Pale Ale - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

Westsidethreat

California

3.38/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My first of five Nogne's that I'll be reviewing courtesy of Himerman. Thanks again dude, great box you sent.

A: Sort of a strawberry toffee color with some haze to it. Head is full on in charge of the situation. Appears to have a good creamy texture and a honey whipped butter color to it.

S: Cedar planks, play-doh, watery grapefruit and a hint of soap.

T: Starts off with malty red apples and cantelope. Has a brisk Liptons tea quality to it. Moves towards a bready profile with herbal tendencies. As the dough tastes fade, the hop bitterness gears up and fades into an earthy and dirty personality. Surprisingly enough, I feel like I can actually taste the alcohol, even at a respectable 5.9%. Finishes slightly metallic and quite bitter.

M: Medium body with a really fluffy carbonation.

D: This beer didn’t really work for me. I think I get irked but pale ales or IPA’s that don’t use west coast hops, they just seem boring to me. There is nothing wrong with this beer and is actually quite enjoyable, but when I get that much bitterness I like to have a hop resume that matches it.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2007 05:01:06 | More by Westsidethreat

Ego

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

eyes...
amply carbonated, soapy white head, craggy, nice burnt orange huegood lacing roll.. a nice looking beer for the style.

nose...
carmelized smelling hops, definite sweetness to this one, a slight chemical smell is in there also, not bad.

taste etc...
light to medium body. like in the nose somehow the hops flavor/bittering tastes a bit chemical, decent bitterness and decent malt presence, the carbonation is ok as well, pretty easy drinking but the way this is bittered is bothering me.

verdict?
so far my least fave from this brewery. not bad, but not particularly good either.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2007 03:38:06 | More by Ego

Gavage

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: pours a hazy orange color with a 1 finger head that falls quickly. No significant lacing develops.

Smell: bread, caramel, and orange citrus are detectable and pleasant.

Taste: caramel, oranges, honey, and a mild bitterness are wrapped in a bready tone.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp and lightly dry throughout. Aftertaste is short as the flavors feel like they stick to the tongue. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: solid pale ale, kind of a blend of European and American styles. Worth giving this on a shot.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2007 16:51:20 | More by Gavage

GbVDave

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16.9oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint.

A: Pours the color of honey. Tight one finger head that melts into a faint skim. Minor lacing. Bottle conditioning = suspended sediment.

S: Grapefruit and citrus with a touch of sweet, bready malt. Floral hoppiness, too.

T: Bitter grapefruit hops balanced by flavors of baked bread and caramel malt. Centennial hops bust out of this and smack your tongue around. The bitter and hoppy finish lasts forever. The finish starts off peppery and becomes tangy. Delicious.

M: Dry and quite bitter, yet full and coating. Perfect for the style.

D: Very refreshing. Hoppy and bitter with a strong dose of citrus that's kissed by that wonderful lightly sweet and bready malt backbone. A fantastic APA!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2007 18:26:57 | More by GbVDave

bark

Sweden

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The colour is amber with a tint of orange; the liquid is somewhat cloudy (the beer is bottle conditioned, and some yeast is clearly visible at the bottom). The head is impressive; off white, semi-compact and very firm – it reached over one centimetre above the rim of the glass, then it sank down to a softer finger thick lid with a great crater and massive lacing. Really, really good!

The smell is powerful with a dominating note of sweet grapefruits, bitter oranges and mandarins. Somewhere in the background there are also notes of musk and some sweet malt.

The taste is bitter. No, the taste is fruity and very bitter. There are lots of bitter/sour citric notes, mostly grape fruit and bitter oranges. The malt stays in the background and the body is rather weak compared to all those hops making the taste just a little unbalanced. The long aftertaste goes in the same style with grapefruits, some white bread and a slowly growing sour note of lemon and a gentle sweetness.

The mouth feel is fresh with a subdued carbonation. Small bubbles.

This ale is very much like the beers I had from American micros a few years ago: “Let’s see, can we squeeze some more hops into this brew?”. At times, it felt more like drinking carbonated grape fruit juice than a beer. Don’t get me wrong: I really like hoppy and bitter beers, but this one was just… monotonous.

I hope their IPA is more in the British style.

After all, their catchphrase “The uncompromising brewery” isn’t just empty words.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2005 20:34:40 | More by bark