Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Darl reddish brown coloured. Sweet and fruity with spicy and malty notes. Full bodied and well balanced.

Bottle@Home. Aroma of chocolate, cassis, plum and a hint of mint. Dark ruby color, light brown head, good lace. Plain in your mouth but when you swallow it knocks you of you feet. Chocolate, black currant, cassis, soft spices, pine. Medium body. Long lasting finish and well balanced. Thanks Yngwie.

A mild gusher. So a few quick sips/slurps prior to getting to my glass. Very Dark brown, with little light passing through even at the edges. Tall, somewhat expected, head that is quite stable and has a light cocoa froth appearance. Decent lace. The bubbles look quite large at the base of the head, but are quite small when forming the lace. Dark chocolate, molasses and sorghum, dates, orange zest and a touch of peat in the aromas. LIghter feel with all the effervescence. With the pre sips and consequential sips this is a true winter ale. Lightly roasty with chocolate, dark caramel, cashews and heavy syrup. Some mild spice with a touch of mace and cardamom. A nice balance, easy drinking, stronger ale.

Bottle (Winter Ale) and served in my Duval snifter: Wow, a darker hue than expected, near opaque with a creamy beige head and good lace. The aroma has notes of leather and non-aromatic Turkish pipe tobacco, vanilla bean, peat bog moss, massive overall earthy esters and a hint of walnut.

The taste is malty yet not overall sweet, I think a note of nut and spice helps there. Chocolate and vanilla notes that is a bit Baltic in nature. Finishes with more earthy notes of anise, coffee, tobacco and maple wood. The mouth feel is rich, chewy and oily towards the finish.

Weird beer, not exactly XMAS in spice but a solid dark ale nevertheless... I would drink again. (Think PP Older Viscosity light)

(500 ml bottle) Minty chocolate, green apples, fruity and burnt rubber scent. Deep dark red color, tan head. Salty and alcohol smell. Burnt and chocolate sweet and coffee taste. Long sweet mixed with coffee aftertaste. Normal mouthfeel, low co2. Medium bitterness. You don’t notice the alcohol other in the scent.

This strong ale pours a deep brown color from a 500ml bottle. Medium to large sized white foamy head. Aroma is sweet and spicy, with lots of clove and some chocolate. Medium bodied Strong Ale. Malts are caramel and sweet, with lots of chocolate and dark fruit. Hops are earthy and floral. Spiced with cloves. Well balanced. Smooth tasting, Good XMAS beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Bottle (500ml). As "Nøgne Winter Ale". Opaque deep reddish brown, solid lasting plug of tan foamy head (4.5 but hey why not 5?). Deep almost burnt roast grainy malt, heavy overtones of currants, raisins, figs, increasing alcohol, dark baker’s chocalate and molasses. The taste is THICK, bitter chocolate, burnt malt, background of tart fruit (more like cherry), the alcohol isn’t really detectable in the miasma of roast and bitterness. Thick, chewy body, almost viscous, mild carbonation, pretty intense bitter chocolate and syrupy malt - I’d call this a reduced stout, but whatever, another fantastic beer from this brewery - t’umbs up, baize!!

Bottle from Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham, NC. Gusher alert! Very dark pour with a medium head and decent retention. Deep aroma with notes of chocolate, toffee and rum soaked fruit. Very complex taste. Roasted malt aroma with caramel, chocolate, rye, hop bitterness, port and a little bit of smoke. Definitely on the shopping list next time I get down to NC!