Nøgne Ø Saison

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: Saison
Grimstad, Norway

Hazy golden color with rapidly disappearing head. Aroma of hay and malt. Full-bodied for a saison, Taste of orange and lemon, maybe coriander. Bitter finish. Not very complex.

Sampled on 11/27/2008. This saison pours a slightly hazy orange gold color from a 50cl bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity and spicy, with a lot of citrus. A medium boded saison. The malts are fruity and sweet, with lots of fruit flavors; mostly pineapple, peach and citrus. The hops are kind of floral. Lively carbonation. For all that sweetness it’s kind of dry. Starts out fairly sweet and then some hop bitterness build in the middle to the finish. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Tasted during the Great Rate Beer Internet Catastrophe of ’08. A decent saison, but not exceptional. Flavors are good and uncomplicated, which makes it both highly drinkable and, at the same time, less impressive than the best of the style.

Bottled 50cl. It pours a murky golden beer with a small head. Pleasant, discrete nose with hints of gooseberries, melon, pineapple, mint, figs and home made caramel appearing. Nicely yeasty. Figs, lemon peel, oranges, quite a lot of melon, gooseberries and coriander in the taste. Decent bitterness. Some home made caramel and pineapple sneaking in. Not much lacework. Yeasty. Very pleasant. Medium bodied. A lot of great characteristics showing up in this beer. Dry finish with hints of oranges, yeast and coriander. Thanks a lot larsga for this beer!

<b>10/30/2008</b>: Nogne O Saison has a cloudy golden color with frothy white head. The aroma is dry and spicy with lots of citrus peel character. The flavor is spicy, floral, and fairly bitter with lots of citrus peel layered on top of a decent toffee maltiness. The earthy, bitter lingering aftertaste makes it difficult to pass up having another sip. This particular Saison seems more malty than most and that is fine with me. I am enjoy the additional matliness, bitterness, and complexities. Also, it has a medium to medium-full body and a smooth mouthfeel.

<i>1 pt .9 fl. oz. bottle (14 P, 25 IBU, 6.5% Alc.Vol) shared by Tmoney99 at the weekly Party Source gathering. Thanks Tom! Rating #301 for this beer...</i>

Bottle from Crown #19. Poured hazy orange color with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Moderate yeasty spice and fruit aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy sweet&sour citrus flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate to long duration. Solid refreshing beer.

A hazy light golden color with no head. Smells grassy and herbal with some citrus. The taste is of strong bitterness with a lot of grassy flavors. Even with the bitterness, it tastes a little watered down, though. Overall, not a bad beer.

500 mL bottle from Belmont Station in Portland, OR. I guess I’m confused why this is considered a saison. Smells and tastes exactly like a wheat beer. This is almost identical to Franziskaner or Paulaner. Pours a bright cloudy yellow with little head. Nose is sort of watery but with a surefire hint of bananas like other good wheat beers. Very yeasty. There is a little spicy kick, but overall not too much different from a German wheat beer. Aftertaste is dry and neutral. I would recommend this but I’m still confused about the choice of label.