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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Very dark brown colour, like a porter. Nice and creamy beige head. Moderate but nice aroma of belgian ale yeast, spices and oak. The flavour has brown malts, caramel, brown sugar, moderate spices and woody notes, decent hops in the finish. Not too sweet. This is in no way Nøgne Ø's "biggest" beer, but is nice and drinkable and impossible to dislike.

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

750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%, IBU 10. Golden colour, vigorously sparkling, moderate white head does not stay long. Aroma of white grapes, yeast, mild spices, oak. The flavour is fruity, slightly sweet & sour, with distinct notes of grape juice, hints of white wine vinegar, mild spices, oak. Interesting beer, but won't be my daily indulgence.

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

From cask at HaandBryggeriet Beer Festival, Drammen. Cloudy brown colour, low off-white head. Distinct aroma of citrussy and piney hops, some sweetish malts in the background. Lovely hoppy flavour, citrussy (esp. grapefruity) notes. Resinous and piney notes too. A solid bitterness in the finish. For all hopheads: Hallelujah!

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

500 ml can, as Nøgne Ø Classic Premium Lager, from SPAR Jørpeland. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Strong sweetish aroma of flowers, jam, yellow stonefruits and tropical fruits. The flavour is not quite as sweet as the aroma made me expect, but the mouthfeel is good for its ABV. Well hopped throughout, fruity with a medium bitter finish.

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

330 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Classic Premium Lager, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%, IBU 25. Moderately hazy orange to brown colour, large head, slightly off-white. Fairly nice aroma of malts with a hint of caramel, also floral and herbal hops. Soft mouthfeel. Fairly rich malty flavour, hints of caramel again, also a hint of orange peel, decent herbal hops in the finish. Might buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #2571, from Vinmonopolet Sauda. ABV is 5.5%, IBU 25. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, honey and newmown grass. Crisp pilsener flavour, not too sweet, well balanced herbal hops.

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

Bottle conditioned, at Ølkulinarisk Aften, Måltid restaurant, Kristiansand. This beer nearly left me speechless - I’d never have expected a 16% ABV beer to be this wonderful and well balanced. LOVELY aroma and flavour, where notes of oak, fortified wine, coffee and chocolate come in front. A great match with chocolate dessert, could probably also have been a great match with the very mature stilton cheese we had as the previous course (NØ Amber was a bit light-weight for the stilton IMO).

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle # 12436. 39.5 degrees P, 65 IBU, ABV 17.5%. Pitch black colour, short-lived brown head. Intense and lovely aroma of dried dark fruits, liquorice, coffee, oak and tar. The flavour is intensely roasty with strong notes of coffee, liquorice and alcohol. A bit "raw", needs at least 1 year’s cellaring (probably more) to reach its potential. However, I think it is not a good idea for Nøgne Ø to make stronger versions of DH each year. 16% ABV, like DH First Ed. had, is definitely strong enough!

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

250 ml bottle, wrapped in silk paper in a metal cylinder, from Vinmonopolet. Batch #373, ABV is 15.5%. Ingredients include sugars and coffee. 100 IBU. Pitch black colour, moderate greyish brown head. Strong aroma of stale cold coffee, roasted barley and dark bitter chocolate. Warming mouthfeel. Very sweet (too sweet) and sugary flavour, notes of sweetened coffee, syrup, chocolate and liquorice. The bitterness seems quite moderate, because of the overwhelming sweetness. Hints of resin in the aftertaste. Well worth sampling, but this is the least successful edition of Dark Horizon so far. Won’t buy again, as it is also quite expensive..

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

330 ml ordinary capped bottle in an oversized metal cylinder with a wooden lid - apparently you pay for more than the beer here. Batch #2466, bottle #11090 out of 15500. ABV is 16%, IBU 100. Purchased at Vinmonopolet Herbarium. Pitch black colour, moderate to small tan head. Strong aroma of coffee, molasses, brown sugars and dark malts. Rich and warming mouthfeel. Very sweet flavour, to some degree balanced by distinct bittering hops, and otherwise the same elements as the aroma. Also hints of chocolate and liquorice.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was said to be 7%, possibly incorrect. If the two versions were labelled correctly: The Kollaborator has a black colour, large beige head. Moderate aroma of roasted malts, hints of smoke and cigar box. The flavour is malty and moderately roasty, medium sweet, hints of liquorice, maybe a touch of smoke.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy orange to brown colour, big and lasting off-white head with an orangey hue. Intense and lovely aroma of mango and other tropical fruits. The flavour has a substantial sweetness with distinct fruity hops throughout, notes of oranges. Very bitter finish and aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%, IBU 7. Slightly hazy straw colour, small white head. Aroma of lime, lemon, mint and lemon verbena. Sweet and sour flavour of lactic acid, and the same elements as the aroma: Not something I'll buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%, IBU 25. Deep golden to orange colour, nearly clear. Small white head. Aroma of resinous and spicy hops, also notes of yellow stonefruits, some citrus. Moderate carbonation. The flavour is first sweet and malty with some caramel, followed by resinous and grapefruity bittering hops. Decent enough, but the balance is not optimal.

