Imperial Brown Ale
Nøgne Ø

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a black color. 1/2 inch head of an off-tan color. Great retention and slight lacing. Smells of alcohol, strong sweet malt, Euro yeast, slight roasted malt, chocolate, and a hint of wood. Fits the style of an American Brown Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with a low carbonation level. Tastes of alcohol, strong sweet malt, Euro yeast, slight roasted malt, chocolate, hint of smoke, and a hint of wood. Overall, great feel, decent appearance and aroma, but body is sadly weak in finish.

Poured into a mug, the appearance was a muddy brown color with a finger and a half’s worth of sly tan foamy head. Milky lace. The aroma had the normal Nogne initial smell - coca cola followed but some hazelnuts, light milk and dark chocolate. Subtle grassy hops. The flavor was exceptionally sweet, that coca cola taste didn’t meld enough with the hazelnuts. The malt had some roastiness to it. Aftertaste was coca cola and hazelnut with a clean sweet finish. The feel was semi-cloying as the coca cola flavor produced a slick semi-oily texture. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt fine. Overall, Nogne does something to their beers that I don’t know what it is, that coca cola syrupy thing just seems to not do it for me so much.

Nøgne Ø, which apparently means “naked island” in Norwegian... if I was in Norway I wouldn’t be spending any time naked on any islands lest frostbite become my new bestie, but hey I’m a pragmatic man when it comes to endangering my own life. So I’ve had a few Nøgne Ø brews now: Imperial Stout, Sunturnbrew, and their red wine barrel Quadrupel... all of them dark and heavy, in fact at 7.5% ABV this is the lightest Nøgne Ø brew I’ve imbibed yet! The main reason I even picked this up was on a recommendation, and if it’s as good as their other brews I’ll have to grab some more from my local Black Sheep Bottle Shop (Newmarket that is). Until then - bring on the naked island!

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Nice murky Russet brown body with a fulsome 1.5 centimetre beige head that slowly recedes leaving some lace on the side of the glass - love shack baby! [I’ve decided for shits ‘n giggles to randomly inject B-52’s lyrics into my reviews - yep that happened since you were away]. 9/10.

S: Dark fruits and brown sugar with a side of molasses - this is going to be one sweet mother of a brew. Hint of nuttiness in there as well, so maybe it will having a dry character as well... you never know until you try hey? 8/10.

T: Top. Shelf. This is such a well-balanced IBA: Macerated figs, burnt sugar, pecan nut, caramel, touch of earthy espresso bitterness in the finish; well played Nøgne Ø, well played. The thing that really wins me over is how well managed the sweetness is - I was expecting a sugar bomb from the aroma, however this is not the case. It’s so very nearly a 10/10 for flavour, but then the aftertaste cuts in with just a little too much bitterness... so close Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale! 9/10.

M: Silky mid to heavy bodied with a dense but flat carbonation - near perfect here too but, ahhh, what the hell Nøgne Ø: 10/10.

D: Exceptional Imperial Brown Ale, up there with the best of them... well Embargo is my current favourite - however I appear to be one of its few champions (though I have no idea why, it’s a fantastic drop). Nøgne Ø have glimpsed at the heavens and said “what the f__k, we can do it!” and they very nearly cracked that ceiling with this IBA. Great work Nøgne Ø! PSA: This review has the most frequent applications of the ‘Ø’ character in any review I have ever written - yet I am still unaware of how to actually pronounce this character. Carry on. 10/10.

Food match: Flavourful cheeses and grilled meats: I must agree with that label.

Pours a dark reddish brown.

Smell is malty and bready, with some sweet raisin notes.

Taste is malty and sweet, with a bit of booze, nuts and dried apricot.

Medium bodied, nice crisp carbonation.

Brown ales are not my favorite style, but this was one of the better ones I've had. Nice and malty, good winter beer.

 

 

Look: translucent brown
Smell: nutty and sweet...enticing
Taste: nutty, molasses, coffee resides on the back of the tongue
Feel: medium-bodied, quite smooth
Overall: delicious! my favorite brown ale to date

 

500ml bottle poured into Sam Adams pint glass.

Pours a dark, hazy brick brown with half a finger of desert tan head that leaves a lumpy sheet of lace as it recedes. Lots of floaties and sediment.

Smells of baker's chocolate, roasted nuts, melted sugar, dark berry jam and leafy green hops.

Tastes of more semi-sweet chocolate, fresh baked bread dusted with brown sugar, mixed dark fruit and more gentle green hops.

Feels creamy and silky. Medium-full bodied with smooth, sturdy carbonation. Finishes mildly dry and nutty.

Verdict: Highly recommended. Nice and rich.

 

Clear ruby-brown color with light brown head. Aroma has grassy hops combined with some caramel, dark cherries and nuts. Taste starts nutty, gets into caramel and roasty malts in the middle and hoppy and quite bitter in the finish and aftertaste. Body is medium-heavy, smooth but doesn't lack carbonation. Overall this is one of the better brown ales you can get.

 

Yields a mohagony brown color, with a decent, stable head.

Smells of chocolate, cane sugar, toffee, together with a fair amount of wood. Reveals a note of matured, fruity hops among a bready malt foundation.

Has a medium body, with a fitting, lively carbonation.

Tastes of coffee, toasted malts and sugar, along with hazelnuts and a spiced note. Coffee is well pronounced, providing a convincing balance to sugar and molasses. Finishes fairly sweet, with a slick dryness shining through.

Tastes great, ranges between sweet and bitter in a convincing, complex way. Charred malts, old hops and coffee exhibit a convincing balance to molasses and caramel.

a bit to sweet for me, although everything else is very good. wish it had a little more bitter edge, or darkness, to balance the sweetness. quite enjoyable.