Porter - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. I just recently learned how to pronounce this brewery's name - dammit, I already forgot.

This beer pours a solid black, with very slight basal cola highlights, and three generous fingers of puffy, tightly foamy, and kind of creamy tan head, which leaves a few instances of sparse cloudlet lace around the glass as it lazily bleeds away.

It smells of bittersweet cafe au lait, medium dark chocolate, fairly acidic black fruit - prune and dried cherries, mostly - a hint of rye breadiness, and edgy herbal, musty hops. The taste is big, semi-sweet chocolate malt, with a decent dose of caramel and toffee, mild dry coffee, middling molasses and dried stone fruit, a hint of lactic acid, tremulous earthy hops, and a soft touch of warming alcohol.

The bubbles are a tad prickly, but not in any serious manner, the body a hefty medium weight, and mostly smooth, but for a swirling, late-arriving frothiness. It finishes on the sweet side, the chocolate malt, milk-bolstered coffee, and caramel malt overmatching anything the hops or booze can throw at it.

A pleasurable enough version of the style, amped up to near imperial ABV levels, but you'd hardly know otherwise. Tasty, chocolatey, subtly milky, and offset by a perky fruitiness. Old World meet newish-Old World interpretation. Cool, I suppose.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 03:15:15 | More by biboergosum

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.69/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

500ml bottle poured into tulip 11/4/13

A dark brown with enough clarity to see nearly half way across the glass under the bubbles, a loose two finger head hangs around for a couple sips but leaves no lace

S cold coffee and a slight nutty aspect, faint coco, milk chocolate, prune and plum with some earthy herbal hops and something I can't quite place, almost like a wild yeast but not funky or off just different, its just lacking a little intensity

T more cold coffee and a little hard toffee I didn't smell, still nutty with some more of that interesting yeast profile that I just can't place

M thin for the color but well carbonated, a little slick almost slimy after the fact but it doesn't hurt or help its cause, nutty coco on the finish

O decent beer but considering how much I've been loving this brewery its almost a miss with their standards, its just smells and tastes a little toned down for a 7% Porter I expect just a little more sass

I had very high expectations for this one after falling in love with some of these guys dark monsters, respectable beer but I doubt I'd buy another when it's beside their Imperial Stout on the shelf

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 07:15:57 | More by wordemupg

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brew Date: 04.07.12
Best Before: 04.07.16
Batch #832

A - Poured dark brown and settled black with a massive amount of light brown head. Carbonation appears very high.

S - Huge bitter roast aroma with smoke and some sweet molasses.

T - Bitter roast with smoke, licorice and some sweet brown sugar.

M - Medium body with moderate to high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:29:12 | More by TheSevenDuffs

pants678

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Doesn't pour black, it has red edges and a beige head.

Not much smell, little bit of the darker malts but not the alcohol.

Just the right hop presence that keeps this from being a stout or milkshake. Still not a hint of the alcohol but strong, potent malt body. There's some coffee notes and a little raisiny, surprisingly not much in the way of chocolate. More a beer than anything, not leaning on additives.

Thick but not stout thick. The hops give a crisp quality that gives it more of a porter feel.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:26:58 | More by pants678

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Appearance: overflowing with froth, like a bubble bath, may be over-carbonated; dark, coffee brown; cappuccino head

Aroma: next to nothing - smells flat which is ironic; later, like water with a hint of coffee roast

Taste & Mouthfeel: over-carbonated, and this is adding a metallic, aluminium flavour that really overshadows everything; some hints of chocolate, but not a lot of complexity; once the head (finally) dies down, the roasted flavours are allowed to shine and the mouthfeel becomes smoother, but it's still no too exciting

Overall: feel like potential is there, and maybe something happened in transport to cause the negative attributes of the beer; it does get better in the end, but never great

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:49:53 | More by BGDrock

beerdrifter

Germany

4.19/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Very dark brown, almost black pour with a one and a half finger caramel colored head with decent retention and great lacing. Earthy roastiness in the nose with a subtle sweetness along with hints of dark chocolate, coffee, and a touch of vanilla. The taste follows suit with lots of sweet roasty malt and coffee/espresso up front, followed by hints of dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and just a touch of figs and licorice. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth with very little carbonation and a real nice balance between the sweet malts and bitter hops. Overall this is a very rich and drinkable Porter. An excellent example of the style and yet another winner from Nøgne Ø.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 17:35:03 | More by beerdrifter

irishkyle21

Ontario (Canada)

4.36/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I was really pleased with this Porter from Nøgne Ø. Pours with a lively brownish head that foams up every time I add a little more beer to the glasse. Very dark in color, almost black.

