white flour, roasted grain and a little extra carbonation. Pleasant and smooth finish.

Bottle from the Bier Stein in Eugene, OR. Got a ton of coffee flavor backed with a little spicy and some cocoa flavor. I was quite impressed with this brew.

notes of liquorice, spices (coriander, nutmeg, clove), orange. pours a beautiful brown with a big head. nice, creamy mouthfeel. good beer. bottle from sam’s chicago, il

Pours dark brown this thin tan head. bready aroma with flavors of malts, caramel, filburt nuts, chocolate, and roast. well balanced with a nice bitter finish