Nøgne Ø Saison

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: Saison
Grimstad, Norway

Bottled. Fresh, floral, orange, yeasty, sweet spicy nose... Soft sweet flavor to start - transitions into a yeasty, biscuity, dry finish. Very drinkable and a nice beer...Not a mind shattering complex saison, but I still enjoyed it.

Pours a hazy golden color with a small white head. Nose is fruity, citrus and wheat, mild but refreshing aroma. Initial taste of wheat and fruit from the aroma. Mild barnyard or maybe musty. Spices come in on the mid palate. Finishing with balancing wheat, flowery and hop character. Average palate duration, minor head retention, body is light.

From Superbrugsen, Aarhus, DK. Bottled. Fruit yeasty notes and a presence of wheat. High carbonation

Pour is hazed pretty golden yellow with a thin skin of a bright white head...smell is lightly funky with some lavender, and yeast...thin mouthfeel and flavor...some light funk...finally a mediocre saison that isn’t super sweet!!!! Some yeast and black pepper in the finish....

3-30-08 bottle
Foggy yellow with a decent head. Smells a hint like funky lemon pepper spice. It isn’t an offensive smell, but rather it is quite light. Sweet watery dough flavor that has a lemon pepper aspect to it as well. Average semi-thin palate. Overall, drinkable.

Bottle.

Pours an orange-tinged yellow with a modest white head. Enjoyable aroma: tart lemon and mild banana esters. Hint of coriander. The most surprising thing about the flavor is the strength of the hop close; this has a very dry astringent mouth-puckering finish that actually works really well to close out a flavor profile that makes for an interesting ride. First sip is mildly sweet, fruity esters, a drop of lemon juice and unripe apricot skins. Interesting yeast character throughout makes a smooth and interesting transition, abetted by additional plum skins, into the bitter close. The pieces of this one are really nice, and there’s a lot going on here. Somehow the whole doesn’t synchronize in a way that pushes it to the level of excellent; not to say that it clashes, just that with so any good elements here and so much creativity, it’s almost surprising that this doesn’t rate up in the low fours.

16oz bottle from Knightly Spirits. Pours hazy orange into my tulip. This is a wierd brew, its really not much of a saison in my opinion but its not actually a bad beer. Nose of citrus and yeast, no hint of funk or spice like a typical saison. Taste is once again nothing like a saison. Its extremely hoppy and bitter up front like an IPA but the bitterness fades quickly to a faint citrus bite and a lingering belgian yeasty finish. Not alot of carbonation so the palate is pretty developed. Almost like a belgian IPA but this is not a saison at least not true to what I’ve had of the style. It shares some very very slight similarities but its definitely its own beer and in that regard its not a bad beer. However whatever beer this IS it is not my thing. Hopheads would love this.

light citrus, bread aroma; low to medium carbonation; a bit rich, buttery, with a somewhat sticky palate; this is an alright brew.