Underlig Jul
Nøgne Ø

An extremely heavy and demanding beer!

The color is compact black with a tan head that leaves some foam on the glass.

The smell is very strong of Christmas spices, like cardamom, but also some bitter orange and grapefruit and a hint of licorice.

The taste has some sweetness and much long-lasting bitterness. It is full of strong coffee, coffee beans and dark chocolate.

A beer for sipping by the fire when it's sub-zero (F) and the wind is haunting outside.

Poured from a tall bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark mahogany brown pour with 2 fingers of foamy white head. Nice lacing. Pretty good looking brew.

S: Malts and spice... caramel and Christmas.

T.F: Just plain odd. More toasted grains than malts... definitely lacking the expected sweetness.... a whisp of caramel, but not what I was expecting. That followed by strong spice... ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Some earthy hops/bitterness. Surprisingly light bodied. Again expected a bit more heft. Gentle carbonation.

O: Wasn't a huge fan. Interesting to try... but the flavors didn't work all that well together, and if you're going to go all-out on the spices like this it helps to have some caramel malts/sweetness for balance. Glad I got to try it... wouldn't pick it up again. "Peculiar" definitely fits.

 

 

Pours opaque dark reddish brown beer with 2-finger beige head.
Smell - cola, chocolate, beverage "Baykal", pepper, herbs, ginger, juniper.
Taste follows the smell, cinnamon tones.
Light body, medium carbonation.
Really interesting and tasty.

**
12/25/2013
AROMA: Raisin,chocolate, prune, nutmeg.
LOOK: Dark black color, medium white head.
Taste is raisin, coffee, tea, dark raspberry, cranberry. Pepper also. Very complex.
Really nice. Excellent Christmas brew.
**

 

 

Very interesting brew. Gushed like crazy when opened. A little over carbonated, but that helps bring out the spices. Smells of cardamom and clove, flavor follows. Kind of cola like and gets better as it warms.

Bottled 2014, best before 2017.

Interesting beer, much better at room temp. Getting leather, some juniper berries, a little ginger and mild smokiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Way too much spice for me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; bottled on July 16 2014. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a murky brownish-copper colour, with an enormous head that erupts at the surface and quickly fills the glass. It takes a few minutes to seep down a bit, producing a fluffy, two fingers' worth of off-white froth, in addition to multiple wide bands of sticky gobs of lace. Looks great, and the aroma is pretty interesting, too - cinnamon and ginger are the most pungent inclusions, although coriander, clove and cardamom contribute some spicy, earthy undertones. Caramel sweetness, fig and raisin are also detectable.

This one already had a strong 'Christmas dessert' vibe going on, but the flavour profile really solidifies that. Grainy, bready malts and caramel sweetness provide much of the base, with cocoa, ginger and fig pudding following soon after. The flavour becomes increasingly earthy and spicy toward the finish, with hints of pine sap leading into spicy clove, coriander and cinnamon. Ginger heat lingers into the aftertaste, with a yeasty, earthy bitterness and slight alcohol warmth keeping it company. This is actually surprisingly warming for 6.5%, but that might be an artifact of all the spices used. Medium-bodied, with assertive carbonation levels that assault the tongue and provide a very crisp, active feel in the mouth. Despite the manageable abv, this one's intense spiciness seriously limits its drinkability - a pint is more than enough for me, thanks, at least for tonight.

Final Grade: 4.32, an excellent A grade. Underlig Jul is a bold-tasting, spicy winter warmer that is likely to raise at least one of your eyebrows upon the first sip. While it's not the sort of thing I'd want to drink in large volumes, or even very frequently, it is still a very creative, full-flavoured strong ale that makes for an excellent dessert beer or night-capper. Any fan of spiced beers or North American-style winter warmers should consider seeking this one out, because it's a fine example all-around.

 

Pours a darkish amber brown colour with a decent head.

Almost smells like a cola....spicey....hard to pick out the spices. Sweet and spicey with a slight alcohol burn.

Very spicey.....sweetness was more in the fore in the bouquet. Kinda peppery...has a nice alcohol finish. Very much a winter warmer.

Decent mouthfeel. Very chewy...higher abv

Overall this is a great winter beer. I would drink it again. You cant have two in a row before it becomes overwhelming imo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle served fairly old into a pint glass. Purchased from LCBO for about $6.50 CDN.

Appearance - hazy brown coloured beer with cherry hues. Two fingers of off white head are poured and stay awhile. Plenty of visible carbonation.

Smell - nice blend of herbs and spices, some cinnamon and berries are the stars, but there's an herbal but not medicinal quality lying underneath. The nose is fairly pungent as well.

Taste - starts spicy with cinnamon, then moves to a leafy earthy flavor, before some bitterness comes in. That is followed by another round of herbal flavor, then finish spicy with cinnamon. Ginger throughout. Kind of a full circle here. The only other comment is that it reminds me of Jaegermeister, turned way down in intensity, some added bitterness and herbal qualities as a beer. That's what we're dealing with here.

Mouthfeel - lively carbonation, yet soft mouthfeel, and only a moderately heavy body. Alcohol while not significant the way in which it is presented leaves a warming sensation from the first sip.

Overall- an interesting spiced beer, as mentioned above, it's reminiscent of a really toned down Jaegermeister, and as someone who enjoys that, I rather enjoyed this. It's definitely something that is enhanced by cool weather or a desire to drink something like it, but it's certainly good. Cost is a bit prohibitive, but definitely worth a try.