Sahti - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

dfillius

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass
A: Moderate pour yield 1 finger of fizzy off-white head with good retention. Hazy cloudy amber with chunks :-( When I poured remainder of bottle later on, lots of yeast came out with the rest of the bottle.
S: Apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar, slight sherry. Juniper maybe...but it's a stretch.
T: Honey is up front and lasts. Heat, some breadiness, not terribly herbal as I would expect a sahti to be. Juniper? Hard to stomach as it seems hodgepodge and vinegary. A jumbled braggot maybe. I'm wishing for the herbal character of a sahti! After this beer warmed it became much better, and was as follows: some roastiness/earthiness is apparent and probably from the roused yeast. Braggot characteristics meld and become quite nice for that style. Still not much of a sahti. Maybe it includes the ingredients, but not the flavor. Before it warmed, I was leaning towards 1.0. Now I brought it up to a 3.5.
M: Bright, tart, with chewiness. A little heat, but not much for an 11% beer.
O: Pretty good. I wouldn't order another or buy again, but I fairly enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 01:52:11 | More by dfillius

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Gusher upon opening. Pours very cloudy reddish orange color with a small 1 finger off white head with good retention, that reduces to a very thin cap. Some light spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big honey, grape, pepper, molasses, raisin, herbal, cherry, floral, citrus peel, and yeast spices. Beautiful aromas here with great balance and complexity. Taste of caramel, honey, molasses, pepper, grape, raisin, earth, herbal, floral, citrus peel, banana, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of caramel, molasses, herbal, floral, grape, pepper, and yeast spices on the finish for a while. Great balance of flavors; with absolutely no cloying at all. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very nice creamy, slick, and thick mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden at 11%, with only a warming after the finish noticed; definitely a slow sipper. Overall this is a great sahti! It felt a bit unbalanced at first; but it smoothed out as it reached room temperature. Really well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 01:40:27 | More by superspak

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 375ml bottle into a Bell's tulip.

A- pours a cloudy, golden with a 2 finger off-white head. Some lacing remains on the glass.

S- crazy sweet honey!

T- lots of honey upfront with some spices that follow.

M- medium body and carbonation. I had no idea this was 11%, very drinkable and mellow for the abv.

O- popped my sahti cherry I believe? Enjoyed this beer, and would not drink often I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 03:10:51 | More by kawilliams81

SLeffler27

New York

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This Sahti is syrupy thick and dark with light cloudiness and a half-inch fine white head that lasts a long time. Lacing forms a thick coating while the beer has legs.

The aroma is dominated by honey with some lemon and floral notes.

The flavor is interesting! Sweet with light malts, honey is clearly present with a light tartness just before a mild, bitter finish. The finish has a clear presence of juniper. Overall, this is reminiscent of a sweet white wine, but there is licorice with warmth.

The palate is slick and almost syrupy with a full body and surprisingly light alcohol. Carbonation is light an lively.

Consumed from a fisheye pint glass, this was a nice surprise, purchased purely out of curiosity, but well worth finding again. Sahti probably goes well with a rich meal, but was good on its own.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 13:21:18 | More by SLeffler27

bminor7

New York

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16.9 oz bottle from either hoosick or half time.

appearance - amber with some suspended detritus, ring of white foam. syrupy consistency.

nose - candi sugar, a little juniper

flavor - candi sugar, dark fruit. some funkiness. iron? no real hop flavor. This may be past its prime since the bottle has been in my posession for at least 2-3 years now.

m - heavy, sticky, but a nice wintertime treat.

overall - probably more interesting fresh. brings a lot of consistency and flavor. somethin like an imperial sahti?

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 21:39:53 | More by bminor7

Phocion

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a tulip. Solid finger of off-white frothy head sitting on medium, hazy, burnt orange body. Excellent retention and full, sticky lacing. Very nice looking beer.

Aroma is very full of spices. Honey is predominant, but wormwood, juniper, and spicy rye are all fully evident. Slightly sour yeastiness and caramel malts are also noticeable.

The complicated aroma does not translate quite as well into flavor. Very sweet and sour. Honey completely overwhelms and the only other things that are noticeable are a sharp alcohol flavor and the wormwood.

Medium-bodied and soft carbonation. Very smooth mouthfeel.

