Nogne O #100

Nogne O #100

Style: IIPA or Barleywine (depending on whom you ask)

Alcohol Content: 10%

From: Grimstad, Norway

Purchased from: A gift from my friend Andrey in the Czech Republic

http://www.nogne-o.com/

Nøgne Ø is an independent brewery, founded in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun in Grimstad, Norway. Nøgne Ø was founded late in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The brewery name, Nøgne Ø, is old Danish for "Naked Isle". It was selected from a well-known 19th century Norwegian poem called Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen, who worked for a time as an apprentice pharmacist in Grimstad.

The brewery does a range of beers, including an amber ale, which is a 6% abv semi-dark ale using Chinook hops, and a 4.5% abv bitter using East Kent Golding hops. In all, 32 varieties are made as of January 2009. In 2009, about 50% of the production was exported to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Originally brewed solely for the brewers to celebrate their 100 recipe, this beer proved to be so popular that Nogne decided to brew it commercially. Cleverly incorporating the jubilee of the dissolution of Norway from the Kingdom Sweden they named this brew #100. Rather unfortunately, as soon as I read the label all I could think about was a rather annoying song; Need You (100%) by Duke Dumont. Shit the bed, I'm starting to feel old! My Thanks go to my friend Andrey in the Czech Republic for sending this been over to me. Zdraví kamarád!

Colour: Pours a sumptuous, dark chestnut brown with a small, yet tightly packed tan head. This soon dissolves into a small layer of foam after a few moments in the glass. This drink also resonates a slight reddish hue once held up to the light. Blimey this drinks so inviting, I just want to dive right in.

Aroma: The combination of Columbus, Chinook and Centennial hops impart notes of fresh pine needles and lime. However, as the drink settles and begins to warm up, hints of chocolate and wholemeal bread soon move in to dominate the nose.

Body: Although this drink looks rather heavy, as soon as you take a sip, you will believe that you are drinking a refreshing summer larger. This is incredibly dangerous given the 10 percent ABV, so follow my lead and drink this over the course of a couple of hours. Once warmed up to room temperature, the drink starts to thicken slight and beings to leave a subtle clogging on the back of your throat.

Taste: Always my favourite part of any review and this beer certainly does not disappoint. Notes of sweet, sugary molasses rise to great you instantly. Hints of pine and grass follow soon after to cleanse the palate. As the drink warms the flavour profile changes drastically. Bold notes of dark chocolate and hazelnuts flood your mouth leaving your tongue and throat feeling dry and slightly bitter. These flavours mask the high ABV perfectly with just subtle hints of alcohol mixed with dark chocolate in the aftertaste. The perfect beer to drink at the end session.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.com/2013/11/moor-beer-company-old-freddy-walker.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/petrus-aged-pale-ale.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Nogne O Blonde

Nogne O Blonde

Style: Blonde

Alcohol Content: 4.5%

From: Grimstad, Norway

Purchased from: UtoBeer, Borough Market, London, United Kingdom
http://www.nogne-o.com/ 

Nøgne Ø is an independent brewery, founded in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun in Grimstad, Norway. Nøgne Ø was founded late in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The brewery name, Nøgne Ø, is old Danish for "Naked Isle". It was selected from a well-known 19th century Norwegian poem called Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen, who worked for a time as an apprentice pharmacist in Grimstad.

The brewery does a range of beers, including an amber ale, which is a 6% abv semi-dark ale using Chinook hops, and a 4.5% abv bitter using East Kent Golding hops. In all, 32 varieties are made as of January 2009. In 2009, about 50% of the production was exported to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Perhaps the most sought after beer from this brewery is called Dark Horizon 1st Edition, which was a Gold winner at the World Beer Cup 2008 in San Diego, California for the category of "Other Strong Ales." It is a Russian Imperial Stout with an abv of 16%. Nøgne Ø's Porter got a silver in the category "Robust Porter".

O this is going to be interesting!

Colour: Pours a bright, fizzy yellow. It reminds me of my girlfriends hair in some ways. A big, bushy, foam head is created once first poured into the a glass. This dissipates very quickly and leaves no foam in the glass. Another feature of this beer is that the liquid is actually completely clear.

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap, you will be presented with hints of spicy cloves mixed with notes of freshly cut straw. Once settled in the glass, fruity notes of mandarin, apricots and peaches rise from the glass. These are held together by a sweet lavender honey perfume.

Body: For a blonde beer, this drink actually feels quite heavy in the mouth. The body is very malty and it will not feel very sticky in your mouth. For me, this beer feels more like a saison rather than a blonde. Very easy to drink which makes it a great beer to compliment salads or fish dishes.

Taste: On my first sip, I actually thought that I was drinking a Weiss beer. Hints of cloves and banana swam over your taste buds. The second sip is where the beers true character lies. Coriander and citrus notes will being to reveal themselves. Also, like a Weiss beer you can pick out the notes of the fresh yeast used to create this beer. The aftertaste is something to be desired however. It is quite acidic or metallic, like a corked wine. For me, this unfortunately spoils my experience.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/adnams-southwold-spindrift.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/magic-hat-brewing-number-9-not-quite.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery