Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 001

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Pours rich coffee with minimal head. Aroma provides rich roast malt, coffee, subtle caramel and chocolate notes. Flavor offers serious roast hops, coffee, chocolate and caramel, very sweet. Texture features heavy, viscous body and jazzy fizz. An outstanding edition.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

This was a gift from a Swedish friend who comes to Canada twice a year to watch hockey. Comes with a nice container. It's a very dark brown beer with a brown head. The aroma is dark chocolate and coffee. The flavour is the same. Very good, but not great. I've had better Impy Stouts.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry coffee with nice roasted malt notes. Taste is also dominated by dry coffee with some black chocolate and ends with a dry hoppy bitter taste. Body is quite full with good carbonation and surprisingly enough alcohol is not discernable. Well done but still somewhat overrated in my opinion.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

What a shock to see this one. A black appearance with little head. The aroma has an alcohol presence but also contains some molasses, chocolate, coffee, and raisins. The flavor is quite sweet but that can be expected at 16%. The flavor contained some chocolate, coffee, licorice, raisins, and a hint of smoke. This lives up to expectations. Great beer!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle 02186, Sampled December 2007
A vigorous pour produces a beer that is topped by a fat, two-finger thick, light brown colored head. The beer is simply opaque and black in color. As I pour it concentrated notes of burnt raisins reach my nostrils. A deeper smell of the aroma yields a huge, concentrated fruitiness with notes of raisins, prunes, figs, cherries, tamarind and lots of other smoky, slightly burnt, dried fruit notes. Of course this is a stout, so there is a lot or roast character, but, especially for a beer of this size, it shows a surprising restraint in the burnt malt department. This is definitely not an American version of a huge stout, it actually shows quite a bit of restraint in the nose. Instead of an astringent, overly burnt character the dark malt accentuates and accents the dried fruit notes as well as a serious dark chocolate aroma and a richly concentrated, smooth espresso character. The alcohol is present in the nose and, in combination with the other aromatics, provides notes of brandy, coffee liquor and chocolate liquors; each is fairly distinct, but still sort of a mish mash of a mixed drink all in one glass. The aroma is incredibly rich, but it is also incredibly complex, something I wish more American versions of the style were.

Sweet, concentrated malt flavors an alcoholic warming, moving to a rich, concentrated dark fruit middle and finishing with a rich cocoa flavor. The alcohol, while present is surprisingly tame. This is thick and chewy, but not so much that it is a struggle to drink; don't get me wrong though, this is most definitely a sipping brew. Flavors of prunes, figs, raisins and a rich earthy note meld so well with the velvety texture of this brew; inviting and softly palate coating, yet there is a sharp, roast grain & hop bitterness that does a good job of balancing things out and cleaning the palate to ready one for the next sip. In addition to providing a lightly broiled character to the fruit flavors in this beer, the restrained (at least for an American type Stout) dark malt character contributes flavors of espresso flavored crème anglaise, dark-chocolate mousse and a richly chocolate covered, candied cherry truffle.

I wonder how much coffee was added to this brew, it seems as though my cheeks are a-buzz with caffeine right now, but it could just be the alcohol. This beer is quite interesting, quite flavorful and quite engaging; despite that fact that it is so thick and rich, I find myself almost rushing to my next sip at times so that I can try and peel away another layering of flavor and texture from this beer. Despite the previous statement, this is one of those beers that you take small sips of and just get lost in, time seems to pass quite quickly when enjoying this brew. Much better than I had anticipated, especially since I have been getting a little tired of huge alcohol beers for quite a while now.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson, AZ

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Bottled. Finally this beer got its release. I’ve been so lucky that I have followed it from the birth and seen it’s development. At a dinner with beer-pairings in Kristiansand, Norway, it was served with a heavy, dark chocolate dessert and single-bean coffee. It was a perfect match. It’s first impression is an almost over-whealming aroma with chocolate, coffee, alcohol, vanilla and notes of a wet wood in the summer-time. It’s body is as black as the original sin, yet it’s clear, but not see-through. The head is quite small and brown-colored. Almost like milk-chocolate. When sipped, (as you know, you don’t drink beers like this, you sip them), there’s a good dash of alcohol, but not in a bothersome way, ’cause it’s supplemented by chocolate, coffee, mocha, vanilla and some vague hints of wooden barrels. The mouthfeel is full and warming, and the beer ends in a long finish with alcohol, chocolate, cocoa-notes and coffee. It almost feels stinging, but that’s probably due to the alcohol. It feels good to finally get to enter the rating of this beer, it is (until so far) only equalled by Mikkeller’s X Imperial Stout 2006. The name indicates other editions of this beer, but can they match this one? (070317)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

This imperial stout pours a eclipse black color from a 22oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is chocolate and coffee. A medium to full bodied Imperial Stout. The malts are chocolate and coffee. The hops are earthy. Very complex flavors in this one; chocolate, coffee, tobacco, touch of pepper and a little smoke. Very smooth taste, yet there is a pronounced alcohol bite. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

Thank you to my overseas trading partner oh6gdx for sending me the incredibly tasty beer. The beer boggles the mind and treats your tastebuds to an awesome beer from beginning to end. This beer really is something to behold. Luckily, I shared it with some really good peeps in aspidites, BeerDaveC007 and my brother. The beer pours out a rich, black color, sort of glooping out of the bottle like motor oil, and forms this chocolatey, dark tan head. You really don't need to have the glass too close to your nose, as the aroma just leaps out like a wild animal in a cage. Chocolate, toffee, smoke, vanilla, port, wet dirt, a touch soy sauce, and wood. Mouthfeel is the equivelent of wearing a rabbit fur gloves. Soft, warm, supple...simply magnificent. Flavors were pretty much on the same course as the nose. It's just an awesome beer. It's unfair that this beer is 16% because the alcohol is so well hidden. A true testament to the professional brewer(s) who made this beer really showed the world what a beer that's part impy stout and part barleywine can be. Thank you.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

Bottle # 1994 pours black and I mean black. A nice medium sized froth rises and slowly reduces to a fine, silky canopy and a fluffy spattered ring. Aromas of butcher roasted sweet malts, dark chocolate, and brandy. Nice! A viscous nectar goes down w/ ample effers that create a creamy sensation. Awsome! Huge, intense, profound! This brew is extreme. A gigantic malty backbone w/ a spine tingling roast component come alive on this big screen adventure, and I do mean adventure. The alcohol component pierces my palate like a knife yet is not apperant in flavor, just sensation. It cuts through the blubber blancing it all out. Cocoa, molases, roasted coffee bean, vanilla, hot cinnamon sticks. Drinks good cold or warm w/ no off flavors or aromas anywhere. The finish, well, it really doesn’t. It’s bittered, if you will,with a strict alcohol burn that clears the palate of the debre and keeps me ready but only after a breath or two. You have to take deep breaths between sipps. Overall: This is the strongest flavored yet balanced beer i’ve had to date. The high alcohol content stings like a good Cognac on the palate then lets in the heavy roasted coffee and chocolate to do their fancy stepwork. I totally agree with the hype and I will buy more, even at the $20 price tag. I highly recommend this to all of you who appreciate strong beers. If GD has the Yeti, Avery Mephistopheles, and Three Floyds Dark Lord, Nogne O has has summoned Satan himself.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

thanks eagle. Don't believe the hype. Poured a dark black red edges small head and almost no lacing. Aroma was chocolate and dark fruits. Flavor was much the same with some spices in there just a ho hum for sure.