Overall, this was drinkable although a bit sweet, but fairly unremarkable and unmemorable. I generally try to rate with style in mind, but in the case of Sahti, I am completely clueless.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 20:13:33 | More by Phocion

dansmcd

Australia

1.93/5  rDev -50.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

A - Golden amber colour with two fingers of eggshell, creamy head with good retention. OK lace.

S - Very intense nose. And very unpleasant. There are the expected juniper twigs and dark berries (blackberries, raspberries) but as if they were totally covered in vomit. Like if my dog had been eating a bush and then followed it up with a meal of strong industrial cleaner and chucked it all up. Add a sweaty feet character and you have it.

T - Thankfully a lot more agreeable (if I hold my nose). Pine needle, honey, juniper, spice and some booze.

M - Quite tart and warming. Moderate carbonation, medium bodied.

O - Tough one to judge. I wanted to like this, but the smell had me dry retching. I just couldnt get past it so I had to drain pour about half and quickly open something else. I cannot see myself going for another sahti in the future, and certainly not this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 01:45:50 | More by dansmcd

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy golden amber with a puffy, thick whitish head. This ale appears very lively in the glass, almost turbulent. Easily one of the most active beers I've seen.

S: Very powerful and intense. The honey is extremely assertive, though caramel, rye, pine, juniper, and a faintly herbal, seaweedy note (presumably from the sea wormwood) can also be detected without much effort.

T: Opens sweet and silky with notes of honey, juniper berries, pine, spruce, rye, seaweed, caramel, and spicy, funky yeast. The finish is long and intoxicating with honey, juniper, pine, and caramel notes caught up in a veritable maelstrom of warming alcohol.

M: Medium-to-full in body, silky, smooth, and a bit resinous, this ale has a decidedly off-dry character. It is not all that drinkable, but then again a beer of this sort is not intended to be. In my opinion, this feels the way a sipping beer should.

O: This is the second real sahti I've had (Kataja Olut was the first), and I'm still intrigued by the possibilities of the style. This one is sweeter and a little stronger than most, but has an absolutely wonderful flavor. Definitely worth seeking out if you're into quirky, offbeat ales.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 23:10:09 | More by mrfrancis

nicoco184

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Chilled bottle, 1 pt 9 fl oz; poured into a tulip

Appearance: Bottle overflowed when opened from overactive carbonation. Initially poured with a thick head that thinned very quickly leaving a copper-brown liquid.

Smell: Honey scent is VERY present with a little bit of spice (clove, maybe?) and a mild scent of pine.

Taste: A hoppy-malt base, caramel, honey, earthiness, dark brown sugar, alcohol is present at the end

Mouthfeel: Prickily carbonation, sticky flavor

Overall: Nice honey brew and excellent complexity. While I appreciate everything that is going on in this beer, I'm not sure if this is something that I would open every night. Honey, for the most part, masks the incredible strength of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 23:36:20 | More by nicoco184

Risser09

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

1pt 9fl oz bottle poured into a tulip · fridge temp · probably 2011

Appearance: Golden orange colored beer to the point that it turns brown in the widest part of the glass. An aggressive head forms as the beer shows its carbonated vigor. A seemingly bubbly head sticks around for a minute and then recedes without any lace.

Smell: Awesome and powerful. Wow. How did they get this to smell like such a fresh collection of honey? Fresh honey, dense malt, herbal hops, and a tad bit of juniper in there too. Such an explosion of aromatics.

Taste: A solid base of malts that includes rye, is evident in this beer. Caramel, darkened cereal grain, caramelized honey, clove, and other spices persist. Still, there is a hop presence that is earthy, along with some booze to finish it off.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, boozy, smooth, but also very herbal and intriguing. It certainly has me engaged.

Drinkability: This was a phenomenal experience. Certainly a winner here that deserves lots of contemplation. A complex brew that dignifies old world brewing, upcoming craft breweries, and the inventive attitude that brings us there.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 03:45:05 | More by Risser09

rarbring

Sweden

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A clouded brown/orange brew with an off-white small head that leaves little lacing but good curtains.

The smell is very much honey, fresh honey, also heather, ripe fruits and sun warm forest.

The taste is sweet, fresh honey, with some bees wax left, juniper, ripe apples and a general fruitiness.

Little carbonation, soft and oily, a slightly dry finish.

Very nice honey brew, cloaks the alcohol damned well.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 15:29:03 | More by rarbring

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled shared by Zach and Steve, 500ml into a tulip - week 1 of the NFL season tasting.

