4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
500ml bottle. Dark brown body with a light brown head. Nice roasted malt aroma. Sweet warming mouths feel with chocolate, coffe and some spices and bitterness. Long warming, roasted aftertaste. Yet another well-balanced masterpiece from Nøgne Ø. This is hopefully a new definition of what a Norwegian Christmas beer could be, honest I’m getting a bit tired of every brewery struggling to copy each other’s wimpy version of a dark Vienna.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle from Sam’s, Durham. Dark pour with a lively body and modest head. Aroma of strong caramel/chocolate malts and a touch of spice. There’s a bit of a burn and a bit too much heat, giving what might ordinarily be a complex spiced beer a bit of a dull personality, or at least duller than one might hope. Certainly enjoyable but, given the pricing, not something I’d eagerly seek again.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
16 oz. bottle. This could be a stout by appearance. Nose is all smoke but with sweet undertones. Feel is rich and creamy. Flavor has that smoke again but with chocolate. Further in the background is peat and peppermint spice hop. I found this to be a sweet and easy beer to drink. However, it lacked complexity
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
"Winter Ale" 2007 bottle. Pours a dark chestnut brown with light brown head. Roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, nuts, hints of dark fruit and hops. Nice silky mouthfeel. Good beer, typical winter ale style.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
(Bottle on 2008-02-03) Very dark. Roasted malts and spices in nose. Spices in taste along with roasted malts. Pleasant but perhaps a bit too spicy.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
on tap 12/13/2009 at papago.
pours into a tulip blackish brown with an off white-tan head.
initial smell reminds me of black bread or christmas cake.... slightly smoky, brown sugar, molasses, black raisins, dark malts, odd spiciness and a faint lactic sourness.
the flavor is a lot alike... add in some cocoa and cinnamon to the notes of smoke, molasses, black grains, dark raisins and light sourness on the finish. it’s quite fruity but not sweetened. the dryness on the finish really helps keep it in check.
it is medium bodied with a crisp texture making it fairly easy to put away. odd in a nogne sort of way... but delicious. 7/4/7/4/15/3.7
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
16.9 oz. bottle. Pours a very dark brown, not quite black, with a thick, luscious, tan head that lasted to the bottom of the glass and left light sheets of lace. Very nice aroma of caramel, raisins and bitter chocolate. Not quite as flavorful as the aroma would inidiate, but still pleasant with notes of caramel, bitter chocolate and alcohol. Moderate bitterness and warming at the finish. Medium bodied. I’d like to try this again around the Holidays instead of August!
2.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 6/20
On tap at the 2009 Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest, this beer was very thin, very mild, quite benign.
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