Smells of chocolate, toasted malts and molasses. Every wiff brings more of the beers character to life.

After the first taste I had lots of chocolate and espresso. As I kept drinking the molasses came through. Wonderful beer and I'm glad I was able to try cause its drinking very well now.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 05:33:30 | More by irishkyle21

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nearly jet black, 1.5 fingers of tan hed, thick with lots of lace. Smell is tons of roasted malts follwed by lots of dark chocolate, well hopped, coffee and light liquorice as well, more bittersweet chocolate and a hint of smoke/char. Taste is initially big and roasty, lots of malt with some milk and dark chocolate, medium hop bitterness, black liquorice with a roasty-coffee finish. Medium carbonation, prickly, medium body. Really solid porter, the only way this would be better is if it had a more robust feel to match the big robust flavours, something I would gladly revisit.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 14:53:42 | More by peensteen

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.19/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; bottled on July 4 2012. I picked up a few Nøgne Ø brews in London, ON last month and have been itching to try them ever since. Served only slightly chilled, and poured into a snifter.

Pours black as night - totally opaque, and topped at first with two fingers of creamy, frothy, light tan-coloured head. Retention is ok - it takes more than a few minutes to give up the ghost, eventually leaving behind a thin, smooth, foamy cap at the surface, and a thick coat of lacing on the glass. The aroma is rich and enticing with a clear focus on roasted malts - dark chocolate, molasses, espresso, prunes and raisins first come to mind, with hints of vanilla. Very earthy with just the right amount of sweetness; I just love the smell of this stuff.

Good, mild, balanced flavour that improves substantially as it warms a bit. As expected there is plenty of roasted malt character - baker's chocolate and spent coffee grounds are fairly prominent, with some molasses sweetness and raisin notes. The finish is earthy with prominent coffee bean flavours, giving it a thoroughly pleasing bittersweet tone that lingers well into the aftertaste. The alcohol was detectable in the finish at first (I probably served this a bit too cold), but with warmth it becomes more of a welcome presence than a distraction. Medium-bodied and quite creamy - thicker than a lot of the more traditional English porters I've had, but with too much carbonation - my only real complaint about this stuff. It's pretty drinkable considering the abv, but too tasty for me to want to quaff quickly.

Final Grade: 4.19, a very respectable A-. Nøgne Ø's Porter is considerably more creative than the name implies. At 7% I'm more inclined to consider this a lighter 'imperial porter' than a true English porter, but I'm not about to split hairs over it - the point to take home here is that this is a balanced, fairly complex dark ale with a delicious bittersweet flavour profile that I absolutely loved. A fabulous brew that is well worth sampling, and a great way to strike Norway from my aptly-named 'countries to sample beer from' list.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 00:52:44 | More by thehyperduck

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

(4.0) A: Pitch black with a very tall mocha coloured creamy foam head. Long lasting retention and satisfactory lacing.

(3.5) S: Cocoa, caramel, vanilla, herbal qualities, banana, and a bit of orchard fruit including crisp pear. Nice variety of aroma and enticing.

(4.0) T: Dark cocoa and caramel sweetness cut with an appealing herbal bitterness. Ripe banana and pear tastes probe through with a slight burnt/smoky finish. Alcohol, albeit not terribly strong, is well hidden.

(4.5) M: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Velvety with a semi-oily texture that’s relatively clean and sharp. A bit heavier for a porter but you won't hear any complaining from me.

(4.0) D: A very tasty porter that showcases good fruit flavours and solid herbal qualities, and one I would pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 02:18:32 | More by Digimaika2

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL bottle, part of the winter LCBO brewery release.

Poured into a nonic glass. Dark and thick as it should be, with a thick, sturdy head of off white foam. Great lacing. Stellar-looking porter.

Nose is rich and roasty, with some vanilla sweetness and some dark fruit (currant or blackberry). Some dry chocolate as well.

If well-roasted, slightly dry porters are your thing, you are in for a treat here. The bitterness of the roasted malt really dominates the brew, but it has company in the form of that dark fruit and lingering sweet vanilla. Long bitter finish, dry, and with a touch of hops. Very nice, hearty brew. Somewhat thick, not so much so that it enters into stout territory, but it's close. Feels like a porter - creamy, medium bodied, light carbonation.

