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

Draught at the brewpub. I also brought back a bottle of this beer and the Cerny/Tmavé which was unavailable on tap while we were there. (The bottled beers were sold in pairs, at an outrageous price by Czech standards - in Norway ALL beer prices are outrageous, so I didn’t mind.) The svetlé is an unfiltered pilsener, golden colour, slightly hazy, moderate head. Moderate hops aroma. Flavour has a herbal character and a dry bitter finish, which makes this beer a lot better than (most) industrial pilseners / pale lagers.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought at the brewpub. Colour of this unfiltered and unpasteurised beer is hazy reddish brown. Pours with an enormous light tan head, which soon diminishes. Aroma is very malty (typical dunkel) with caramel and hints of oak and yeast. Quite flavourful for a beer this low ABV, plenty of malts and toffee, but low on hops. Smooth and easy drinking. The bottles were overpriced by Czech standards, but a Norwegian won’t mind!

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #671. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy brownish-golden colour, huge white head. Attractive fruity aroma, notes of citrus, gooseberries and tropical fruits, some piney hints too. The flavour is medium sweet and fruity, notes of saison yeast, distinct hops in the finish. Bitter, peppery and dry aftertaste.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark mahogany coloured beer, huge beige creamy head with good retention. Lovely aroma of Christmas spices, anise and English liquorice. Extremely rich mouthfeel. Powerful malty sweetness in the flavour, with an abundancy of Christmas spices, anise and English liquorice. Hints of juniper berries and burnt caramel. Lots of liquorice in the long aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%, IBU 20. Opaque murky yellow colour, large white head, nice lacing. Aroma of grapefruit, pine and spruce. Resinous and citric flavour, the bitterness appears higher than 20 IBU. Full bodied and refreshing.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #761, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. 45 IBU. Pitch black colour, large and creamy tan head. Very nice aroma with roasty and fruity notes, notes of sour berries, oak, red wine vinegar, mild coffee and dark chocolate. The flavour is sweet and roasty, notes of coffee, dark bitter chocolate and liquorice. Bitter finish.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

500 ml bottle, batch #2631, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%, IBU 30. Hazy deep brown colour, large off-white to beige head. Aroma of malts, caramel, brown bread. Malty flavour with the same elements, also chocolate and notes of cloves, a hint of banana and prunes, some bittering hops. Well balanced and very enjoyable to drink.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Courtesy of Erik Dahl, Venner av Nøgne Ø.) I received this remarkable beer with awe, mixed with great anticipation. Very few litres of #100 have been for sale to the public. Would I like it, or would the massive hops (80 IBU!) be too much for me? The cost of brewing it (= the massive amount of malts and hops required for a batch) made the brewers certain that it would be unprofitable as a permanent brew, particularly with Norwegian alcohol taxes. This impenetrable cloudy dark brown beer pours with a large to moderate tan head. Aroma is simply wonderful - Colombus hops galore, dark chocolate, leather, cigars, pipe tobacco, tar. The complexity remains in the flavour - extremely malty, very sweet, but also extremely bitter. The bitterness (which becomes medicinal and wormwood-like in the aftertaste) prevents me from giving this beer a full score. On a regular basis, I’d prefer Nøgne Ø’s God Jul (which is world class this year, IMHO) and also their Porter. But what a great experiment #100 is!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. (A couple unpasteurised kegs will also be available at Cardinal.) ABV is 10%. Murky brown colour, big cream-coloured to beige head. Lovely aroma of American and New Zealand hops (Chinook, Simcoe, Centennial, Pacific Gem and Nelson Sauvin), fruity and resinous notes, hints of heather honey and orange marmalade. The flavour has of course loads of hops, but the bitterness is not too extreme. Piny, resinous and grapefruity notes. A pleasant malty sweetness balances the hoppiness. The high ABV is noticeable, but not really disturbing. A worthy brew to celebrate Nøgne Ø’s batch #500.

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

March 2021: 500 ml can, from Rema 1000, Tau. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 15. Hazy pale yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of yeast, wheat, orange peel and coriander seeds. Citric and fairly soft mouthfeel. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, low bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5%, IBU 15. Slightly hazy pale straw colour, small white head. Aroma of citrus, with a hint of coriander. Citric mouthfeel and flavour, again with a hint of coriander. Minimal hops. Simple, but refreshing.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

January 2022: Shared 330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 13.2%, IBU 50. Black colour, small brown head. Lovely aroma, roast malts, dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee and liquorice. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, salty finish.

