Nøgne Ø Citrus Hystrix IPA

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Grimstad, Norway

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Very murky brown with tints of orange, cream coloured head, again with tints of orange, lasting and foamy. A crazy looking beer. Nose is more conventional, citrus orange and pine hops dominate. Flavour follows the nose, orange sweetness up front, a rye bite, a slight burnt orange chocolate note, followed quickly by big IBUs, all backed by a bready, brioche malt. It’s quite fizzy, body is on the light side and quote drinkable. Finish is long with orange sweetness, sharp lime and grapefruit bitterness. Nice.

Draft at Farmers Cabinet. Dark orange amber pour. Khaki foam. Slightly burnt orange peels. Tootsie Rolls. Black pepper. Pumpernickel. Less citrus than expected. Flavorful but a bit blah. Feels warm and limp. Disappointed. Probably an old keg.

On tap at the Farmers Cabinet for beer week. This was a let down. Aroma is a solid citrus hop but if it were old. I suspect this has been sitting. Pours deep orange brown with a good small head. Taste is a muddled mess of stale citrus hop, barleywine malt, and peaches. It feels like the malt ate the hops for breakfast and pooped in its own glass.

My 300th rating! Cloudy toffee coloured pour with a thick, creamy beige head. Tangerine, lime, pine, toffee. Very hoppy, slightly dry, slightly sticky on the lips with medium carbonation. Very good beer. Here’s to the next 300 ...... cheers!

UPDATED: MAY 15, 2013 500ml bottle. Cloudy amber color with small off-white head. Aroma is fruity and grassy with some orange. Flavour is fruity with notes of bread and sweet malt. Expected a lot more citrus here.

In short: A harsh burgundy ale throwing everything at you but the kitchen sink. Tasty but very chaotic.
How: Bottle 500ml, exactly 6 months after bottling date (1.5 year before expiration date), as fresh as we can get Nøgne Ø in North-America.
The look: Cloudy redish-brown body topped by a medium beige head with medium retention.
In long: Nose is a weird mix of fresh citrus fruits (apricots, tangerines), spicy herbal hops, nuts (walnuts, pecans) and sweet dessert (crème caramel). The rye was subdued in mouth it is another story. Taste is rather sweet plenty of caramel, lots of toasted rye, multi-fruits breakfast jam, even more toasted rye, hops resin, pecan pie, a handful of peanuts, a whole lot of resinous citrusy hops with piney undertones, a strong spicy-herbal edge. Strong bitterness. Harsh finish, pretty much a palate destroyer. Not sure what to make of this beer, it was tasty for sure, never boring, but to me it was just too many discordant flavors thrown at me. Not sure what the goal was here, or if there was a goal at all. This beer was as puzzling as “trying” to figure out what message “someone” is trying to pass by “adding” quotations marks “around” random words.

500ml bottle from Vinmonopolet. Big, creamy tan head which lasts quite long. Amber body. Aroma of cascade hops, spices and citrus. High carbonation, bitter. Easily drinkable, nothing too much. Dry, sweet finish.

50cl bottle at Probus Wines, Dublin. Pours copper with thick off-white head. Aroma is orange juice, citrus (grapefruit), caramel and plenty of spicy rye. Taste is fairly dominated by the spicy earthy rye and juicy orange - tasty, but couldn't get too much else going on. Bit of lemon/lime tart zing near the finish as well as some semi-sweet caramel. Decent citric bitterness, but again earthy rye is the main player in the aftertaste. Tasty stuff, but I do wish they'd have sacked off the rye altogether - didn't add to the experience in a positive way for me.

Bottle - Citrus fruit flavors abound with grapefruit, orange and a sweet perfume that could be the tangerine. Muddy orange brown with a thick brownish head. Immediate grapefruit with a candy sweetness and punch of orange peel bitterness. Finishes very clean. A bit of booze in the taste along with a earthy quality (I assume that is the rye). I like when breweries get inventive, but for everything they did, I just don’t get anything special.

orry for the very distracted review. I’ll just say high quality, full flavor, strong bitterness, distinct rye malt, grapefruit, dark brown body, solid sweetness. Didn’t really notice the tangerine. Fantastic brew nothing to special.