Nøgne Ø # 100 (Batch 100)

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Grimstad, Norway

Huge thanks to Fin for this one! (Thought I had added this rating ages ago, so the thanks is a very belated one.) Pours a deep mahogany with dense butter-colored head, settling into a beautiful frozen-sea-froth lace. Started with this a little too cool, so a bit of warming and swirling and before this really starts to show off. Some fine textured cinnamon-leaning grapefruit skin, walnuts, toasty brown bread, eucalyptus. A deep sense of earth; not exactly that it smells of soil and leaves, but like the roots, the deep source of the ingredients, are honored and connected to where they came from. Such an interesting and subtle flavor! So odd to say the word subtle in a IIPA review, but this really is. The hops are there first thing, but they are remarkably soft and inviting, and the moment they have registered they are already bowing out with deference to elegant toasty sweetness and chocolate. And as the sip finishes, the faintest hint of orange zest lingers. This is one of those rare and glorious beers that is not really like anything, and that can’t be bothered to conform to a "style". Not that it rebels and tears up those conventions—it just supersedes style.

Bottle shared by grant (purchased at Perry’s earlier in the day). Initial aroma has gasoline notes, which becomes lightly sweet with some herbal hop flavors. Not overly attractive. Kinda boring. Mostly opaque amber body with a frothy off-yellow head and nice lacing. Well, this beer really doesn’t stand out. Not too much going on. Some caramel notes to start, but not much else. Has some spicy hop notes in the finish as well as some mustiness. Might have been a bad bottle, but I was thoroughly underwhelmed by this beer.

This poured a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma contains alcohol, coffee, nutmeg, citrus, and dark fruit. The flavor is big and malty and contains some molasses, cherries, raisins, and some citrus. Overall this seems more like a barleywine but whatever it is, it’s a nice beer.

Looks great, with a deep nut brown coloring and a long lasting tan head with lacing. Brown sugar, nutmeg, sweet malt aroma. Pleasingly bitter with a big hop profile, with a lot of malt to balance.

Aroma: mellow, slight malt, citrus. Appearance: substantial foamy head, dark true brown, sediment, translucent. Minimal carbonation visible. Flavor: roasted malts, caramel, nice balanced flavor. Palate: this to me was the key of the beer. sharp bit at first, and maintained edge throughout, leaving you feeling that this is a fantastic-tasting barley wine yet maintaining a feel slightly less viscous than your normal barley wine, giving it a clean, crisp finish rather than the typical heavy malt and sweetness. My feeling is drinking any other barley wine after drinking this would make the other taste almost like syrup. Truly delightful palate for given the style. Overall Impression: Wonderful brew. One of the best barley wine styles I’ve ever had with a very unique finish. I nice, crisper almost summer version of the style. Well done.

Poured amber. Nose was nice booze, sweet malts, some floral hops and citrus hops. Flavor was warming alcohol, sweet hop flavor and nice malt balance. Seems like time in the bottle has really muted the hop character and I think it evolved into a barley wine. Definitely not a IIPA. Nice beer though. Would love to try it again.

Bottle courtesy of Ib4lb. Pours a dark brown color with thin white head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of vanilla, booze, caramel, muted hops, light pine. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of vanilla, booze, brown sugar, caramel, sweet honey and light spice, Generally medium body with a pleasing light floral hop finish.

500ml bottle. Batch number 365. Brewed 28.05.08. BB 28.05.13 Good pop, pours a deep brown body with a thick, creamy, persistant tan head. Hops drive the nose straightup; woody, spicy, distinct bitter orange and grapefruit rind, slight grassiness. Certainly some underlying malt, toffee and roasted notes of bitter chocolate play it out. Body has bit bitterness from the word go, well balanced by underlying malt. Carbonation is medium with a slight creaminess of texture that somehow disguising a big abv quite well. Resinous hops take hold on the body. Once again, plenty of piney wood, and grapefruit rind, bit of earthy spice in the works. Malt body opens out a bit more, nice hints of liquorice, brown sugar, dark chocolate, light roast coffee, and vinous fruit bolster and contain a fair bit of the hop character. Finish is highly bitter, lingering with a mishmash of roasted astrigency, malt sweetness and sharp citrus, really making another sip tempting...and thusly making a 10% beer disappear very quickly! I like how they mention how this should be regarded as a Barley Wine, because it’s very close. Really a mishmash of styles for me, possibly could pass as an "American strong ale", like the Winter Ale I just tried. Sorry, i’m rambling now, but yes, overall this is a very intensly flavoured brew with a bitter finish and could age very well, yet it’s not unbearable as alot of Barley Wines often are young, so it’s middle ground, but probably not what i’d regard as an IIPA mainly due to the roasted malt character.