Saison - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

tmoneyba

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Crown #19.

Poured hazy orange color with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasting with excellent lacing. Moderate yeasty spice and fruit aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy sweet&sour citrus flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate to long duration.

Solid refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2008 13:23:58 | More by tmoneyba

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle bought online from The Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam..

Poured a nice light golden orange colour with a slight haze. White head poured pretty big, thick and fluffy with a pock marked topping then faded slowly to patchy covering... quite a lot of carbonation rushes to the surface... some good patchy lacing...

Aroma - Nice light toasted biscuit malts, spicy tart fruits (apples, pears, light lemon zest), grassy, hay notes, light nuttiness, metallic notes, quite floral, some talcum powder, quite yeasty, light caramel sweetness, faint rubbery hints...

Taste - Quite a lot of spicy yeastiness, tart (also overripe?) fruits (apples, pears, light grapefruits), slight vegetal notes, metallic, some chalkiness, salty notes, light toasted biscuit malts, bready, light floral honey sweetness, faint caramel, grassy hops...

Feel - Pretty sharp and dry... Light body... Very quaffable...

Overall - A pretty good saison. A few off notes but certainly worth a try...

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2009 09:28:55 | More by mdagnew

katan

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml into a pint

A - Pours a light golden straw color - frothy head that sticks to the side of the glass, lots of lacing.

S - Lots of white pepper spice, a little bit of a grainy background. Very strong. A little bit of citrus/fruitiness sneaks through.

T - Starts off with a peppery edge, a some sharp graininess sits in the background - almost like a rye bite. Mid-stream gets more bitter, as well as some funky and lightly sour citrus notes. Finishes mostly clean, just a bit of malt sweetness.

M - Moderate to light body, stronger carbonation. A bit of a stingy finish due to the carbonation. No alcohol warmth detected.

O/D - A very good Saison- Nogne O recreates the best parts of a saison. A workable ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 21:47:37 | More by katan

brendan13

Australia

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured into a tulip glass a hazy dark golden colour with a few centimetres of white fluffy head that falls away fairly quickly.
S - Smell is belgian yeast spicy phenols, along with some sharp lemon and orange citrus fruit hints and a floral/herbal note.
T - Spicy phenolic also in the taste with some citrus fruitiness and floral hints coming through as well. A bit of a grainy sweetness and touches of wheat.
M - Higher side of light bodied, fairly high carbonation. Could be a touch drier.
D - A tasty enough Saison. I would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 08:22:50 | More by brendan13

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Is it ok if I start putting a slash through all my o's? Pours a mostly cloudy straw colored to lemony yellow hue. Some sediment on the bottom but kept most of it out. A soft white head that is very solid. Did hide eventually to the side of the glass and lasted through the full tasting. Good lacing as well.

The nose is light for a saison but some good notes in there. A soft malt aroma with a noticeable wheat aroma. Some minor bready and salty notes as well. Some fruity notes, oranges, cherries, figs and a herbal lemon balm note. Some light pepper aromas. Some minor stale aromas as well. A bit hoppy for style but ok.

The taste is more on balance. The malt comes out a bit more with more of a malty base. Some bready and biscuit notes, but limited wheaty notes. A bit sweet for style but ok. The yeast is bit light but still having some fruity characteristics. The lemon really comes out more with a slight orange and herbal flavor. Some very light buttery notes but very light. Some hints of Belgium yeast character but would really like more esters and yeast character. The hops come out and enhance the herbal quality.

The body is moderate and has a lingering sweetness. Would like a bit cleaner finish but ok. Carbonation is a bit light and could help out. Overall there are some good notes and some minor off notes. I would have liked more yeast character to come out but what did come out was nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 22:33:31 | More by Oxymoron

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.18/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance is hazy golden yellow with a creamy white head and plenty of lacing.

Aroma is sweet candy sugar with generous lemon and banana. Spices come on strong with a good bit of coriander.

Taste is surprisingly mild compared to the nose. Where did all the flavor go? Some sweet malt, lemon zest, and vague yeasty spice.

Mouthfeel is soft and creamy.

