Bottle @ Bakgården. Unclear golden body with dens nitro foamy body and fast dispersing white head. Aroma is fruity with pale malt and distinct coffee notes. Flavor is medium sweet malt, general fruitiness dominated a bit by citric fruit, moderate bitterness and coffee. Medium body and average aftertaste with the same flavors. It’s a bit unusually combination with IPA and coffee but it’s actually working if made right. Have tasted a few samples and this is provably among the better ones.

Bottle backlog March 2019. Clear golden body with a dense, lacing white head. Mild, kinda fruity aroma. Smooth, mild, light pale malty flavor with hint of fruit and oranges. Medium body and a bit short in aftertaste. Drinkable, but not a hit. A bit anonymous.

Bottle backlog January 2019. Hazy yellow/pale golden body with a small white head. Aroma is fresh and fruity with citric fruit and grapefruit. Flavor is also light and refreshing with slightly acidic citric fruit, grapefruit, some minerals and medium bitterness. Medium body and same aftertaste. Nice and easy without any sharp edges.

Tap @ Både &. Unclear pale golden to yellow body with a big, foamy and lacing white head. Very fresh aroma of grapefruit and tropical fruit. Not much more really but rather mind blowing freshness. Flavor is rather plain and straight forward really, but has the same amazing freshness as found in aroma, pretty well balanced, not particular sweet but nothing sour either. Not strong but a fine fruity bitterness. A really nice, well made thirst quencher. Medium to light bodied and fresh in aftertaste as well.

Bottle. Unclear pale golden body with a frothy white head. Aroma is fresh and fruity with citric fruit, grapefruit and a hint of freshly cut grass. Flavor is quite light, pale malt, refreshing fruity like aroma and pleasant bitterness. Medium to light body and aftertaste in the same fruity, refreshing direction as the rest of the taste. Quite light and easy drinkable, nothing complex going on, but sure well made as a thirst quencher with certain balance and a distinct hop profile.

Tap @ the brewery. Slightly unclear, reddish amber body with a moderate sized, but fine lacing tan head. Aroma is malty, toasted, slightly caramel, some dry fruit and a faint piny hint. Flavor is sweet, but not too sweet, malt, toast, caramel, dry fruit and balancing bitterness. Well made with a fine balancing flavor, body and pleasant aftertaste. A nice, easy drinkable and very food friendly beer, like a Christmas beer is supposed to be.

Tap @ the brewery. It’s a different style from Rudolfs Røde (the other strong Christmas beer from Qvart this year) but there is also some similarities to be found. They are both malt driven and relatively strong in alcohol, they are made to harmonize with the classic Norwegian Christmas table, i.e. not too sweet and dominating but solid enough to cope with fat meat, roast, mustard and various spicy flavors. Juulekvelden på kjerringa is even more malty and toasted than Rudolf, but less hoppy and even if it has some fruity flavors as well they are more in the direction of dry fruit. Even some hint of dark chocolate and coffee is to be found. I believe this one is also sweeter from the rich malt feeling, but the higher alcohol contents are balancing this fine and avoiding the sticky caramel flavor at the same time as the malt are hiding the alcohol from becoming boozy. As both beers are fine companions for the Christmas food I think the main difference is that this one is closer to the British tradition of a strong malty ale and Rudolf is more in the direction of American hoppy red ale tradition. They are both fine samples of Christmas beers, but my favorite would be Rudolf this year.