Blonde

Bottle, 4.5%. OK citrus aroma. Hazy yellow colour. Stable white head. The flavour is citric, slightly rough. A little disappointing.

Bottled@Chris O Post GBBF Tasting. Golden colour, mediumsized white head. Aroma is quite spicy, fruity and herbal with mild notes of malts and yeast. Flavour is spices, yeast, malts as well as some flowery and fruity hops. Not much aftertaste.

500ml bottle. Hazy, pale golden/orange body with a nice off-white head. Moderate spicy aroma with malt, yeast and some hops. Even if the aroma is relatively moderate it’s actually quite complex. Flavor is refreshing light malty with a light fruity sourness, a sharp and dry bitterness and dominating coriander spiciness. The finish has tones of yeasty fruitiness, banana and a more distinct bitterness. A light, refreshing body makes this a real thirst-quencher with some of the typical Nøgne Ø signature intact even with a non-typical use of hops. A perfect summer beer, or a lawn mover beer if preferred.

Bottle. Golden colour with an off-white head. Aroma i citrus, yeast, hop. Flavour is sweet, citrus, hop, yeast, spices, coriander, dry . Nice and easy drinkable beer.

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed specially for the Skral music festival at Groos in Grimstad. Like all NØ beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4,5%. Ingredients include wheat malt, lager malt, Crystal hops, coriander and Belgian yeast. 20 IBU, 11 degrees P. Cloudy pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of coriander and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is distinctly spicy throughout, a modest fruitiness carries hints of citrus and banana, the coriander is dominant, but there is also a substantial hoppy bitterness. I find it VERY hard to believe that the IBU is as low as 20, but what do I know - I guess they wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Dry and bitter finish. Tastes like a cross between NØ’s Wit and their Saison. Definitely something else than the pale lagers you will get at most music festivals.

Bottle. (as Kos på Groos) It pours a hazy golden body, maybe a bit pale, with some yeast clouds and a creamy off-white head. It’s quite fruity on the nose, with banana playing a major part, and there’s also some citrus. Pale malt, a nice spicyness and some slightly peppery hops are also present. It has a nice carbonation in the mouth, but would probably do better with a higher level, but considering it’s meant for a rock festival, the level is probably high enough. Medium to full body, quite dryish, even though there’s a good sweetness in it too. There’s flavors of grains and fruit, both citrus and banana, and a good hoppy bitterness. A pleasant spicyness is also present. The finish is long and bitter, but room is left for both malt and fruit. If only every rock festival in this country would serve beers this good, I might start visiting them again. Instead, most of them offer the palest lagers with as little flavor as possible. Fortunately, some have the guts to go against the grain. Rating: 7-4-7-4-15-3.7. (080620)

Bottle, as Porto Franco, brewed for the Free port (Foreign-Trade Zone) days in Kristiansand 2009. Brewed like Kos på Groos, but with a good dose of Cascade hops as well. It’s looking rather lovely in the glass, with it’s sparkling, hazy, orange-golden body and it’s two-finger, creamy white head. Nice lacings left as well. Some sweet, grainy malts and a good dash of spices are supported by the aroma of citrusy, slightly piney hops. Some grassy notes too. The body is medium full, with a good effervescence and a little astringency. Some sour notes in the flavor, with good bitterness and a sweetness to balance the sourness. Coriander, citrus and pinecones join the party. Nice, bitter finish with resin, citrus, some sourness and grainy sweetness and it get quite dry at the end. (090703)