Nøgne Ø 100 | Review

Website: Nøgne Ø was created by two home brewers. Unable to stay at home we started Norway’s first microbrewery for creative brewing. Some times, when we get a momentary glimpse of sanity, we ask ourselves what we have achieved. We think we can say that we have achieved some level of fame, at least locally and among dedicated beer geeks around the world. But more important – before we started Nøgne Ø most Norwegians did not know much about beer styles like IPA, Porter or Amber. This has for sure started to change, and we do feel that we have contributed to what you can call a renaissance of Norwegian beer-culture

Aroma: A balance of chocolate, sweet candy, and a smidgen of alcohol aromas.  Could be due to shipping and aging of the beer, but I’m not getting very much hop aroma, or the citrusy and resiny aromas of the style.

Appearance: A very dark red brown (basically black) with a fluffy coffee-white head with small bubbles and excellent retention.  Again this goes against the style which tends towards light amber to medium copper and with little head retention.

Flavor: Roast malt flavor with chocolate.  Hop bitter probably from the chinook.  Has a very clean and crisp fermentation finish.  The columbus and centennial hop flavor comes out in the after taste.  A well balanced beer without the usual strong malt sweetness and high alcohol bite of a barleywine.

Mouthfeel: A sugary slick body with balanced carbonation that leaves a bit of warmth on the tongue as the co2 bubbles pop.

Overall Impression: The Nøgne Ø 100 is such a well balanced beer that you can’t believe it is 10% ABV.  The flavor profile is nice, but a little heavy on the roasted side.  I would love to try it off the tap, since I feel like it is losing a bit of aroma in order to make the journey from Norway.  I’ve heard that they put American Barley Wine on the label as marketing gimmick in the U.S., and that they don’t really think it fits that style.  I would have to agree.  In that interview they were calling it a Double Red Ale, but I actually think it would work as a Double Cascadian Dark Ale.  Whatever the style may be, it is well worth the $9.99 bottle price, and I would recommend picking one up at the store.

Notes: Brewed for their 100th Batch

22.5 Plato (~1.092 OG)
80 IBU
10% ABV

Maris Otter, Wheath, and Chocolate Malt
Chinook, Columbus, and Centennial

British Ale Yeast