Aku Aku Lemongrass Ale
Nøgne Ø

Sep. 2009: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was 5.5%. Brewed with lemongrass. Cloudy brownish golden colour, creamy off-white head. Moderate but nice aroma of lemongrass and undefined mild spices, with a faint hint of butterscotch. Refreshing flavour and mouthfeel, the lemongrass is there, but is not overdone. Moderate but noticeable hops. Very moreish. Could well be made a permanent brew - should appeal to "the general public", as well as beer geeks who want a nice refreshment.

1L howler from Keg n Cork - I think that this is the right listing, even though Nogne bottles another lemongrass-infused brew under the 'Asian Pale Ale' moniker.

This beer pours a clear, medium golden yellow colour, with one skinny finger of wispy, faintly frothy, and wanly bubbly dirty white head, which leaves little beyond a few specks of microbial lace around the glass as things evenly recede.

It smells of semi-sweet, grainy pale malt, earthy, yet slightly zippy lemongrass, indistinct herbal tea, and the waxy burnt candle odor that persists from the birthday cake that my wife inexplicably brought downstairs in the freaking middle of this. The taste is bready, grainy pale malt, lemon tea, herbal supplements, a weak chalky flintiness, and tame earthy, leafy, and grassy hops.

The carbonation is quite light in its low-key, frothy renderings, the body just on the light side of middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess arising as the ambient temperature creeps up. It finishes off-dry, the grainy malt doing well to retake some the focus away from the lingering savoury lemongrass essence.

A pleasant enough pale ale, one that supports the heady guest ingredient with style and aplomb, in that it doesn't let it run away with the show. Tasty, with just enough fruit and spice to think that this would be a stellar pairing with your favourite spicy-ass take-out stir-fry. Sigh.

 

 

 

500ml poured into a pint glass. ABV listed as 5%.

A - Palish orange color with some light haziness. White head eventually reduces to a very slight cap and ring. Nothin' for lace.

S - Nice spicy and herbal lemongrass kick, lemony herbal tea definitely comes to mind. Some sweet malts too, flashes of pastries with lemon icing. Kind of similar to a radler, but the spiciness gives it more depth.

T - Lemongrass still dominates with herbal tones, coriander spice and tea coming to mind. The base beer shows through more here with grains, pale malt, and buttery bread.

M - Good body, light but not watery, medium-low carbonation, decent amount of bitterness and some tartness from the lemongrass leads to a smooth biscuity finish.

O - Drinking this in the dead of winter probably isn't the best way to experience this beer, but this is pulled off quite well - the lemongrass is really nice, good herbal tea-like flavors, goes good with a 5% pale.

Thanks Mr Chapeco for sharing this brew with me as always. Christmas night tasting review dump.

Nogne O Lemongrass

A- Cloudy and mucky yellowy orange body to a few snifters from the 500ml bottle. A white crown rises up to just about one finger with a frothy texture. Decent retention falling to a medium ring and a few small islands. Sparse lacing for me, perhaps something to do with the lemongrass.

S- Citrusy lemongrass dominates the aroma like a fresh batch of tea made from dry lemongrass. Reminds me of lemons with a certain herbal and earthy feel.

T- Herbal lemongrass is far and away the most prominent flavor in the brew once again bringing me back to experimenting with dried lemongrass and other herbs in tea. Notes of coriander, lemon peel and oil, slight peppercorn and a general spiciness overall. Just a tiny little bit of tartness. Wheaty and pale base malts.

MF- Body is rather light with just a bit of creamy and foamy texture; somewhat like a soda or Berliner body with a bit more consistency. Carbonation is at a moderate level as the brew finishes with a light herbal bitterness.

Just screams lemongrass. I see it listed as an American Pale Ale places so the yeast is clean and most of that semi-pungent herbal lemony flavor must come from the added lemongrass. For an herbed/spiced beer this is one of the better ones in my eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

Had on tap at the Pumphouse Sydney, months before I'm entering this review.

Pours a slight cloudy burnt-gold colour, steady bead throughout (it's been a while since I've seen so much fizz). Head is white, small bubbles, pleasant cloud on the top. Looks alright.

Smells very citric and floral. Not a lot of spice, though. Lots of lemongrass, touch of earthy twang and some sweet nectar notes as well. Very pleasant and refreshing, but needs more edge - it has a soft drink character to it, albeit pleasant and not overly sweet.

Taste begins again lemony, with that sweet citric flavour with a touch of acid on the side. Develops earthy, bitter spice notes with a real vegetative lemongrass edge midway, a little bit astringent and almost leathery at times. Good flavour construction - light and refreshing, but that edge that the nose was missing is well used, if a little bitter at times. Nice beer overall.

Bit fizzy as expected on the feel, quite a sizzle on the tongue but leaves cleanly.

Is this beer unhopped? If not, it's quite an amazing job. But if hops have been used then they're cleverly disguised, to allow the lemongrass to speak without overpowering.