(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Courtesy of Erik Dahl, Venner av Nøgne Ø.) I received this remarkable beer with awe, mixed with great anticipation. Very few litres of #100 have been for sale to the public. Would I like it, or would the massive hops (80 IBU!) be too much for me? The cost of brewing it (= the massive amount of malts and hops required for a batch) made the brewers certain that it would be unprofitable as a permanent brew, particularly with Norwegian alcohol taxes. This impenetrable cloudy dark brown beer pours with a large to moderate tan head. Aroma is simply wonderful - Colombus hops galore, dark chocolate, leather, cigars, pipe tobacco, tar. The complexity remains in the flavour - extremely malty, very sweet, but also extremely bitter. The bitterness (which becomes medicinal and wormwood-like in the aftertaste) prevents me from giving this beer a full score. On a regular basis, I’d prefer Nøgne Ø’s God Jul (which is world class this year, IMHO) and also their Porter. But what a great experiment #100 is!

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Another new Yule/Christmas beer from the craft brewers of Nøgne Ø. Very dark brown to ruby colour, decent head. Nice aroma of dark malts, caramel and spices (cardamom and cloves). Unashamedly sweet with a velvety mouthfeel, but not cloying. Rich and malty flavour with caramel, distinct cardamom and cloves (also some ginger and nutmeg??). Sufficient hops and spices in the aftertaste. Very good beer! I’m sure it’s nice enough with cookies, but definitely a treat on its own!