Julebrygg (7%)
Ægir Bryggeri

Julebrygg (7%)Julebrygg (7%)
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From:
Ægir Bryggeri
 
Norway
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
7%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 10.1%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
26
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 26, 2021
Added:
Dec 29, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pintofbrown:
Photo of Pintofbrown
Reviewed by Pintofbrown from Texas

4.13/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Had this in a snifter.
The ecru-colored head builds to an easy two finger's in width, great retention with thick sheet lacing. The raisin colored body is opaque and dominating. So far, so good.

That is very sweet and well spiced! Wow! Very nice nose on Julebrygg: cinnamon, brown bread, clove, honey, orange, mulled wine. This beer, just smells like Christmas. Simply put, it smells like Christmas. And the malty, fruit cake base works wonderfully!

The spicing on the palate is more herbal than sweet, and the sweet malt base gets a little lost behind the spicing and fruity hoppiness. The cinnamon and clove are most prominent mid-palate, while the finish has a building orange rind, earthy, and tea-like leafiness that builds over time. The malt is still most like a dark brown bread, but it is very hidden, and the palate has to adjust to the spicing before it becomes noticeable. In Norway, this beer is marketed as their Dubbel, and on the palate, that impression is certainly noted.

There is a nice bubbly snap of crispness on the tongue, while feeling medium to medium-light in heft. Julebrygg also feels more slick than anything.

This is one of the best smelling spiced beers I have had! The palate loses a little steam by being spiced so much and losing some of that fruit cake sweetness from the malt base. Still, this is a well crafted beer, and I could see myself downing a few of these by the tree next year.
Jan 11, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 7.0%. Cloudy brown colour, huge off-white head. Pleasant typical dubbel aroma, notes of brown malts and brown kandij sugar, caramel and mild spices. Well rounded mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour, with the same elements as in the aroma. Moderate hops, as normal for the style. Very enjoyable, clearly a beer I’ll buy again. Earlier Rating: 11/18/2008 Total Score: 3.7 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy very dark brown colour, big to moderate creamy tan head. Nice aroma of malts, Christmas spices, brown sugar and some fruit. The flavour is malty sweet and rich with moderate notes of spices, dark dried fruits and brown sugar. There is a subtle acidity to balance the sweetness, but the hops are moderate. This is a very nice Yule/Christmas beer, will go better with fruit cake than the traditional Scandinavian Christmas dinner.
Mar 26, 2021
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
1pt, 0.9fl oz bottle poured slowly into a Weihenstephaner 0.5l glass. No date on bottle. Noted heavy sediment toward end of pour, so left that behind.

Appearance: Dark amber color with a tiny bit of haze. An occasional dark floater noted from the sediment that came along with the pour. Thin light tan head with some small islands of lacing that slide back down the sides over time.

Smell: Malty with some definite fruit/berry notes, a bit of grape, and some spices that I can't quite place. Not getting any cloves or other flavors that others have described here. A bit of smokiness in the finish.

Taste: Roasted/toasted malt, some spices, and a bit of astringency at the finish along with some acrid bitterness. Doesn't quite match the smell in its taste and makes me wonder if the bottle didn't voyage well from Norway to Ohio.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation - a bit prickly. Good thickness, a bit slick, some stickiness on the teeth, and a little bit of a dry finish.

Overall / Drinkability: Certainly smells quite good, and I would like to try this fresh, but it's not tasting as great as it smells. I'm unsure if this is an old bottle or if it ran into some temperature swings in shipment which changed the nature of the beer. The carbonation was still good so that suggests the bottle conditioning held up and this may just be a bit old and it hasn't aged that well.
Mar 06, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by bigred89 from Maryland

Dec 10, 2016
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

3.34/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Intently looked for, but could not find, a date on the bottle. Based on the gentle aroma of spices and biscuit, I would be happy to try this on draft like some other reviews. However, this sample appears to have been heavily oxidized by our friends, the Shelton Brothers.
Jun 10, 2016
Photo of BeerWithMike
Reviewed by BeerWithMike from Nebraska

4.67/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Sampled back on 4/4/16. Comes in a 500ml (16.9 ounce) bottle that I found in the discount bin at Hy-Vee over in Council Bluffs, Iowa for just $4.00! Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a tall handled-glass stein.