I don't get it. It looks and smells really good, but the flavor is so mild. I won't bother with this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 22:07:06 | More by Blakaeris

froghop

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a cloudy yellow-orange with a medium size white fluffy head, and good lacing.

smell is of citrus, musty, hay, some malt, and yeast.

taste is smooth, citrus, a little fruit, some bread yeast, some sour, and apricot, ends a little sour.

overall a very nice saison.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 15:03:27 | More by froghop

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. no date found. poured into tulip.

golden straw color with orange tones. hazy. nice head stays around and eventually fades to wispy layer. good lace.

moderate barn and farm funk at first whiff, but gives way to peach juice and white grape fruitiness. grassy hop with hint of citrus. bready yeast and funk in the end.

flavor has hoppy resins jumping out at the start, meeting the funk note, then fades out for toasty malts to peek through, then back to funk, esters, and gentle phenols with hint of pepper. moderate bitterness, fluctuates and continues to a grassy, pleasantly funky finish, with a twinge of acidity beforehand.

smooth, with faint resins in the finish. moderate carbonation with crisp liveliness and fluffy on the tongue.

a bit pricey per oz or cl of fluid, but still nice. funkiness is perhaps more than average, and may hamper drinkability slightly, but still stays pleasant and complimentary.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2009 23:47:44 | More by tai4ji2x

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into red wine glass.

Pours a cloudy orange-gold, shades of peach, with a fluffy white head that dissolves into a soapy layer.

Nose is nice - lemon, apricot, a hint of smooth vanilla, yeasty, some grassy hops underneath.

Taste starts off with a beautiful spicy, peppery yeast note, doughy sweet but with notes of apricot, moving to some crisp lemony citrus notes over a grassy, moderately bitter hop note. So fresh tasting. Finish is long, peppery, grassy, mildly bitter, doughy yeast towards the tail end. Exhales bring up some light vanilla and tropical fruit from the yeast. Fantastic beer.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a light but active carbonation suiting the flavors well.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 20:09:06 | More by JohnQVegas

jampics2

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A bottle shared at Arp's. Madness seems to have occurred when this bottle was opened towards the end of the tasting. There was screaming, beer being spit and spilled, and general chaos.

Appears a cloudy straw color. Decent head retention. Nice lacing.

Yeasty esters in the nose. A bit of basement musk, not farmhouse per say. Perhaps a bit of spice - just a Belgian earthy aroma. Touch of earthy hops.

Too much dryness VS sweetness. A bit of hay taste to the wheat, pepper, Belgian candy sugar, and cardamon. Very light hoppiness makes an appearance before the moisture is sucked out of my mouth. I found this just too dry after the initial sweetness. I know the finish should count for mouthfeel more than taste, but it really distracted from what I though could have been a better flavor progression. No brett or horseblanket, and the funk from the nose doesn't really come out in the taste.

Mouthfeel was average. Carb was too low and too dry.

Drinkability was slightly above average just because it seemed to disappear quickly. Madness around me, but none in my glass.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2010 20:27:19 | More by jampics2

aforbes10

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

bottle from city wide in south bend. Pours a grapefruit-juice yellow-orange with a short white head. A cloudy beer, laces slowly and unevenly. Smells surprisingly funky (i admit to having read some of the reviews in advance and noticing a complaint about lack of funk - not a requirement for saison, by the way). Citrusy hops with a soured malt backbone on the nose too. Yeah, definitely some monkey-funk smell. Taste is a bit unblanced, with part of the beer wanting to go with a hop forward lighter saison direction, and the other half wanting to be a funky malty or wheaty explosion. It almost achieves a sort of orange zest and horse shed medium but it doesnt quite pull it off. Still, it has some good qualities. I like the citrus flavor and the mild tang. I just think it could have a bit more of a spiciness or something to bring everything together.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2008 23:00:46 | More by aforbes10

GreenCard

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pale straw, quite hazy, nice layer of tight-beaded white froth, good head retention

Aroma: orange peel, coriander, chamomile, canned pineapple, blossom honey

Flavor: dry malt profile with a tangy edge; melange of orange peel, coriander, chamomile, and grapefruit rind bitterness; finishes dryish with a lingering acerbic bitterness

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, fluffy carbonation, soft texture, slightly astringent

Other comments: It's amazing how much spice can be churned out by the yeast. There are no added spices, yet those flavors and aromas are there.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 15:10:50 | More by GreenCard

soupyman10

District of Columbia

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This one's either not that good, or slightly skunked. Or both (for $9, I'm not pleased). Medium white head over a yellow-orange colored beer that's slightly opaque. Bubbles dissolve down quickly leaving a very fine film on top. No lacing. Nose is citrus and skunk. Flavor is some mild citrus, malt, wheat, yeast, and skunkiness. This one is really disappointing. I don't get it either...brown bottle, no apparent issues. I'm pissed.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 19:18:55 | More by soupyman10

IBUnit63

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From mini-bomber into NBS mug to kick off the race and the continued Euro-taint of the 24...

