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

330 ml bottle in metal cylinder, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 16%, 50 IBU. Black colour, small tan head. Aroma of sherry, oak, chocolate, honey and juniper. Vinous flavour with the same elements, some fruity acidity. Easy drinking for its strength. Excellent beer, but hardly worth the outrageous price.

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

330 ml bottle in metal cylinder, at an outrageous price. Purchased at Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 16%, IBU 50. Black colour, small beige head. Aroma of roast malts, mild coffee, dark chocolate, oak and "spicy" white wine. Excellent vinous and oaky flavour, chocolate and honey notes, raisins, a hint of juniper, sharpish bittering hops in the finish. Warming mouth- and throatfeel.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.0%, IBU 20. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Small tan head. Aroma of malts, juniper twigs, bog myrtle / sweet gale and honey. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Nice aroma, floral and fruity with a hint of chocolate and smoke. Light bodied. The flavour has notes of lightly roasted malts, nuts, chocolate and moderate hops. (Might have been even less hoppy than I thought it was, as I may still have been influended by the aftertaste of the IPA I had before.)

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. "Perfumed" aroma, notes of coconut / "suntan oil", vanilla, oak and chocolate. The flavour is not very sweet, but has also notes of coconut, vanilla and oak. Very moderate hops.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #2615, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken, shared with my son. ABV is 7%, IBU 30. Opaque yellow colour, coarse white head. Aroma of "raw" beer (a very bad idea, Nøgne Ø!) and kveik, notes of yellow plums. Medium sweet and "raw" flavour, notes of kveik and yellow plums again, also other yellow stonefruits, fairly distinct bittering hops in the finish.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml.) ABV is now 6.0%. Hazy deep golden to amber colour, thick creamy head that leaves a nice lacing. Lovely citrussy hops aroma on a background of oak, hay, tobacco and spices. Flavour is grapefruity bitter on a well rounded malty background, hints of spices. Plenty of Cascade hops in the long aftertaste. This is very good! Amazing what the Nøgne Ø enthusiasts of small town Grimstad have achieved in almost no time in the business of brewing quality beers!

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Served very cold. Hazy golden colour, low head. The aroma has moderate notes of pilsener malts and floral hops. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has a distinct hoppy bitterness from start to finish. Bitter aftertaste. Not much in the flavour to balance the bitterness - but this is clearly a thirstquenching pilsener, and far better than most of its more industrial competitors.

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

(500 ml bottle). Bottle condtioned. Pours with an excellent thick & tan head. Pitch black, even when held to the light. In a blind test I'd probably say this was a stout (not Guinness!), maybe even an imperial. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, cigar box, English pipe tobacco and dark bitter chocolate. Flavour is again roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. Not too sweet, excellent bitterness where you can sense the hops as well as the roasted malts.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate but fairly nice aroma of caramel malts and some vegetal notes (the pumpkin, I assume). Soft mouthfeel. Flavour of caramel malts and slightly roasted malts, moderate notes of pumpkin with some acidity. Slightly burnt aftertaste. Not difficult to drink and like.

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

250 ml(?) bottles, courtesy of the brewery, and Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with sake yeast, Nasumi No. 7. Reddish orange colour, low head. Very nice vinous aroma, notes of sherry and oak. Sweet flavour, notes of sherry and oak again. Warming mouthfeel.

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

330 ml bottle, batch #10221, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 14.5%, IBU 30. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Aroma of roast malts, red wine and oak. Mediu m sweet flavour with the same elements, also mild spices, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice. Very tasty.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. This beer has just been released for sale in some pubs, will be for sale in Vinmonopolet stores in May. I might rerate in May, if there is any significant development of the flavour profile by then. Pours (or rather: gushes out of the bottle) with a large white head, beer is hazy pale golden. Very nice fruity (citrus, green apples) and yeasty aroma, hints of spices, oak, leather and barnyard. Flavour is moderately sweet with a distinct spiciness and decent hops. Shouldn’t a saison have slightly more acidity? After a light and refreshing start there is a solid wormwood-like bitterness in the finish, not unlike Saison Dupont.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Sandnes Kvadrat. ABV is 16.5%, IBU 30. Black colour, minimal and shortlived brown head. Aroma of oak, molasses, fusel, roast malts and red wine. Sweet flavour, distinct notes of roast malts, oak and red wine. Warming mouthfeel.

