Fredrikstad Juleøl 6.6%

Brewed by Hansa Borg Bryggerier
Style: Dunkler Bock
Bergen, Norway

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter

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Bottle@Home. Toffee, herbs and brown sugar aroma. Red brown color, beige head, good lace. Sweet, butterscotch, herbs and banana. Full, soft and alcoholic. Like a nice German bock.

Pours copper with a beige head. Aroma is raosted caramel, nuts and fruit. Flavour is roasted caramel, nuts and plum.

Bottle at Hanne på høyden, Bergen. Golden amber with nearly no head at all. Aromas of sweet malts, leather, raisin and hint of alcohol. More of the same in the mouth but alcohol being dominant along with some more dried fruit and apricot. Light bitterness. Watery mouthfeel and slightly slick. An okay christmas beer which gets better, but too much alcohol in the taste in my opinion.

I’m sure if Norwegian macro brewery christmas beers are incapable of lacing the glass, or if the sad looks of the beers I’ve had the last couple of weeks are due to my temporary beer glass. I think I really need to unpack my real beer glasses pretty soon. Anyway, the light brown head that forms on top of the medium brown body is short-lived, disappears completely and leaves nothing on the surface. And no lacing. Nice malty aroma with lots of caramel and dark fruits, a touch of spices and some fun hints of tutti frutti bubble gum. And I think I detect a raisin or two as well. Hey, this is close to complex! The taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Flavours are caramel, dark fruits, alcohol, yeast and roasted notes. And unfortunately lots of metal. Especially in the initial sips the metal feel is overwhelming. It’s not just an unpleasant metal note in the finish: the metal is one of the main contributors to the flavour profile. The metal never goes away, even if it’s a bit less obvious after some time. Quite vinous feel, but the alcohol isn’t intrusive in any way. This would have been a rather nice beer if it hadn’t been for the heavy metal.
[33 cl bottle, from Vinmonopolet Alna, Oslo]

0.33l bottle. This one pours a clear deep brown body with a thin red hue and a nice bubbly beige head. The aroma is quite sweet and nutty with some ripe fruity and dark malty hints. Average carbonation level in a oily and slick mouthfeel. It’s also sweet and quite dark-malty in the flavor with a almost vinious and woody tone in the background. Ends with a thin alcohol hint in the sweet aftertaste that suits it quite nice. Not a bad Christmas beer, but not something I have to try again.

Pours a clear and brown beer with a beige head. The aroma is malt and caramel. The flavor follows the nose. The palate is dry with sweetness. Overall a beer below average.

UPDATED: MAR 4, 2012 Bottle from vinmonopolet Halden. Both aroma and taste are malty. Colour are not that dark as wanted for an christmas brew. Ok foam. Below ordinary for an traditionally bottom fermented norwegian christmas beer.

Bottle @ Odense Tasting, September 2011. Pours amber with a frothy head on top. Nose is caramel and bread. Medium bodied. Chewy malty. Decent.

Copper with a lasting off-white head. Aroma of caramel and brown sugar with a hint of dried fruit. Sweet fruity flavour with dried fruit and a touch of cinnamon.

Bottle 330ml. @ home.

[ Trade by yngwie ]. Clear medium to dark brown amber color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is light moderate malty, roasted malt, caramel malt, fruity - berry notes. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration, dark roasted, caramel malt. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20110204]

Bottle. Dark brown color, beige head which dissolves in the middle. Both aroma and taste are malty with a sparkling somehow bitter finish.