Cloudy honey/white grapefruit yellow. Active carbonation, thin sudsy head. I'd say it was a 4 'cause it's a little different but I gotta admit - it looks a little too much like something I'd leave at the doctor's office.

Yeasty amd nice, austere (piney?) hops. Orange and coriander aroma is well-distributed with some citrusy (grapefruit?) bitterness.

Clean-tasting balance of orange, vanilla and a little pine. Alcohol is way in the background - slight sourness to yeast. Very pleasant.

This hits the mouth more flat than preferred or expected from the visible carbonation. Tanginess adds the desired palate spike.

Definitely enjoyable for a sessionable offering - based on serving temperature would prefer to serve a little colder than usual. Nice stuff!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 10:44:50 | More by IBUnit63

Sigmund

Norway

3.6/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

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.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2006 21:18:23 | More by Sigmund

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark golden color with a slight haze. small creamy white head. Minor lacing left behind.

S - Sweet malt, yeasty fruit esters, pears, apples, and lemon, grassy, mild clove, herbal skunk-like aroma. Dried bananas and doughy bread come out as it warms.

T - Sweet and fruity upfront with apple sauce, pears, lemons and oranges but a chalky dryness flows over the palate quickly bringing down the sweetness. Grassy hops start mid palate along with damp hay creating a musky semi-dry finish. A citrus tartness is left behind on the aftertaste.

M - Fuller body for the style, moderate and tight carbonation.

A nice touch on the style, but very close to a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. The citrus zest helps pick up from the sweet malt. Heavier body but still a tight foamy feel creating the sense of lightness. Letting it warm really brigs out a raw doughy character in the aroma. I really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 00:24:04 | More by StaveHooks

stephens101

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fizzy off-white head that slowly diminishes. A thin sheet of nearly unbroken lace is left in its wake. Color is a murky yellow orange. Smells of lemon, grapefruit, rind and herbs. Has a finishing floral essence that consummates the piquant nose. Tastes sweet and grainy with a plentiful funk, herbal hops, a splash of citrus, taffy and and grass. Medium bodied and crisp; might I say refreshing? I'm thoroughly enjoying the complex palate on this easy drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 21:45:34 | More by stephens101

eric5bellies

Australia

3.7/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drank on tap at Sail & Anchor, Fremantle 21st Feb 2011.

A - Pours a glowing hazey golden colour, not unlike some Belgian wit beers.

S - Sweet sugars, citrus and spice, not unlike a wit beer either.

T - Lemon zest, coriander, some sweet malts and a little yeast. Not unlike a wit beer again.

M - Low carbonation and medium body.

D - This is a very good wit beer, but a Saison it is not.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 07:04:34 | More by eric5bellies

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yellow to orange coloured beer with a cloudy appearance and a big, foamy white head at the top that has great retention and lacing.

Citrus fruits, lemon and orange zest dominate the smell of this one along with some grain and yeast. The smell is light, summery and refreshing with a touch of lemongrass and spice to it as well.

A refreshing, summer time beer with good yeast and citrus fruits flavours including the lemon and orange from the smell. There is also a little pinneapple and perhaps some berries along with a tiny amount of grain and an almost wheat like taste.

Medium and smooth with a citrus tang to it and a sweet bitterness through the middle. The finish is crisp, slightly sour and very dry.

Light and fruity, this one is a great summer time beer with some good citrus flavours and a very crisp yet refreshing feel to it. This wasa beer I had been looking forward to for some time and it didn't disappoint.

1001 Beers Blog: http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 08:50:39 | More by flyingpig

heygeebee

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one finger dense white head, good lacing, over a cloudy golden straw body. Looks the biz.

Aromas of sherbert, barnyard funk, wet blanket.

Taste is somewhat less than the smell. The hop bitterness almost overtakes the yeasty sherbety elements. Not as sour or as tangy as could be. Hides the 6.5 well.

