Part of the group
Ringnes AS owns 1 brewery/brand:
Filter & sort
Show
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Tou Juleøl (6.5%) from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
5.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
This traditional \"klasse F\" (strong) Christmas beer has the last years been given the lowest or second lowest \"klasse F\" rating in Norwegian newspapers. I can understand why - it's now too lightbodied for its strength, flavour is slightly metallic, a substantial bitterness is not balanced by an equally substantial malty sweetness like a real \"Juleøl\" should have. Colour is reddish brown, low head. I think this beer was considerably better 20 - 30 years ago, before Tou Bryggeri (Stavanger) became part of the Ringnes group.
Tried from Can on 26 Dec 2002 at 15:19
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Frydenlund Juleøl Fra Fat from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
6.5/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 6
Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Mild spicy aroma. Malty sweetness is not overdone, hops are there too. Well balanced, not bad for a "klasse D" Christmas beer - but of course the mouthfeel is a bit watery due to the low ABV.
Tried on 08 Dec 2002 at 16:16
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Frydenlund Julebayer from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
7.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Medium brown colour, moderate head, typical Munich dunkel malty and slightly spicy aroma, well balanced malty flavour, very close to the ordinary Frydenlund Bayer. Pleasant aftertaste. Very good for a "klasse D" (low ABV) beer. (Frydenlund was Ringnes'' Oslo competitor, which they bought and closed about 15 years ago. At least they kept the recipes and the yeast - this is one of the beers that Ringnes now brew under the Frydenlund label.)
Tried on 05 Dec 2002 at 13:39
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Julebokk from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
8.5/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 9
Brewed for every Christmas since 1999, this year (2002) unbelievably is the first (but definitely not the last!) year I have had this excellent beer. The recipe this year is supposed to be slightly less sweet than in 2001. Dark reddish brown colour, low head, pleasant but initially surprisingly weak roasted aroma (improves as the beer warms up). This is par excellence the most flavourful beer in Norway for nearly a century (between 1909 and 1999 max. ABV was 7%). Not as subtle and complex flavour as Aass Bock, but robust as hell. Roasted malts and coffee abound, Christmas spices and decent hops are balanced by a sufficient sweetness. Alcohol (9,9%) is well hidden. Robust aftertaste. Now THIS is a beer for the big boys! (OK, for big girls too.)
Tried on 30 Nov 2002 at 10:28
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Ringnes Juleklassiker from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
6.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
The last few years Ringnes have, in addition to their normal \"klasse F\" Christmas beers, brewed a \"Juleklassiker\" (Christmas classic) which changes every year, and allegedly is based on old recipes from the various breweries that have been engulfed (and in many cases closed) by the Ringnes group. Last year it was Aktiebryggeriet i Oslo, this year it's Ringnes' own recipe. As a gimmick every bottle is numbered, I had number 37089! This beer is not \"golden\" like the label says, it is reddish brown (the label mentions that Ringnes brewed its first pilsener in 1877 - irrelevant information, as this is definitely not a pils!) - its flavour is very close to the weaker Frydenlund Bayerøl (Munich dunkel) though some may prefer to call it a Vienna (who the hell cares - the term \"Vienna\" is unknown in Norway, even if our numerous Christmas beers belong to the borderland between dunkels and Viennas). Anyway this is a good beer, but it could use some heavier malts for its strength (6,5%). Not as spicy as the normal \"klasse F\" Christmas beers. Good with food though. --- Beer merged from original tick of Ringnes Aktiebryggeriet Oslo Juleklassiker on 24 May 2002 at 11:25 - Score: Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5. Original review text: Christmas beer sampled in May(!). Reddish brown colour, head disappears quickly, lovely spicy aroma (to some degree reminiscent of a Belgian strong ale, but less complex), mouthfeel is rather thin, flavour dominated by spices and caramel sweetness. Acceptable aftertaste that could have lasted longer. Not a bad brew, but several other Norwegian strong version Christmas beers are better.
Tried from Bottle on 29 Nov 2002 at 10:05
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Juleøl from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
5.9/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
330 ml bottle. Reddish brown colour, good head. Moderate toffee sweetness, moderately spiced flavour: cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. Not too bad, but of course it’s watery compared to the "klasse F" Juleøl.
Tried from Bottle on 06 Nov 2002 at 10:42
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Julespesial from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
6.1/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Probably the best of the "klasse D" Norwegian Christmas beers (doesn''t take much, really). The stronger "klasse F" beers are the way to go! But this is at least a nice try. Golden brown colour. Toffee sweetness, fruity, mild spices. Low bitterness. Good with food.
Tried on 05 Nov 2002 at 10:15
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Julebrygg from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
5.8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5
Another "klasse D" (low ABV) Christmas brew. At least this one has some aroma and flavour of toffee, caramel and spices. Reddish brown colour. Drinkable, but far from impressive.
Tried on 04 Nov 2002 at 13:42
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Tou Juleøl (4.5%) from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
4.5/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 4 Flavor 4 Texture 4 Overall 4
Copper coloured Christmas beer, brewed for the Norwegian grocery store market when the traditional "klasse F" Christmas beers could be sold only through the government owned Vinmonopolet stores. This beer is an example of the fact that the Juleøl style NEEDS an ABV of 6,2% - 7% to be decent. The beer looks good, but that''s all. Bland metallic flavour, just a hint of caramel. It''s stunning how little taste they have managed to put into this beer. Low score in all Xmas beer ratings in Norwegian newspapers - well deserved.
BTW, like (nearly) all Norwegians, I believed that Norwegian Juleøl was a style in its own right - I actually learned from RateBeer that they could be classified as Vienna. (I don''t know if people living in Vienna would agree.) Fortunately, the best "klasse F" beers are a lot better than this.
Tried on 04 Nov 2002 at 13:34
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Lysholmer Double Ice Light from Ringnes AS
23 years ago
1.4/10 — Appearance 2 Aroma 2 Flavor 1 Texture 2 Overall 0.5
"Double Ice Light" - well, at least the name tells you what to expect - pure misery. Ice beers are brewed to have as little flavour as possible, still keeping a normal alcohol content. (For people who don''t like beer, but still want a buzz). Light (meaning low ABV) beers in Norway are brewed (unsuccessfully, mostly) for people who have to drive, but still want at least a trace of beer flavour. Behold - here''s at last a beer that combines the worst of two worlds: no flavour and hardly any alcohol!
Tried on 31 Oct 2002 at 11:37