Picks right up where the imperial stout left off last year. Very dependable porter, highly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:55:48 | More by JohnnyBarman

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled July 4, 2012

Beer is black with a good-sized tan head. Good retention. Nice lace.

Nose contains a good dose of vanilla, along with roasted malt and cocoa. Some fruit scents, but hard for me to pick individual fruits. Dark fruit and/or berry.

Taste contains roasted malt, vanilla, chocolate. Some coffee. A bit of dark fruit and berry, but pretty restrained. Classic flavours but very nice.

Medium bodied, low to moderate carbonation. Smooth.

Overall, a very nice porter. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 02:27:37 | More by jrenihan

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A dark brown, medium-smooth drinking, straight-up (UK/USA-style) porter. Coffee-colored foam releases a soft, smooth, slightly bitter-roasty chocolaty scent. Not much depth. The taste, which doesn't seem like it quite melds together harmoniously, is little else but bittersweet chocolate and light-sweet granola/cereal with a strange "olive" thing going on in the background of the finish (tasted something similar in the Cisco Porter). Is it age? Malt? Water chemistry? Whatever it is, it doesn't linger too long. There's a pleasing, clean brightness to the mouthfeel, but enough of a round malt presence which offsets or balances with the roasty flavors and a mild residual silkiness.

When I give it good, quick thought - it tastes like an extra-chocolaty, sweeter, less-boozy Baltic Porter - straight up. Pretty solid. Nothing remarkable. I could see trying this again though.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2012 00:56:40 | More by Bouleboubier

Greywulfken

New York

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: black body with big tan head of seafoam

S: bitter black coffee and malt

T: chocolate malts, bitter espresso, brighter woodsy flavors

M: light on the tongue, with bitter darkness and carbonation sizzle

O: I knew I'd like this beer - I've been diggin' on Fuller's London Porter and also a fan of Founder's Porter (though that's not an English porter) - if you like either of the aforementioned, this is a winner. Of course they're all porters, so they have similar profiles, but none of them taste like the others. This was a crisp, almost American black ale-tasting porter - but sweeter and creamier than an ABA.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 03:11:39 | More by Greywulfken

IPA35

Netherlands

4.45/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brewed at: 26-06-2011, batch Nr. 648

A dark brown beer, almost black in the glass. A huge tan head that sinks into itself slowely. Very rocky, almost German. Lots of visible carbonation at the bottom.

Smells wonderful, big dark fruits in this one, big dried prunes/plums and raisins. Reminds me of prune/plum jam. Roasted malts are hidden beneath the layer of fruit. Some hops, and maybe a tiny hint of smoke.

Very rich flavour for a porter, big dark fruits, vanilla, roast, hints of coffee. Quite alot of roast for a porter. Nice.

Medium mouthfeel with quite alot of carbonation.

Very nice porter but if they labeled it as a stout I'd believe them.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 16:05:49 | More by IPA35

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle at a cafe in Bergen, Norway. Pour is amazingly dark brown with a good tan head. Complex aroma of coffee, roasted malt, spice, and hints of vanilla and fig. Taste is so similar to smell; roasted malted coffe and spice vanilla, fig, and chocolate complex flavors. The flavor of this porter is seemingly limitless. So drinkable, smooth, and full of flavors. Its thick on the tongue and lingering.
A fantastic, if not one of my new favorite english porters.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 15:55:12 | More by DrinkSlurm

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a jet black color with a one finger crème brulee colored head that settled pretty quickly. After swirling the beer around in the glass, lacing appears to be excellent. A great looking brew.

S: Sweet. Raisons, chocolate, coffee. A molasses type of chewiness massages my nostrils.

T: Black cherries, currants, dark chocolate, roasted malt. Only slight hop bite. Finishes with a chocolaty coffee tartness.

M: Carbonation is delicate, great residual flavor after each sip is gone.