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

330 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø A Christmas Carol Barrel Aged Ekstra God Jul Sherry Cask edt. ABV is 16.5%, IBU 30. At Cardinal, Stavanger. Black colour, moderate to small tan head. Aroma of malts, molasses, brown sugar, oak and old sherry. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, also hints of mild spices. Warming mouthfeel. Excellent beer!

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

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.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%, IBU 20. Hazy "ancient pink" colour, moderate off-white to pinkish head. Aroma of raspberries and spicy hops, hints of cleaning agent. The flavour has the same elements, medium sour raspberries dominate. A bit weird perhaps, but far from undrinkable.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

(500 ml bottle conditioned). Finally available bottled, this amber ale comes from the micro brewery that make all other Norwegian commercial brewers look ridiculous. ABV bottled is 6.0%. Colour is deep amber to reddish and cloudy. Very good thick head. Lovely complex fruity and flowery aroma - roses and flowers I can't even remember the name of. Flavour is first treacherously pleasant malty, fruity and slightly spicy, then the hops brutally take over with a very bitter (too bitter?) and salty finish. Definitely not a beer for the Corona generation.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #435, ABV 10%. Deep brown colour, slightly hazy, big beige head. Pleasant aroma of brown malts, notes of rum-raisin and fortified wine, hints of spices and oak. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and alcohol, notes of dark dried fruits and oak, hints of spices (esp. anise) and liquorice. There is a firm hoppy bitterness in the finish. Powerful beer, a bit "raw in the edges", will probably benefit from a year or two (perhaps more) in the cellar.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Hazy deep golden colour, moderate white head. Distinct dryish aroma of lemongrass. Fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied. Dry flavour with loads of lemongrass, white pepper finish. No doubt good with Asian food, but also decent on its own as a refreshment. Will buy again.

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

750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 75%, IBU 10. Golden to orange colour, just the faintest haziness, pours sparkling with a moderate and shortlived white head. Aroma of cider apples, malts, hops and oak. Dry and crisp flavour, some acidity, with the same elements as the aroma.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, at last! (my first bottle was stolen in a burglary in Göteborg) - thanks to yngwie and Venner av Nøgne Ø! Bottle conditioned, ABV is 5.9%, 70 IBU! This batch was originally a "brewing / hopping accident" (the batch was intended to be the "normal" Pale Ale) - with 70 IBU I guess this one should qualify as an IPA, or maybe even an Imperial IPA? Hazy golden colour, very cloudy in the end, decent head. Lovely hoppy aroma, with notes of citrus, apricot and pineapple, also notes of flowers. Moderate carbonation in the glass, initially a soft mouthfeel with a moderate sweetness, before the intense hoppy bitterness takes over and dominates the flavour throughout. Very bitter aftertaste. An interesting experience, but to be honest: this is too bitter for me! I prefer the "normal" pale ale.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Amber colour, good head. Very nice barnyard aroma. Typical English bitter flavour (Goldings hops + a hint of toffee) , a bit thin mouthfeel, good bitterness in the aftertaste. A great quaffing beer. This Norwegian micro is a very welcome addition to our rather miserable brewery scene!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed specially for the Skral music festival at Groos in Grimstad. Like all NØ beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4,5%. Ingredients include wheat malt, lager malt, Crystal hops, coriander and Belgian yeast. 20 IBU, 11 degrees P. Cloudy pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of coriander and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is distinctly spicy throughout, a modest fruitiness carries hints of citrus and banana, the coriander is dominant, but there is also a substantial hoppy bitterness. I find it VERY hard to believe that the IBU is as low as 20, but what do I know - I guess they wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Dry and bitter finish. Tastes like a cross between NØ’s Wit and their Saison. Definitely something else than the pale lagers you will get at most music festivals.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #2581, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%, IBU 30. Moderately hazy brown to red colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of beech-smoked malts, over-ripe dark berries, raisins, smoked salmon and smoked meat. Light bodied for its strength. Smoky flavour with the same elements as the aroma, but not extreme.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, batch #2618, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%, IBU 30. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of malts and yellow plums. Medium sweet flavour, notes of malts and yellow plums again, fairly distinct bittering hops in the finish.

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

(500 ml bottle). Dark brown colour, slightly hazy, some sediment, good head. Lovely aroma of caramel, cedar wood, nuts and cookies. Flavour is nutty and biscuity with burnt edges. Not too sweet. Aftertaste has some bitterness with burnt notes. (Some might not like the burnt part, but I do!) If Newcastle Brown is your idea of a brown ale, you're in for a surprise!