Nøgne Ø # 100 (Batch 100)

Originally reviewed 4/11/2008... Poured from 500 into Cab glass... This pours much differently from expected. Very dark - almost like an RIS...or a root beer? Hugh 4-finger head so bready I can see layers. Minimal carbonation in root beer-colored, moderately opaque body. Excellent lacing. Austere, bitter, piney hop aroma. Sweetness emerges from carbonation. Almost a juniper secnt in there. Slight, soapy hop scent mixed with sweetness - almost sarasparilla, in continuing with root beer theme. Roasted chocolatey malt does not show at all on the nose but it’s prevalent in taste. Mild sarasparilla notes - slight hop bitterness flows from grassiness to floral/soapy over time. Slight, nice citrus tang. Well-balanced. Doesn’t exactly drink like a barley wine, but very mellow and enjoyable. There’s even some apple cider in there for traditional barley wine crowd. Strangely complex and off the reservation; that’s a good thing in this case. There’s a puckereing hop feel from start to finish, backed by deep, mellow malt. Alcohol is there but comforting. The balanced caramel syrup consistency works well. This is very enjoyable stuff - its weight makes it more of a sipper.

Now we’re talking. This is the one beer from the recent Scandinavian explosion that has really worked for me. I mean, really worked. Yes. Incredible, constantly evolving aroma - Xmas spices, spruce, Jaffas, piney hops, cola. It tastes great too, like a big rich brown ale with plenty of Dutch spices (almost too much) and big piney bitterness. The spice thing is weird, it seems to be a bit of a Nøgne Ø house character so I’m guessing there aren’t any spices actually added. But anyway... It actually manages to taste rather Nordic to me, if I can make such a judgement without knowing the vaguest thing about Norway, whilst simultaneously having a very ’new world’ micro type swagger. Killer beer, perfect for winter. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d be smashing it all the time.

Athens, Ga. - Five Points Bottle Shop - 500 ml bottle. Pours a dark brown with an off-white head. Fresh fruity aroma with hints of dates and prunes with a hint of spruce. Flavor is full bodied and full of bittersweet goodness. Some tangy citrus, baked brown bread, dates and raisins all blend together nicely. Mouthfeel is thick and rich.

Bottle:Batch 360. Pours deep brown, with a 1" mocha coloured creamy head. Strong chocolate aroma, grass and citrus as well.Thick and chewy mouthfeel, taste is dominated by dark sweet fruits, roasted raisins, peppers,alcohol comes towards the end, together with bitterness.

500 ml bottle
Another special release from Nogne I saved this one for a warmer summer afternoon. It was a great highlight; in fact I hope that this might become a regular release rather than a one off beer. Somewhere between an imperial IPA and a hopped up old ale at this point it is good no matter what you call it.

Aroma / Appearance - The pillowy beige head dominated the deep brown body underneath. It looked like the color of a newspaper that had been left in the sun. Resiny and floral it hangs in the air. Caramel glazing and grassy notes remind me of a toned down Imperial IPA from the likes of Stone.

Flavor / Palate - Chewy molasses mixes with toffee, tree bark, and rye toast before settling on the tongue. The hop bite is not as strong as I expected but still is very evident. Heavy on the mouthfeel it sticks to the throat with a rich chocolately finish. A unique twist and in a class of its own this is not a pure Imperial IPA or a pure barleywine but somewhere in between.

Bottle. Dark brown colour with a nice white head. Aroma and flavour of fruit, hops, cohcolate, caramel and roasted malt.

Pretty impressive stuff. Beautiful dark brown with a persistent fizzy head. Nose shows a broad array of chocolate and zingy fruits. To taste the fruits a a dead ringer for ’tingle fruits’ and candy. Chocolate firms up and becomes progressively more bitter through the palate. Some bitterness to finish, probably equal parts from the ABV and the hops. More Barley Wine / RIS to my tastes given the impact of the chocolate flavours but this is one complex and tasty beer.

23 ounce bottle from South Bay Drugs. Joey from South Bay explained to me that he was the first locally to get Nogne O (even before it had California distribution) and that this bottle actually dates back to 2007. Pours a very dark brown, bordering on black. Two fingers of delicious-looking mocha head lasts for a little while. Sweet aroma of toffee, butterscotch, toasty malts, and some bourbon. Okay, now I’m really confused. Not to be a style policeman at all, but the color, the aroma, and the bottle label (which is apparently a mistake) tells me this is much closer to a barley wine or stout than a double IPA. Incidentally, I checked on Beeradvocate, and they do label this a barley wine. ANYWAY, on to the flavor...it follows the nose well with more toffee and bourbon flavors. Not as sweet as the nose would indicate, though. There’s a burnt/ash flavor present as well. I do catch pleasant hints of the American hops in here, but they have apparently really mellowed with the aging (assuming that this bottle really is from 2007). Whatever the style -- I would not call this a double IPA -- this is good stuff.