7.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
(500 ml bottle conditioned). Finally available bottled, this amber ale comes from the micro brewery that make all other Norwegian commercial brewers look ridiculous. ABV bottled is 6.0%. Colour is deep amber to reddish and cloudy. Very good thick head. Lovely complex fruity and flowery aroma - roses and flowers I can't even remember the name of. Flavour is first treacherously pleasant malty, fruity and slightly spicy, then the hops brutally take over with a very bitter (too bitter?) and salty finish. Definitely not a beer for the Corona generation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2004
at 14:58
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Original rating Christmas 2003: (500 ml bottle). The Nøgne Ø micro brewery is in a class of its own (at least by Norwegian standards), so this beer is by far the best Norwegian "klasse D" (= grocery store market) Christmas/Yule beer you can get (all others are Vienna lagers). Deep copper colour, moderate head. Malty, oaky and toffee aroma with hints of spices. Malty flavour balanced by a decent bitterness. Rerate Christmas 2004: Colour seems even darker this year, plenty of yeast floaties. Flavour is maybe a tad spicier, well balanced hops. Impressively tasty for a Yule beer with a meagre ABV of 4.5%. Rerate 2005: Very dark colour this year, deep reddish brown, hazy, nearly black. Lovely roasty aroma with notes of coffee, oak and caramel. Distinctly roasty flavour with notes of coffee, burnt toast and English liquorice. Brewed with Chinook, Cascade and Columbus hops, 25 IBU, 11 degr. Plato.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Nov 2003
at 12:44
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Rerate 2004, bottle conditioned: Recipe has been changed this year. The beer is now much darker, nearly black. Good tan head. Complex aroma and flavour, a distinct roastiness but also spices and leather. Full rich flavour, bitter aftertaste - this is a damn good beer!! Rating 2003: (500 ml bottle). Christmas/Yule ale from Norway’s sole uncompromising micro brewery. Only 5000 bottles made. Bottle conditioned. Deep copper colour, hazy only when yeast is poured. Moderate head. Aroma of oak, leather, caramel and spices. Flavour is malty and spicy, alcohol is evident. Drier than I expected. Good bitterness. A good beer, but after all the good things I’ve heard about it, I expected even more.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Nov 2003
at 09:02
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
500 ml bottle conditioned. Colour is hazy deep amber, good head. Lovely hoppy and citrussy aroma that says: Come hither, lad, and drink me! Flavour is malty and very bitter, plenty of Cascade hops give a grapefruit-like bitter aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Nov 2003
at 18:51
8.4/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Rerate cask, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Same as the b.c. version, but with a minimal head, as no sparkler was used. Good beer! Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Bottle condtioned. Pours with an excellent thick & tan head. Pitch black, even when held to the light. In a blind test I’d probably say this was a stout (not Guinness!), maybe even an imperial. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, cigar box, English pipe tobacco and dark bitter chocolate. Flavour is again roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. Not too sweet, excellent bitterness where you can sense the hops as well as the roasted malts.
Tried
from Cask
on 20 Nov 2003
at 07:27
8.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
(500 ml bottle). Dark brown colour, slightly hazy, some sediment, good head. Lovely aroma of caramel, cedar wood, nuts and cookies. Flavour is nutty and biscuity with burnt edges. Not too sweet. Aftertaste has some bitterness with burnt notes. (Some might not like the burnt part, but I do!) If Newcastle Brown is your idea of a brown ale, you're in for a surprise!
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Oct 2003
at 11:57
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
(500 ml bottle). Norwegian micro oatmeal stout. Black (= very dark ruby) colour, some sediment, good head. Nice aroma of roasted malts with some coffee, dark chocolate and cigar box. Mellow, smooth and pleasant flavour, can't detect the oats, some roastedness, hints of coffee. Easy drinking. Aftertaste is OK, but I'd like some more hops. Rerate: I should add that there also is a moderate but noticeable smokiness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Oct 2003
at 15:05
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
(500 ml bottle). Amber colour, good head. Very nice barnyard aroma. Typical English bitter flavour (Goldings hops + a hint of toffee) , a bit thin mouthfeel, good bitterness in the aftertaste. A great quaffing beer. This Norwegian micro is a very welcome addition to our rather miserable brewery scene!
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Oct 2003
at 06:56
6.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Rerate: This time I had the beer from a fresh batch, and the dead yeast aroma and flavour was gone. Instead the aroma and flavour were now overpowering yeasty - but from fresh yeast this time (which is not unpleasant). Far better, but I still think the brewers use too much yeast in this brew. But the head of this beer is less enormous when poured than many other weissbiers. So far the least interesting of the Nøgne Ø beers I’ve had.
Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Thick sediment in bottle. Like the brewers recommend, I turned the bottle upside down a couple of times to get the maximum out of the yeast, but having my experience with the Wit in fresh memory, I waited a little longer before opening the bottle this time! Pours with a large head, but not quite as large as some other Weissbiers. Colour is cloudy golden. Weird aroma, not typical hefe. The cloves are there, but the dominant smell is of dead yeast. Must have been over the top, despite "brewed date" being 21.06.03, and "best before date" being 21.06.04. I have a few bottles left, think I’ll leave the sediment alone in those. Flavour is OK, but nothing special. Drier than most German Hefeweizens.
Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Thick sediment in bottle. Like the brewers recommend, I turned the bottle upside down a couple of times to get the maximum out of the yeast, but having my experience with the Wit in fresh memory, I waited a little longer before opening the bottle this time! Pours with a large head, but not quite as large as some other Weissbiers. Colour is cloudy golden. Weird aroma, not typical hefe. The cloves are there, but the dominant smell is of dead yeast. Must have been over the top, despite "brewed date" being 21.06.03, and "best before date" being 21.06.04. I have a few bottles left, think I’ll leave the sediment alone in those. Flavour is OK, but nothing special. Drier than most German Hefeweizens.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Sep 2003
at 08:12
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Rerate, new recipe: 500 ml bottle. Batch # 236, brewed 12.03.2006. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Strong aroma of new-mown grass, coriander and citrus, some banana too. Flavour has coriander, some citrus and very distinct and slightly medicinal hops, which remind mind a bit of NØ Saison. Quite dry. I belong to the minority who preferred the previous version.
Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Thick sediment in bottle. I turned the bottle upside down a couple of times, like the brewers recommend, to get maximum pleasure out of the yeast. The result was that my pants now have the unmistakenly typical witbier aroma of coriander, cloves, over-ripe bananas and orange peel. The rest of the beer hit my glass, and there the aroma was even better! After the ENORMOUS foamy head had subsided a little, I found out there was actually beer underneath - colour: Cloudy golden, nearly brownish. Flavour: Again typical wit - coriander, cloves and orange peel. Very refreshing. Moderate aftertaste. How wonderful that the "lager desert" of Norway now has an uncompromising micro brewery that DARE make good beer!
Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Thick sediment in bottle. I turned the bottle upside down a couple of times, like the brewers recommend, to get maximum pleasure out of the yeast. The result was that my pants now have the unmistakenly typical witbier aroma of coriander, cloves, over-ripe bananas and orange peel. The rest of the beer hit my glass, and there the aroma was even better! After the ENORMOUS foamy head had subsided a little, I found out there was actually beer underneath - colour: Cloudy golden, nearly brownish. Flavour: Again typical wit - coriander, cloves and orange peel. Very refreshing. Moderate aftertaste. How wonderful that the "lager desert" of Norway now has an uncompromising micro brewery that DARE make good beer!
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Sep 2003
at 07:28