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

500 ml bottle, vintage 2022, batch #2586, from Vinmonopolet Egersund. ABV is 15.5%, IBU 30. Hazy dark brown to black colour, small tan head. Aroma of dark malts, molasses, brown sugar. Fairly sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, also dark dried fruits, moderate bittering hops, warming mouthfeel.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, batch #2634, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%, IBU 30. Moderately hazy pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of grain, wort, dust and over-ripe yellow plums. The flavour is better than the aroma, notes of citrus and yellow stonefruits, on a sufficient malt base.

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

500 ml can, probably from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 25. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Large to moderate beige head. Aroma of Christmas spices and gingerbread: cardamom, coriander seeds, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. I feared the flavour would be too sweet, but it is not. Fairly light bodied, with just enough malts to support the distinct notes of said spices. A moderate hop bitterness in the aftertaste.

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

August 2020: 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 14%, IBU 30. Black colour, moderate to small brown head. Aroma of roast malts, molasses, oak, red wine, liquorice. Warming mouthfeel. Sweet and rich flavour, roast malts, caramel, brown sugar, dark syrup, oak, liquorice, dark dried fruits, dark berries.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

330 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Footloose Rosé Tripel Reserve, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%, IBU 30. Gusher bottle. Hazy golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of yeast, white kandij sugar syrup, oak and rosé wine. The flavour has the same elements, and is way too yeasty. Waste of money.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 14.5%, IBU 30. Black colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of roast malts, white wine and oak. Sweet flavour, more roasty than a normal quadrupel, notes of brown sugar, "spicy" white wine and oak, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Warming mouthfeel.

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

500 ml test bottle from the brewery. ABV is 4.5%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Lovely and fairly complex aroma of hops - notes of grapefruit, tropical fruits, pine and spruce - some mild spicy notes too. Very hoppy flavour throughout, with the same elements as the aroma, and a sharpish bitter finish. The mouthfeel is better than I feared for a 4.5% beer. This is a beer I expect will sell well.

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

Rerate 2004, 500 ml bottle conditioned: Recipe has been changed this year. The beer is now much darker, nearly black. Good tan head. Complex aroma and flavour, a distinct roastiness but also spices and leather. Full rich flavour, bitter aftertaste - this is a damn good beer!! Rating 2003: (500 ml bottle). Christmas/Yule ale from Norway’s sole uncompromising micro brewery. Only 5000 bottles made. Bottle conditioned. Deep copper colour, hazy only when yeast is poured. Moderate head. Aroma of oak, leather, caramel and spices. Flavour is malty and spicy, alcohol is evident. Drier than I expected. Good bitterness. A good beer, but after all the good things I’ve heard about it, I expected even more.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Intense peaty / smoky aroma of Islay malt whisky, also notes of tar and salty sea air, hints of vanilla and liquorice. The flavour is dominated by an overwhelming peatiness and smokiness, too much actually, as the original qualities of God Jul are kind of blocked out. Hints of tar, vanilla and liquorice again. Definitely interesting, but requires that you really like Islay whisky.

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

Rerate 13. April: I deliberately avoided pouring the yeast in this time, beer is clear deep golden, like a bitter or an IPA. Flavour is more balanced, still a substantial bitterness but not unpleasant. Very little wheat character, in a blind test I'd say this was a decent IPA or possibly an ESB. Original rating: 500 ml, bottle conditioned. Batch #128. The brewers say this beer should be consumed on Easter Day and not during Lent. I’d better re-rate shortly after Easter - maybe they mean that the beer is too fresh now? Anyway, I HAD too try it now, once it was for sale. The beer has a hazy golden, nearly orange colour. Initially large head, doesn’t last to the end. Lovely hoppy aroma with hints of citrus, honey and leather. Flavour is very bitter from start to finish (loads of hops and coriander, peppery mouthfeel) , while the beer otherwise is light bodied like a wheat beer should be. This means that the hops and spices are overdone here, and the subtleties of a wheat beer do not survive. Those who love American IPAs might like it, but to me this is my least favourite Nøgne Ø beer so far.

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

500 ml bottle, bottle conditioned. Orangey brown colour, moderate head. The first time I had it I found the aroma fairly moderate and slightly spicy with some fruit, the second time the lovely fruity hops came more in front. The pleasant flavour is nicely balanced: oak, fruit, spices, hoppy finish. Good beer!