Berentsens Stelliger Divum Juleøl (2011-)

Brewed by Berentsens Brygghus
Style: Doppelbock
Egersund, Norway

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

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Pours viscously, and after much trouble, a dark beige rim forms itself for mere seconds; the beer displaying the colour of old, darkend accajou wood; with very fine pearling. Rich, alcohol and fusels-infused nose, like a rich brandycake. Some vanilla, rumbonen, vinous - as old fortified wine. Dried fruit - bananas, plums, apricots, raisins. Bitterish-sweet, alcoholpossessed flavour; cray, liquorice, all the dried fruits from above with some strawberries thrown in, and a very imposing character as from barrel-aged brandy or similar spirit. Sticky, syrupy, totally viscous and explosive alcoholheat. Wow - a gem. Abject thanks to Vincent and his dealer (Brent?)!

Very dark, syrupy feel. Brandy, smoke, liquorice. Smooth and velvety feel, this is aged long enough to take away the edges. Balanced, despite its extremeness.

15.03.2013. Shared at the brewery, Egersund. Black colour with tan head. Strong beer with very rich body. Lots of dark malts and lots of alcohol. Very strong bitterness in the aftertaste. Notes of chocolate, liqurice and coffe. There is also some sweetness, that maybe comes from the high alcohol content. Really complex beer with lots of flavours.

Shared bottle at Cardinal, Stavanger. Pours pitch black with a tiny head. Aroma of smooth liquorice, hard roasted malts, dark caramel, smoother than last years edition. Taste is mineralic, almost umami, salt meat and salty liquorice. Alcohol presence, but not as much as feared.This is a beer for the long evenings. Perhaps cellaring would serve this beer well?

UPDATED: AUG 28, 2012 Bottle, at Nærbø Ølfestival. A flat one, at least almost completely, just some beige bubbles. Clear body, dark brown in color. The aroma has loads of sugary dried fruits, maltyness and some meaty hints. Some roasted malts, coffee and a faint chocolate touch in the back. Dried fruits, prunes, malty sweetness and a solid dose of alcohol in the mouth, some saltyness towards the warming finish. Full body, very warming. A tasteful one indeed, quite lovely actually, but it’s next to ridicilous selling a beer at this strength in 50cl bottles. Meant to share I guess... Rating: 8-3-8-3-16-3.8. 111022

Bottle. Almost clear, copper to brown in color and flat as a pancake. Dried fruits, alcohol, roasted malts, raisins, chocolate and coffee on the nose. Intense flavor with lots of dried fruits and alcohol, as well as some coffee and chocolate hints. Full-bodied, pleasantly carbonated and way too warming, but it’s sort of nice in a way. Intense, warming and quite bitter finish. Certainly more burning than the 2010 edition. Would be better off sold in smaller bottles. Rating: 7-3-8-4-16-3.8. 111229

Bottle. It pours an almost clear body, copper to brown in color, and without head. Dried fruits, roasted malts, raisins, alcohol, chocolate and coffee on the nose. The flavor is really intense, it’s warming and full-bodied on the palate, and with a low, but pleasant and sufficient, level of carbonation. Coffee, roasted malts, dried fruits, chocolate and alcohol in the flavor. Very warming down the throat, with a pleasant bitterness. It’s more burning than the slighlty weaker 2010 edition, but I think it’s a better beer anyway, but it would certainly benefit from being sold in nip size bottles. 111229

Ooooh, this is a black one. The tiny brown head isn’t that long-lived, but I’m a sucker for black bodies. The aroma is filled with christmas in the woods: juniper, pine trees (needles, cones, bark and the lot), heather and dried dark fruits. And of course alcohol. The taste is heavy sweet and moderate bitter, although it’s a bit hard to say what’s bitterness and what’s the alcohol trying to dissolve my palate. The flavours are actually not that strong, but it’s still an overwhelming experience due to the alcohol kick. Dark dried fruits, alcohol, dark dried fruits in alcohol and alcohol with dark dried fruits. And for me this works! It feels extremely thick, full and sirupy, an amazing mouthfeel. A lovely sipper, but I don’t think I would need much more than my tiny sample to fulfil my yearly need of Stelliger Divum. And, seriously, what’s with that name? What’s Stelliger Divum supposed to mean? And who’s anyone supposed to remember such a name after drinking a beer of this strength?
[10 cl sample served in a small but brimful plastic cup@Juleølpremiere 2012, Mathallen, Oslo]

bottle. Deep dark brown colour with tan head. aroma is sweet, portwine, alcohol, malt, coffee, hop, licorice, dried fruits. Flavour is licorice, portwine, alcohol, roasted malt, coffee, dried fruits. Powerful beer.

Sampled @Juleølpremieren, Jacobs Kirke, Oslo. Naked surface. Body is dark brown with good clarity. Aroma of rich and sweet alcohol-soaked dark caramel. Notes of English fruitcake and sweet-scented licorice. A rounded sweetness from the alcohol, not at all stingy or harsh as feared. Big fat malt body. Appears like extraced dark caramel. Substantially sweet. Notes of rum&raisin, licorice and roasted nuts. A fair amount of bittering hops underneath. Syrupy mouthfeel. Heavy alcohol warmth in a long malty aftertaste. For the monsterous 19% abv, this is an impressingly complex and balanced heavyweighter.

Very dark amber with a small brown head that goes away fast - malt and dark fruits in the aroma along with some alcohol - good malt body with some dark fruit/caramel notes , with some alcohol heat - long lingering finish with some liqerish and some alcohol heat - good and interesting

Bottle 500ml @ yngwie
Pours deep reddish brown with no head. Aroma has notes of malt, dried fruits, alcohol, caramel and chocolate. Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter with a long warm, fruity, malty finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft