Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale

You don't often see Imperial Brown ales, which is a bit of a shame in my book.

Then again, this one tips in at 7.5% which is not really that much higher than others you'd call a standard brown. In this case, it's more a style guide than a marker of potency.

It's certainly darker than normal - I have seen (admittedly disappointing) porters lighter than this. Nice tan bonce on it too. Taste and aroma are more or less what you'd expect I suppose .. or what you'd hope for. It's got a lasting coffee character throughout the mouthful, and delivers toasty roasty fun all over the place. There is a sense of porter in the taste as well to be honest, just in the way the mouthfeel, carb and alcohol are delivered but I think it's squarely in style.

In the space this occupies, it competes with a bunch of imperial stouts and the like as well but this holds its own as something unique and pleasant, if not revolutionary. Recommended. 7.5

Nøgne Ø India Pale Ale

Kjetil and crew brew a number of different IPA variants - this one is the simplest and most straightforward.

Happily, simplicity is not the same as boredom here - a lovely nose of strong citrus, lemon, and grain sweetness heralds one of those beers that is just a pleasure to drink. The malt backbone is the star, delivered via a velvety smooth mouthfeel that seems to have immigrated across the border by dead of night from some of their excellent darker beers.

It's not a hops explosion by any means but there's enough fruit and spice there for balance - and balance is what this beer has in spades, a delicious all-rounder effort that should be entry level textbook reading for brewers looking to enter this field. 7.5% abv is spot on, and it's attractive to look at to boot.

At the (Australian) price point this beer has a lot of competition - but at least you know you're buying a beer that is rock solid reliable and guaranteed to please. 8.5

Nøgne Ø Havrestout

Are you waiting for someone?

Why not drink a stout in the park? At night? By yourself? From the bottle?

.. what do you mean, alcoholic?

I'll have you know I selected this specifically for its low alcohol (4.5%) and to see if those prodigies from Nøgne Ø could succeed in a quest I must admit I found unlikely: to make a full flavoured, easy drinking stout for the masses at a low ABV.

The nose is pleasant but introverted here and to be honest, the beer itself is more of the same. Light coffee, sultana, it's none of it unpleasant but a little fizzy in the mouth. I feel Nøgne have succeeded in producing a stout here that avoids some of that 'empty', watery character that plagues a lot of lighter efforts. In doing so however they've hit up against the reality of the limitations of such a lightweight body and produced a beer that arguably, fails to deliver some of the real pleasures of darker beers.

This beer may be an OK gateway introduction to those unaccustomed to the world of stout, but personally I think it's more the stigma attached to dark beers, rather than their alcohol content that really puts people off. 6.5

[Nøgne Ø / 8 Wired / Renaissance] Ø for Awesome Imperial Amber Ale

Well, it's certainly wrapped up the longest title on the record for a start.

First impressions are great too - the dull bone head and brown, amber tinged ale body heighten expectation of something special here. Nose is slightly hot but otherwise more or less what it says on the tin: dark imperial amber malts and muted fruit backing.

Initial reaction on tasting is that it comes across like a cross between a barleywine and a solid fruity brown ale. A bit of caramel develops in the mid body as it warms before it delivers a quite strong bitter fruit finish. There's a constant and competent backing bassline of malting and alc throughout.

This beer is intensely flavoursome and interesting, but somehow just a little spiky in places which limits it from either drinking with great glee, or in great amounts. I get the feeling this was close to utter brilliance - not a great surprise given the quality of the brewers involved. 7.5

Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout

I'm starting to feel pretty confident picking up big stouts and porters from anywhere in Scandinavia.

Happily this is another fine example from the big man at Nøgne Ø. It starts off with a nice pour, residing solid and deep black in the glass very much to style. The head is mocha with that slight reddish tinge I love to see from beers of this providence.


Roasty tones are immediately apparent from the nose, which comes through very rounded and hitting all the right imperial notes. There's a bit of booze present, ever so slightly disproportionate to the 9.0% abv.

Mouthfeel is again exactly to style - yet another dark euro effort that just feels so comfortable and accomplished, deliberate in its flavours and above all mouthfeel. There's an inherent silkiness of body here that you can just tell others are trying for on occasion but very rarely succeeding. Very good indeed.

It's not a subtle drop, instead confidently delivering what it has to say from the books of roast coffee, licorice, and indeed booze. A little hot perhaps but delicious once again, top drop. A yardstick brew both for the brewery, and the style. 8.0

Bridge Roads / Nøgne Ø India Saison (return leg)

Having tried (and meh'd at) the danish leg of operations we took bat against those battlers from Beechworth, Bridge Roads.

Strong herbal, plantlike, earthy, pine driven nose. Bit of citrus there also. Pours with a bit of sediment, light in the glass, but big frothy cloudy expanse of head. Very different to the euro version already.

First reaction to the taste is a genuine "are you sure this is the same recipe"? Hops dominant, the mix of stella and galaxy is green, fresh and quenching. Snaps into a lasting bitterness at the end that lingers coquettishly until you drink some more. 7.5% and well hidden, spot on.

It can't be simply the water that results in such a distortion can it? Perhaps the danish brewing equivalent of the swedish chef was all up in that Nøgne Ø, borking his way to the brew they created. This is an object of some wonder nevertheless.

8.5

Bridge Road / Nøgne Ø India Saison

Bridge Road again, but in collaboration with Nøgne Ø.

I hear this was brewed with the same ingredients in Aus and in Norway .. oddly (it may be psychosomatic but I don't believe so) you can taste the euro. In the same way you can in a euro lager .. and I'm not sure I like it. Thick body made it quite hard to drink.. an impressive 7.5% but overall unimpressed I'm afraid (/waits for flames). 6.5