Nøgne Ø God Jul

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Very dark red, kind of burgundy pour, with large, fairly well-sustained tan head - very doughy, biscuit-like malt aroma, with hints of roasted nuts, light spice presence, chocolate pudding, and a touch of brown sugar - smells very much like an english strong ale - fairly soft carbonation, with a medium body - nice balance between sweet, bitter and roasty - lots of nutty flavors, with touches of dark chocolate and mild background spices - the pudding-like quality from the aroma comes out in the finish - everything about this beer seems like an english strong to me, so much so that’s I’d call for a reclassification of this one.

16.9 oz bottle 12/27/08: Dark garnet reddish brown with a lasting, but thin tan head. Caramel and raisins are dominant up front. Brown sugar and some nutty and woody notes with a touch of alcohol as well. Toasty malt gets stronger as it warms with a bit of winey aroma. The initial flavor is toasty malt, raisiny fruit being strong, very caramel with a lightly hop flavored finish that is semi sweet. Toasty with a touch of roasty flavor in the aftertaste with some hints of molasses, as well as herbal hop. The aftertaste also dries out a bit and is a touch acidic. Smooth, well hidden alcohol, medium full body, and medium carbonation. This one is definitely worth some of the hype! Malty for the most part, but herbal hops balance to keep it from begin cloying, and has a very well thought out malt complexity.

Pure choco goodness. Chocolate aroma, strong dark licorice. Pours opaque black, tan head. Roastiness, chocolate and that licorice again. Somewhat astringent finish. Body is thin. An enjoyable pint.

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)

Aroma has heavy emphasis on caramel cake, with slight hints of chocolate and vanilla,attractive and promising,taste is a slight letdown thinner then I would expect, caramel soft tones with some toffee and vanilla and a chocolate bitter finish. Still an excellent brew,thanks again Kingpin

Deep brown, thin tan head, slight red in the body. Nose is cocoa, cherries, toffee, a slight hint of dark fruit, restrained hops & alcohol. Flavor is cocoa, toffee, slight burnt fruits. Strong bitterness surfaces for a moment then fruit alcohol. Very nice body and a chocolate finish.

Deep and complete black pour with a thin, yet lasting, tan head. Aroma has a lot of chocolate, espresso and roasty notes. Body initially feels light but then, a whole lot of flavor and carbonation come through. Again, a lot of chocolate and there is also some smoke. Middle reveals a citrus hop bite and some nuttiness. Finish is bitter, lingering roastiness. There is a lot going on in this brew... awesome.

UPDATED: DEC 4, 2007 (Bottled) Very dark brown color with a medium, foamy, beige head. Pretty aromatic-hoppy, grainy-malty, salty-licoricey aroma with a hint of alcohol. Roasted, sweetish-malty, pleasantly dry-hoppy, salty-licoricey flavor with dark chocolate and some fruitiness. Medium to full-bodied, smooth, but somewhat carbonated palate. Has both the dry hoppiness and licorice of the Imperial Stout, and some fruitiness of the IPA - but cant quite reach either of them overall. Anyway, a great beer to spend your Xmas with. Were soooo lucky to have 4 of the very best (if one doesnt count the #100) Nøgne Ø brews currently in the Alko shops here in Finland :). (Draught, brewed at Plevna, Tampere) Clear, dark red with a smallish, lacy and partly lasting, beige head. Served too cold to rate the aroma. The flavor feels more sharply hoppy and thinner than the bottled version (less yeast, I guess). Maybe the water is also harder than at Nogne. Medium-bodied, but a bit thin and quite carbonated palate. I would give this a score of about 3.7...