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

Sample from keg, courtesy of the brewery. Amber colour, moderate head. Distinct aroma and flavour of Citra hops, with the expected notes of citrus fruit, but also more complexity and better balance than you expect from a single hop ale. Nøgne Ø should make this a permanent brew IMO.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 3

330 ml bottle, from Bris Ølutsalg, Jørpeland. 15 IBU. Very pale yellow colour, large white head. Aroma of DMS and lime. Very thin mouthfeel, but refreshing, mainly due to the notes of lime. Some less pleasant DMS and grainy notes in the background.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Stuten, unpasteurised first brew (later brews will be pasteurised), sample at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Impressive appearance - pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Roasty aroma with strong notes of coffee. Roasty dry flavour, notes of coffee and dark chocolate. Fairly bitter finish with some resinous notes. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, as expected, but this is by far the best n/a beer I’ve ever tasted.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #100, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%, 26 P, 50 IBU. Very dark brown colour, nearly black, with a moderate but lasting tan head. Aroma of salt water, tar, smoke and some coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. Excellent flavour, lots of chewey malty sweetness, roasted notes, coffee, tar, some liquorice, pine needles, salty finish, noticeable hops with just the right bitterness. Very well balanced. Another great achievement from Nøgne Ø.

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

250 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%, 50 IBU. Very dark brown cloudy colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Intense and complex aroma, bourbon, oak and vanilla, but also smoke, bonfires, salt water, old rope, tar, coffee and liquorice. The flavour is salty and distinctly smokey, with notes of liquorice and roasted malts. Medium sweet, the bourbon and vanilla notes from the barrel blend in nicely.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger (only 1 keg available there, I’m afraid). Cloudy orange-brown colour, large and creamy beige head. Sweetish fruity and vegetal aroma (the pumpkins, I assume), also notes of piney American hops. Effervescent mouthfeel. The flavour is fruity with notes of pumpkins, but is not too sweet. Spicy notes too, decent American hops throughout. Very drinkable.

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

250 ml(?) bottles, courtesy of the brewery, on a couple of occasions. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Nice aroma of sweet malts, sweetened coffee, dark dried fruits and oak. Alcohol is noticeable. The flavour is very roasty, very malty and rich, and very sweet - but not too sweet, after all. This is a real treat for any beer lover with a "sweet tooth".

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

330 ml bottle, from SPAR Jørpeland. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 20. Overcarbonated, my slim pilsener glass fills completely by white (or slightly off-white) foam, a hazy and brownish-golden beer appears only very slowly. Unusual aroma of tea and lemon juice. Fizzy and citric mouthfeel. Dry and weird herbal flavour of tea, hints of lemon rind. One of the least successful beers I've had from Nøgne Ø.

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

750 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Swing the Cat Sour Cherry Reserve, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%, IBU 10. Dark red to purple colour, large but shortlived pink head. Aroma and flavour of sour cherries, brettanomyces, red wine and oak. Fairly nice.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with tangerine concentrate and Cascade as single hop variety. Hazy orange to amber colour, low head. Lovely aroma of tangerine and Cascade hops. Zesty and very fruity flavour, distinct notes of tangerine. Moderate grapefruity bitterness in the aftertaste.

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

Nov. 2020: 500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%, IBU 30. Very cloudy straw colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of citrus, hints of tropical fruits. Sweet flavour (too sweet), notes of said fruits and pine, seems strangely unbalanced, fairly bitter finish. I am not convinced that this "raw" idea is the way to go for Nøgne Ø. Won't buy again.