Rød Jul
Nøgne Ø

Copenhagen 17/1 2018. 33 cl bottle from Meny, Østerfælled Torv, Kbh Ø. Nøgne Øs usual design with a big “Ø” in red.

Pours murky dark amber with a white head. Lots of flotsam and Jetsam are floating around. Head settles as a patchy, thin layer of foam. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is dark and strong. Sweet dark fruits, caramel, brown sugar, light smoke and light citric notes.

Medium strong carbonation and a medium thick and soft texture.

Flavor is medium to strong sweet with a nice balance by pronounced bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a sweet base. Lingering.

More of an Amber Ale than a IPA - but very satisfying.

Looks like it’s finally time for a Naked Island Red Yuletide - or Nøgne Ø Rød Jul as it is otherwise known. So this is Nøgne Ø’s Christmas beer, and listed on various beer reviewing sites as a Double IPA, though no doubt it will have some crazy Nøgne Ø Norwegian twist on the style. I’ve had 4 beers from Nøgne Ø, and so far their Imperial Brown Ale has been the stand out, though I still like HaandBryggeriet’s experimentalism if we’re talking breweries in Norway, Naked Island have stepped up their game in this regard over the years I’ve been drinking craft beer - they’re neck and neck now. Anyway let us crack on with Red Yule, I’m keen to see where this one goes.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Hazy caramel body, tinge of rust in it, with a tan head that sits nicely on top given the 8% ABV. Stalactite lacing inside the glass as well - this certainly is a very Rød Jul... that is: good proteins in this brew. Noticed yeast clumps in the pour. 8/10.

S: Fruit esters aplenty - dark fruits, juniper berry and lychee. Lingering caramel malt touches, this is a great aroma - bit of everything going on here. Touch on the sweet side I suspect, however my suspicions will soon be de-suspected... yeah I reckon I can get away with making up that word. 8/10.

T: Not overly sweet actually... quite spot on... above flavours: dark fruits, juniper berry and lychee with a nice caramel malt base. Finish is long and drying with a hint of herbal bitterness. Aftertaste is a lingering dryness. Balance is... great! This is Norwegian brewing at its most Norwegian: A Scandinavian take on an American style, with juniper dryness complimenting juicy lychee - skål Nøgne Ø! 9/10.

M: Mid to heavy bodied with a dense, almost creamy carbonation, noice work Noggs. 9/10.

D: Beer of the night... and quite possibly the best beer of the (action packed holiday time!) week... *checks stats* close but Feral Finn Diesel wins that honour (it was a pretty special week here) but Nøgne Ø Rød Jul comes in as 2nd best beer of the (action packed holiday time!) week! YAY Nøgne Ø! TBH the only reason Feral beat this brew was a personal flavour preference thing - I’m not a huge fan of dry brews, however I can see the technical brilliance at play here from Nøgne Ø, and for me they keep going from strength to strength, keep it up you Naked Island people. 9/10.

Food match: Cheese platter or festive food, you decide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm the first to write a written review of this beer :). Nogne O Röd Jul. I bought this in Northern Finland. It's the first Nogne O beer that I try. I hope it's good because I like Norway, I visit Norway every now and then. Northern Norway. Drinking from a tulip glass. Batch number is 1879 I think, at least looks like it.

L: Bottle and presentation is great and it looks delicious. There are some bits in the glass, some white bits I dont know what that is. Maybe yeast/malt or whatever. Or maybe its the apricots or figs. It's dark red in colour, very dark red with the white bits on the bottom of the glass. I don't know if they're supposed to be there or not.
S: The smell is very inviting and it smells tasty, delicious. Smells like a beer with berries and apricot in it, and it does have apricots listed. Does smell very christmasy, red, juicy and nice.
T: Tastes very delicious and inviting, I want to take another sip. It's easy to drink and ABV is 8% so its not a light one but it tastes so damn good and delicious, alcohol doesnt come through hard at all. In fact I taste very little alcohol with this beer! Apricots, slight tang on the tongue, very slight sensation of little sting on the tongue but its not alcohol it just tingles. I'm not familiar with figs so I guess this tastes like figs but I cant say for sure.
F: Feel is easy drinking as heck, I could down this so easily if I wanted to or didnt know it's a rare treat for me. It's delicious. Feels very lightly carbonated and looks like it too. Light, watery, juicy feel but still scrumptious.
O: Overall this was a super pleasant surprise from Nogne O and I will be buying another beer from Nogne when I see them. Might buy this same one again, as a special treat. It's really good. Delicious, high quality beer is all I can say about it. Great xmas beer to enjoy in the wintertime, during those winter days. While looking forward to christmas or perhaps it's already christmas. I really really like it. A fine beer without a doubt. I wasnt expecting such an easy drinking beer, red berry feeling beer.