Brew pours a deep hazy mahogany in color with about a 1-finger creamy/foamy head that left good lacing after each sip. Aroma is of sweet malts and spices which cloves standing out. Even more going on with the taste as there might be a hint of cinnamon also in the mix. Slight bitterness for the finish but didn't last long. A tasty brew. Very smooth and went down easy. Medium+ bodied with lower carbonation. Overall a really great brew if you can find it!
Apr 15, 2016
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.26/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Mildly sweet malt, phenols or holiday spices. Ginger bread or graham cracker. Medium and a little spicy. Sometimes have to reach for some of these notes.
Dec 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.47 by EdgarGerik from Venezuela

Dec 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by 123321123321 from Alabama

Sep 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.74 by Latarnik from New Jersey

Apr 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by KJ2013 from Pennsylvania

Nov 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Saksis from Norway

Jul 23, 2014
Photo of magictacosinus
Reviewed by magictacosinus from California

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Opened a little after the holidays and split with a friend. Poured out of a 500ml bottle into a tulip glass and split with a friend. Thanks to the guys at Provisions for recommending me this.

Pours an reddish amber, slightly brownish winter warmer, with a frothy off-khaki head that rises to the top of the glass yet eventually dissipates to about a half's finger worth. Leaves behind minimal lacing, although the alcohol strength is slightly stronger than your average winter offering to make a substantial difference overall. Lots of sediment gathers in the glass, especially by the end. Rustic, and a typical Old World offering in certain respects.

The aroma embodies a variety of seasonal spices and herbal properties that are along the same lines as many you can find domestically, but perhaps, in part of the specific yeast they're using, it's a little different here. Smells a lot like a ginger snap, or maybe even a gingerbread cookie - big notes of allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with a dark fruit component consisting of figs and raisins, as well as caramel, toffee, and some light pepper and black tea properties. Smells very crisp, in the same vein of freshly baked spiced cookies, and the extra bready flavor elevated from the yeast maximizes the experience. Nothing too sweet or overdone here - well balanced and flavorful.

The flavor continues the cookie based profile that this beer apparently aims to be, although it's a little bit thicker and less crisp than expected, which brings it closer to a hearty pastry, in certain respects. Dried dark fruit notes (that you'd find in a fruitcake) such as raisins and prunes, combined with deep caramel, and followed by ginger spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and some light clove. A little bit of a yeasty funk comes through, providing brief notes of banana and pears, but otherwise the malts and spices hold the beer down properly. It's creamy at the front, but the finish is pretty grainy overall, and while it's crisp, it takes away from the decadence set by the flavor. At the same time, I can't really complain, as it makes it a far more quaffable product in the long run. Really good - a nice twist on the winter warmer style.

Last year was one where I rediscovered my love for many spiced ales, as well as uncovering what made me hate so many to begin with - the usual lack of a rich yeast that softens and intensifies the pastry-like qualities that these beers usually aim to be yet fail for being too over-spiced, too sweet, or too syrupy. This is a very nice soft spot, and it's great to see it come out of Norway, of all places. Will definitely purchase again when the holidays come around.
Mar 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by kaelingirl from Massachusetts

Jan 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Prost76 from New Hampshire

Dec 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by brandonld23 from Massachusetts

Dec 19, 2013
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
awesome brew, courtesy of the bull and bush holiday beer event. one of the best beers of the whole event. it pours a medium copper to amber color with some suspended sediment and a half inch of rust colored head. the nose is subtle fruit and spice, like mulled cider almost, I get some red apple in there with the holiday spices and malt sweetness. the flavor matches the nose, but this is not overly spiced. its hearty, sweet from the malt, and spiced with a clove-like complex that's very compatible with the grain profile. the finish is long and has notes of honey and allspice. I like that its not too heavy for the style. its very well carbonated which keeps it light, and while sweet, its not overly full bodied, which keeps it surprisingly drinkable. a very well put together holiday beer, one that stands out from the crowd in many ways, lacking cinnamon and some of the other holiday beer features we are all accustomed to. I would buy this if I knew where to get it.
Dec 11, 2013
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On-tap at Mugs Alehouse, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is hazy dark amber in color. It poured with a thin off white head and collar that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of dark fruits and spices are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has a light amount of malty sweetness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer seems to be a little lighter in body compared to other beers in the style, which makes it quite drinkable. It has very rich flavors for a beer that is only 7% abv.
Dec 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by smithj4 from New York

Dec 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by olfolxholme from California

Dec 04, 2013
Julebrygg (7%) from Ægir Bryggeri
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 26 ratings