Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

courtesy of oh6gdx - opaque dark ruby-brown colour with a fine and stable beige head; beautiful lace; a bit toasty, rich aroma of prunes, honey and some undefined spices; sweet and clean mouthfeel, good malt backbone; slightly salty and bitter with a long dry aftertaste of dark chocolate and spices - a superb beer which invites to meditation

Bottled. Very dark brown. Aroma of chocolate and oranges. Roasty, sweet and really rich. with clean mouthfeel. Dark chocolate dominates. Salty aromatic finish. An excellent, complex, warming christmas beer!

[bottle] Dark brown with a rich and creamy head. Sweet, hoppy, malty and somewhat smoked aroma. Flavour is dry and roasty. Very flavourful , hoppy and complex yet smooth and balanced.

Dark brown in colour, rich lingering tan coloured head, good lacing. The aroma is very earthy, burnt and toasty, caramel and chocolate malts, liquorice, nutty and spicy. The flavour is quite sweet but not overpowering, some molasses, light smoke, good roast, caramel, chalky chocolate. Mildly bitter mouthfeel, medium/large body, medium carbonation. Finishes long, light alcohol warmth, light spice, bitter. Excellent winter warmer, great balance with good sweetness. The alcohol only makes an appearance at the very end.

500ml bottle from the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york target=blank>Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York graciously picked up for me by <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>IPFreely, many thanks Tim.
Opened on June 1, 2007.
No best before date.

I liked the creativity of the brewing here--three "C" hops, English yeast, etc. It showed. For my part, although the hops were notable for their sharpness, the biggest feature was the deep roasted quality. It lasted long into the finish and was nicely balanced by the sweetness and richness. I thought this could have easily passed as a porter, even an imperial porter. The alcohol was actually moderately present, even through as many other flavors as were going on here, which suggests it may not have been in perfect balance. Even so, good stuff. I’d take a few more bottles of this.

Milk stout with sweet fruit hop notes. Fully opaque with large light brown head. Excellent lace. Pretty good retention. Nice flavor. Dark chocolate malt. Good balance; sweetness and some hop. Very smooth. Nice flavor. A little under carbonated. A very nice, enjoyable brew.

Very dark brown, nearly black - slight head, tan in color, around the sides of the glass. Deliciously dry, bitter, coffee and cocoa-filled aroma. The flavor is milky-sweet, the lactose is very pleasant to balance out the bitterness. Ever so slight astringency. Pleasant hoppiness is an interesting mix with the roastiness, woodiness and vanilla.

Bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo. Deep brown - almost black - with a small tan head. Aroma of malt, coffee, chocolate and spice. Medium bodied. Fantastic flavour - dark malt, toasted nuts, chocolate - and it hides that alcohol so well. It seems like a really nice porter to me rather than an APA. Very good!