Nøgne Ø Porter

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: Porter
Grimstad, Norway

Pours with a thick brown head atop a very deep, dark brown body. Earthy aroma contains notes of cocoa, roasted nuts, and a slight twinge of pine needles. Flavor is initially chocolate and nutty sweetness, quickly taken over by bitter espresso and pine with a dry finish. It’s rare in my experience for a brew to do both sweet and bitter/dry so well, without the flavors becoming muddied. A top notch porter.

This bottle of Nøgne Ø Porter was picked up during my last visit to Green’s. When uncapped, the beer formed a rapidly rising head in the bottle, but the quickness of my hands avoided any spillage. In my imperial pint glass, this formed a four finger tall beige head, which looked in stark contrast to the deep black color of the body. The hefty roastiness of the aroma indicated that this was going to be forceful porter, the kind of drink the vikings would have enjoyed before going on a berserk raid in an alternate brewing universe. Coffee and chocolate were everywhere in the nose. The taste was sharp yet soft as the astringent taste and silky body rubbed shoulders in the same glass. I did not get much of the dried fruit flavors that were mentioned on the back label, but coffee and toffee were definitely abundant. Slight sourness in the aftertaste, and a hint of bitter cocoa lingered on. Some brashness in the mouthfeel from the roast grain, but it was right at home in the style. Well done imported porter, which is not the typical case.

My bottle (500ml), shared with tupalev. Pours black with ruby hues and a good size lasting light-brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malt, dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Flavour of roasted malt, roasted coffee, and dark chocolate. Short dry finish. Alcohol’s well hidden. Medium bodied, somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Great Porter, incredibly easy to drink.

Aroma was malty rich but still not to overly complex. A tad sweet but balanaced with a nice amount of dryness. A real solid porter considering this isnt one of my favorite styles.

Slightly bitter aroma with some roasted malt. Flavors of big roasted malt, coffee, and a faint frutiness on the finish. Tan head gives a creamy texture. Leaves a slightly sweet aftertaste. Borderingon stout size flavors but the body and thickness are lighter like a porter.

black with a huge caramel head. decent lacing. big roasted coffee aroma with a touch of sweetness. burnt flavor with bitter chocolate and coffee. lots of dark flavors yet still light enough to be somewhat refreshing.

A black appearance with a tan head. A roasty aroma with some coffee, chocolate, and other dark fruit. The flavor is somewhat bitter with some dark chocolate, coffee, and licorice notes. Overall this was a good porter.

Bottle. Dark as the darkest night with a brown and medium thick head. The taste is very full and well balanced, a little roasted. I agree with the commercial description that it should be enjoyed by itself, it’s close to liquid bread but a very good one. I enjoyed it!