Eternal Rest
Nøgne Ø

May 2017: 330 ml black waxed bottle, vintage 2017, from the brewery. ABV is 14%, 100 IBU. Pitch black colour, very small tan head. Strong aroma of fusel alcohols, roast malts, molasses, vanilla, bourbon and toasted coconut. Very moderate carbonation. Sweet and alcoholic flavour, with the same elements as in the aroma. Not perfectly balanced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bottled on 2/18/2017

 

 

Today I have a bottle I have been saving for a treat. It is a 12 ounce bottle of Eternal Rest Stout from as best I can tell is Norway. Not much English on the label. It says 19 month old stout aged in Armagnac barrels (whatever that is) and Imperial stout aged 25 months in bourbon barrels. Then aged on fresh vanilla beans and toasted coconuts. Now while I have been typing this the opened bottle has been sitting in front of me. It smells fantastic without me even trying to take a whiff. So here goes.... Poured into a 12 ounce tulip glass at cellar temperature. A distinct fizz that leaves no head at all. Smells of rich molasses, raisins, vanilla, brown sugar and bourbon. I can taste the vanilla and toasted coconut with a rich stout base. It reminds me of BCBS with a more heat. An excellent treat from across the ocean. I wish I had a case of it to put away to see how well it ages. A great BA stout that does not hide its high ABV very well.

 

This is the definitive cold-weather dessert sipper.

It pours thick and oily into a Spiegelau snifter. After a few seconds, a thin layer of cocoa-tinted head emerges from the murky depths and quickly flees to the side of the glass. The 14% leaves some legs when swirled. The smell is boozy heaven, but blending liquid with 19 months in armagnac barrels and 25 months in bourbon barrels will do that. The brandy yields strong vinous notes that dominate the nose, lording over the vanilla and coconut that emerge primarily only after a bit of warming. Otherwise, I get a fair amount of oak barrel character, fudge, and a bit of almond. The palate is very sweet, largely following the nose but with a long, sherried finish. Periodic hints of floral hop character that complement the additives and barrels.

The vanilla and coconut are not major players, so don't go into this expecting No Rules, a Monster's Park variant, or other coconut big hitters that are all about over-the-top additives. That said, as long as you are a fan of brandy-aged stouts, this stacks up favorably against any of those.

Scandinavia has herewith produced an utterly delicious, complex, and smooth adjunct-laden BA imperial stout that can stand with the best examples in North America. Takk skal du ha, Norway.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours pitch black, opaque in the glass, with a slight, patchy head and thin, slippery lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, dates, molasses, vanilla and mild bourbon. Flavor is semi-sweet dark toasted malt, molasses, dates, oaky vanilla, cocoa, light dried plums, bourbon in the finish. Warming and initially boozy, but with little or no alcohol burn in the finish. Medium bodied with light creaminess and good carbonation despite the quiet pour. A rather classic tasting barrel aged RIS, covering all the bases and a solid heavy molasses malt base that supports the other flavors and the high ABV. Very drinkable; it's a good thing this is a .333 bottle because it would be easy to drink a large quantity of this without noticing the hefty ABV. High price point, but well worth trying. This brewery has never let me down.

 

Poured from 0.33l bottle into pint.
Vintage 2017.
L: Pitch black with a tan whreak foam head.
S: Whisky, cocoa beans, vanilla.
T: Saturated sweet taste, dark chocolate, whisky.
F: Oily body with a weak carbonation.
O: Gorgeous stout! One of the best. Must taste.

Nøgne Ø Eternal Rest Stout, 14% ABV, 100 IBU. Pours black with no head, hence no lacing. Nose is bourbon, oak, and leather. Taste is sweet, dark fruit, oak, leather, and amazingly almost no perceived bitterness. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.