Blonde
Nøgne Ø

Copenhagen 17/11 2021. 50 cl can from Meny, Rotunden, Hellerup. Black can with a yellow “Ø” and a swirling pattern with a fish tail and geometric patterns.

Pours unclear - almost hazy - golden yellow with a small white head. Settles as thin, patchy layer of foam struggling to cover the surface of the beer. No lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a yeasty odor mingling with a citric scent. Sweet mandarine and a bit of citrus and lime. Hints of moldy basement.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a fairly strong sweetness followed by a moderately strong sourish bitterness. Aftertaste is sweetish and lingers for a bit. Finish is sweet and Fanta-like.

A fine Belgian inspired nose but a disappointing flavor.

Surprisingly, this is very close to the better Belgian Blondes. I'm surprised because the most difficult ingredient to compete well in the Belgian tradition is to keep the yeast well. And Nogne way up in Norse country seems to have kept this yeast well.

This Blonde opens with a huge voluminous head of big bubbles and then they coat the glass as the murky blonde bod disappears. Less allure are the Smells, barely above average with modest fall tree fruit and a hint of banana. Tastes are well-balanced, but still not a lot of subtlety that I find in the best Blondes. Medium-mouthed.

I drank Nogne's with a subtle Southeast Asian meal. This was a good pairing with a vegetarian dish, although Nogne recommends seafood. I particularly like how Nogne emphasizes pairing their beers with food. A whole section on their website is dedicated to this. And this is notable because even southern Norway is not noted for its culinary prowess. Cheers and Hurrarop !

 

 

 

 

June 2008: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed specially for the Skral music festival at Groos in Grimstad. Like all NØ beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4,5%. Ingredients include wheat malt, lager malt, Crystal hops, coriander and Belgian yeast. 20 IBU, 11 degrees P. Cloudy pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of coriander and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is distinctly spicy throughout, a modest fruitiness carries hints of citrus and banana, the coriander is dominant, but there is also a substantial hoppy bitterness. I find it VERY hard to believe that the IBU is as low as 20, but what do I know - I guess they wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Dry and bitter finish. Tastes like a cross between NØ’s Wit and their Saison. Definitely something else than the pale lagers you will get at most music festivals.

 

Poured from 33 cL can into shaker pint glass.
A: Pours a slightly hazy lemon hue with 1/2 inch bubbly white head that quickly recedes.
S: Soft citrus, white pepper, and Belgian yeast.
T: Follows aroma, but distinctly weaker.
M: Light body. Some malty sweetness. Lacking the body/feel of a Belgian blonde ale.
D: Underwhelming and not a good example of style. Would look elsewhere.

Nogne O Blonde is one of the strongest-tasting beers I've tasted. In its simplicity, the taste is strong, short and (mostly) without flavour nuances. Even though this alcohol content is 4.5%, the flavor strength is the same class as that of 8% of beers. Personally, I'm not a real friend of strong beers, so the points will be slightly down - and the lack of flavour nuances also drops points. A good beer for lovers of strong beers.
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FINNISH: Nogne O Blonde on yksi vahvimman makuisia oluita mitä olen maistanut. Yksinkertaisuudessaan maku on vahva, lyhyt ja vivahteiton. Vaikka tässä alkoholipitoisuus on 4,5%, maun vahvuus on samaa luokkaa kuin 8% oluilla. Henkilökohtaisesti en ole tosi vahvojen oluiden ystävä, joten sen vuoksi pisteet jäävät hieman alas - ja myös makuvivahteiden puute laskee pisteitä. Hyvä olut vahvojen oluiden ystäville.

 

Cloudy, yellowish corn colored liquid. A touch of green. Small head initially that leaves a couple of streaks on the glass.

Clean aroma of vanilla and pale malt dust. Like visiting a maltster. There's a bit of perfume as well.

This comes across as slightly Belgian, slightly sour and slightly bitter. Overall, it's interesting, different and begging to be tried and considered. Thin bodied and highly carbonated, but it still works. The aftertaste is brief and bitter with a bit of yeast bite.

Overall, I like this version of a Blonde if only because it is so different.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: pale, very cloudy yellow (unfiltered, unpasteurized). Lots of carbonation. Big light foamy head with good retention.

Smell: a fairly strong hops smell escaped as soon as I opened the bottle, with a more faint hops smell once poured. With slight citrus/piney tones.

Taste: Hoppy, but only slight bitter taste.

Mouthfeel: A little bit heavier than I was expecting. Smooth drinking, well balanced.

Overall: Overall a good beer, not too light, not too heavy... Would be good on a hot summer day