Nøgne Ø God Jul

Brewed by Nøgne Ø
Style: American Strong Ale
Grimstad, Norway

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

500mL bottle, no date. I also have a review last year from General_Gao, but some day I’ll add my backlog. Ah, gotta love the gushers spilling on my computer, carpet, couch, and whatnot. Fuck! Very deep ruby brown--damn near opaque--with a two finger brown head, fading down to a 1/4 finger head by the time it took me to wipe up everything and Resolve® my carpet. Roasted malts, chocolate malted milk balls, nutmeg and misc. spices are dominant. Quite chocolatey with some sweet caramel and chocolate chip cookie dough. Flavor was roastier, though there are still some sweet chocolate and caramel notes again, cookie dough and raisins following with some warming alcohol. Though what I stated sounds somewhat like a RIS, it didn’t taste like one at all. The roast never got very strong. Semi-dry finish with bitterness reaching a 2-3. Moderate carbonation with a medium full body. I originally had this a 7-4-8-4-16, but think it deserved an extra point as it warmed.

Pours with a deep red body topped by a meidum thick, light brown head with some lacing. It’s sweet and malty with a touch of alcohol esters and a piney hop note. Medium to full bodied and slightly warming.

UPDATED: JUL 25, 2009
6/24/2007 and 11/07/2007: Nøgne Ø Winter Ale has an opaque dark chesnut brown color. There is some sediment suspended in it after the pour. It looks pretty thick! It also has a creamy tan-colored head. The aroma is creamy and has some light chocolate, smoke, and nutty notes to it. The flavor is creamy with roasted malt, dark chocolate, dark caramelized fruits, coffee, and a hint of tobacco. This beer is strong in flavor and the alcohol seems reserved. The finish is dry and has a great dark chocolate flavor. The body of this beer is medium and it has a smooth and creamy texture. Perfect for the style. This is a great Winter Ale and it is probably my second favorit of the Nøgne Ø beers (behind the Porter) so far. I really hope that this beer makes it to Southwest Ohio this coming Winter!

500 mL bottle (19° Plato, 30 IBU, 8.5% Alc/Vol) via trade with hopscotch. Thank you Eric! Shared with Rob, Lance, and Matt (mball581) at the Oatmeal Stout Brewout on 6/24/2007. Rating #200 for this beer.

Nice American strong. Very Christmasy. Aroma of sweet caramel malt. Pour was a cloudy dark brown with a one finger tan head. Taste was very malty-mostly caramel malt and tasted a little like a chocolate malt milkshake. Could use a tad more carbonation, but all in all a very nice beer.

Fig and dark cereal grain nose. Clear mahogany, thick beige head, good lace. Dry and grainy. Plum skins also present. Wanting sweetness. Flavor is not pleasant. Finishes with an aspirin bitterness. Bleh, this beer is a bit of a disaster.

Bottle (Batch #441). Pours clear brown with a tan head. Aroma has notes of caramel, clove, chocolate, roasted malts, ginger and cinnamon. Taste is medium sweet and lightly bitter.

1 pt .9 fl oz bottle from Blue Max in Burnsville, MN. Pour is a deep brown with some redness. 1/2 inch khaki head goes away pretty quickly. Aroma is caramel and some raisin sweetness. Also a bit of smokiness in there as well. Taste is roasty - smoky malt. A bit of nice hop bitterness at the finish and a touch of sweetness (almost more cherries in the taste) throughout. A nice, interesting brew.

UPDATED: JAN 4, 2007 Pours dark, almost black. Coffee and dark chocolate in aroma. Salty, spicy and some liquorice. Anise flavour with salty licuorice. Coffee taste and a bit dry. Slight menthol. Medium sweet and medium body.