Mouthfeel creamy. Somewhat at odds with the tart flavours

Overall. not as zesty as I would have liked given price and Nogne O profile. Don't get me wrong not a bad beer, just not a great one.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 07:45:09 | More by heygeebee

joecast

Australia

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a massive head. Good retention / lacing. Cloudy golden. High carbonation. Plenty of sediment ends up in the glass after the last pour.

Restrained yet complex aroma. Not too much "farmhouse", but some nice yeast and sweet malt character. Don't know if this is spiced but there could be some floral hops there.

Taste is seriously well balanced. The evenness of the malt, yeast, acidity, bitterness etc is sublime.

The only gripe I have about this is how true to style it is. I am very new to saison but would expect this to be slightly dryer or at least less sweet and maybe more of that farmhouse character. Obviously this may upset the current balance of the beer but being a hop head it's not the first time I would have thought balance was overrated. Not to take away how well made this beer is.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 07:29:37 | More by joecast

Murchmac

California

3.13/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was pinched on the bus today for not wearing green and then the woman began to argue with me. I'd like to pinch this beer for not overwhelming me.

Everything you'd expect from a saison with color and smell. It was a little too cloudy for me.

Taste could have been good, what you would expect from a saison, a little too metallic and sour for me.

To top the day off, I went to McDonalds and they were out of shamrock shakes. Like my day, everything you would expect, but just not that good.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2009 04:05:16 | More by Murchmac

Beerenauslese

California

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This has been in my cellar a year. Not really intentional, just a lost sheep.

Body is translucent gold, with a good half inch sudsy white head. Good head retention, leaves small clouds of lacing on the glass.

Smells of tropical fruits, sweetness, and coriander spice.

Tastes of tropical fruits, oranges, and a bit of Belgian yeast funk. Dry finish with fruity hops and maybe some coriander.

Body is medium and lively carbonation gives this a creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, this tastes more like a tripel than a saison, it has loads more orange fruit flavor than one would expect in a typical saison, and is enhanced by the East Kent Golding hops. But then a Norwegian craft brewer doesn't really need to heel to Belgian/French traditions. The result is still a pretty good and refreshing beer regardless, even though it has been cellared a year.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 03:39:04 | More by Beerenauslese

theboozecruise

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up at Calandro's in BR, and poured into a goblet. IRS a hazy deep golden color as expected from the style. About a finger of head in the goblet with good retention and really good lacing.

A good Saison aroma as well, floral with some honey notes and a little bit of sour funk.

The taste is more of the same with the floral hop notes coming through the strongest. The honey is a little faint and the funk fades into the background a good bit as well. Nothing wrong though, it's a very nice beer.

Really well done, a good example of the style. "Good" across the board on this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 21:32:08 | More by theboozecruise

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16.9oz bottle poured into an Allagash cervoise.

A - Pours a hazy, yet somewhat clear (as it settles) straw yellow, fairly pale but not too atypical for the style. A 1.5-finger, ivory head slowly builds, reaches a crescendo, then gradually fades away, but not without leaving a foamy cap in its wake. A nice amount of lace settles on the edges, with multiple peaks, but it fatefully recedes back into the liquid after several seconds.

S - The nose is rather crisp and refreshing, bringing a strong amount of yeast and esthers. After this, it's nearly all fruit-based, as lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits dominate. There's a little bit of spiciness and lemongrass, but not to the extent of other saisons I've had.

T - The taste tells two different stories for me. Right away, I feel a little underwhelmed as it definitely doesn't bring the complexity that others do and the flavors don't exactly have the longest finish. That being said, what is in this beer is executed very nicely. The fruits and hops work in tandem perfectly to refresh the palate, but also give it an edge. The yeast is actually one of the more prominent features here, giving the beer a different profile than what I was expecting.

M - Mouthfeel is light-bodied with lowish carbonation for the style. Although not as zesty, this beer does have the bone-dry finish that I love in saisons.

D/O - Drinkability is moderate. After drawing initial impressions, I swirled the rest of the yeast from the bottle into this to see how it would change. Besides the obviously cloudiness in the appearance, there wasn't a whole lot of difference, but I would probably recommend it for this bottle. This isn't the most complex saison, but it is pretty solid nonetheless. However, given the price, I would've hoped for something a bit more differentiated.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 04:25:35 | More by nhindian