O: I was blown away by the intricacies of the flavors in this porter. Underrated in my opinion, this Norwegian brew delivers.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 22:24:08 | More by cooler4life

metter98

New York

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color—traces of amber are visible near the edges of the glass when it is held up to the light. It poured with a half finger high dense tan head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: There are aromas of roasted malts and licorice in the smell.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has flavors of chocolate malts and bittersweet coffee. The licorice isn’t as noticeable in the taste. A slight amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied, very smooth and somewhat dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This porter goes down very easily but has enough interesting flavors to make it a beer that you can sip and savor.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 01:35:05 | More by metter98

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured pitch black in color from a 500 mL bottle, with ABV on the label.
One finger off-white colored head that dissipated very slowly. Very good head retention.
Aroma upfront is of dark chocolate malts, with a nice balance of dry fruits (dates like) sweetness and roasted coffee bitterness.
This is a delicious porter, slightly sweet up front that is balanced very well with subtle bitterness. A well-balanced and smooth porter that is very easy to drink.
Good drinkability and mouthfeel.
Overall, this is a very good, well-balanced smooth porter. A must-try beer for all porter lovers.
Definitely worth a try and comes highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 03:08:15 | More by CaptDavyJones

spamages

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle.

Aroma: Wonderful. Chocolaty, hints of raisin.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied

Taste: Slight fruity taste, hints of raisins. Noticeable chocolate flavor. Light bitterness on the backend.

Let this one warm up a bit. The full flavor/armoma isn't apparent until ~50 degrees.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 15:02:56 | More by spamages

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a 10 ounce glass at the Avenue in New Orleans. From notes. Reviewed 8 January 2012.

A: Almost opaque. Black. An impressive creamy-thick head with good lacing.

S: Chocolate. Roasted malt. Almost...smoky. Yum! Still, the scents are muted.

T/M: A damned excellent Porter. Everything you'd ever want...roasted chocolate malts produce the perfect bittersweetness. The bitterness even includes some hops. A nutty aftertaste. Thin (i.e., not heavy) with a mouthfeel that endures. The quintessential porter, but...uninteresting.

O: The perfect porter? Very traditional and very tasty. If you like porters, you must drink this. Still, my biggest complaint is that, even though this is an excellent archetypal porter, it's a tad boring/straightforward. Considering the price, I might not have again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 18:21:32 | More by AgentMunky

BrownNut

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Black. Loud fizzy head that dissipates down to a thin film in a few minutes. Not much enduring lacing.

S: Yeasty, mild roasty that mostly blends with and overshadows some bitter chocolate

T: Mild. Mild roasty. A little bitter that's more like a chocolate bitter than hop bitter. A tickle of tartness on the tip of the tongue.

M: Somewhat viscous, yet a little carbonate-y on the tongue. Pleasantly astringent on the gums.

O: This is a fairly mild, round beer, with a hint of carbonation zing on the tongue and a slightly astringent finish. If it were anyone else's, I'd call it pretty well done. Quality and no complaints. Compared to other Nogne O brews, however, it does not deliver the same sense of art. They set the bar pretty high. So I guess I'll have to give this a lowly "very good".

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 00:31:35 | More by BrownNut

doughanson78

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle poured into a snifter. First English Porter. Big thanks to russwbeck for this one.

A: Very black, no light getting through. Big two finger light brown head with awesome retention and good lacing.

S: Deep dark chocolate. Roasted malts. Touches of dark fruits and a hint of coffee. A touch sweet and a tad light.

T: Sweet chocolate upfront. Roasted malts and hints of smoke. Some light dark fruit notes. Finishes with some coffee and more dark chocolate. Tasty.

M: Thick and full for a porter. Medium high carbonaion. Pretty creamy.

O: Very good Porter. Not my favorite, but up there. Could drink this all the time.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 20:53:05 | More by doughanson78

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing whilst I enjoy a bottle poured into a German 0.4l handled glass (Ludde Brau).

Pours very dark brown to black, but not a 'full' black, whilst an average head remained throughout drinking dying off towards the end.

Smooth feel on the mouth when imbibing with a medium sweet, toffee, roasted, only a slight hint of coffee taste

Very pleasant aftertaste, slightly malty and slightly less sweet than the initial taste

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 16:23:54 | More by Ruds

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle, no bottle date. Pours very dark brown color with a small 1 finger dense tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lasts. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, roasted malt, bread, molasses, chocolate, and some dark fruits. Nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, toasted bread, light coffee, molasses, and a bit of dark fruits. Light amount of spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, toast, and molasses on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice and creamy mouthfeel that drinks very easily. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming on the finish. Overall this is a very nice and well rounded porter with robust flavor and good balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 03:02:18 | More by superspak