Poured a murky amber with some brown in the body, minimal head which falls to a white collar - no lacing is left behind. Nose has some honey, cider-y qualities, notes of alcohol as well. Some herbal suggestions likely provided by the Juniper twigs and artemis maritima (not like I know what they actually smell like, although the bottle indicates they were employed in this brew...). Taste has bigger notes of honey, and spcing. Some alcohol, and is less cider-y than the nose suggested. Berries come in midway through the sip, and work with some light grape-y notes as well. Sweet all around with some brown sugar as well. Flavour is what I've been able to identify as suitable to the style, but doesn't feel as 'pungent' as DFH's Sah'tea. Slightly sticky feel, pretty full in the mouth. Some alcohol comes in at the end, but not at a strength like the 11% dictates.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 15:23:57 | More by liamt07

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured out as a nice medium brown color with some hazy to it. The head was pretty nice looking, white, thin and leaves a touch of lacing. The smell of the beer has a lot of things going on here. The Juniper is actually picked up on the nose which I like a lot, The other herbs in the mix really work well together to benefits this beer. The taste has a nice sweetness from the honey upfront which is followed up right away by many different herbal flavors. The mouthfeel of this beer is a slick and a little on the heavier side. Overall I really like it, I'd like to have it again someday.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 04:40:38 | More by Knapp85

Hachiman

Japan

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark honey-colored lightly cloudy brew with a half-cm snowy head. Decent lacing.

Smells gloriously of honey and something floral (the sea wormwood).

The taste is complex and pleasant the honey and malt sweetness are overlain with the spruce and the sea wormwood aromatics. A bit of bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Pleasantly substantial lightened somewhat by medium carbonation.

I enjoyed this, and it went well with a Five Guys grilled cheese and pomme frites.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 00:23:30 | More by Hachiman

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy orange golden with a somewhat slight head. Lots of honey in the aroma and a touch of woody herbalness. The taste also exhibits some nice honey notes up front, followed by a bitter juniper woodiness. The honey comes back and moderates the juniper a bit, but I don't get the feeling that the flavors are all that well integrated. Smooth and a bit waxy in the mouth, this seems a touch too thin to me. A decent Sahti, but I would have liked to have seen a more harmonious whole here.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 02:25:33 | More by Georgiabeer

dnrobert24

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not familiiar with this style, I am left to review the beer strictly as it stands on its own. Certainly, there is nothing to complain about in its appearance. Golden yellow with a white head. The smell is crazy--honey, honey, HONEY. I've not had a mead with as much honey aroma as this! No juniper or pine in there as I expected given the description of the style, but no fusel or other alcohol flavors either. At 11% this beer is ridiculously quaffable. The only drawback is the honey sweetness. Not sure I'd want a full bottle to myself, but I enjoyed my sample with some creamy goat cheese, which made the beer all the more enjoyable. I'd recommend this paired with with some rich creamy cheese or other fatty food to play off the sweetness. Interesting in its own right, I'd love to try some other sahtis to see how they compare.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 04:44:40 | More by dnrobert24

brotherloco

California

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. No date information.

A bit of a gusher when I opened it. I hate it when that happens with expensive beers.

Pours a very cloudy brownish orange. A good deal of floating sediment. A finger of foam settles to a smallish ring.

Smells like a baked fruit pie and apple cider. Juniper and pine, herbal bready malt, sweet honey.

Taste is sweet and soft, cinnamon, clove and fruit. Some rye spiciness. Sweet malty finish. ABV is incredibly well hidden.

Medium bodied with medium-low carbonation. Can't believe this thing gushed like it did and the carbonation doesn't feel very high.

A unique floral and perfum-y brew. Strikes me as a good dessert beverage.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 02:41:43 | More by brotherloco

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hazy orange pour with a creamy off-white head. Nice retention due to a steady stream of bubbles and decent lace. Pure honeycomb aroma and little else. Honey dominates the flavour. There's some herbal notes kicking around, but really it's the honey that comes through strongest. Very faint juniper notes, and a touch of wormwood in a herbal finish. Big warming mouthfeel, with some strong heat at the back of the throat. SLick with a smooth carbonation.

I wanted more juniper. A decent brew, but not what I expected for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 23:23:18 | More by bobsy

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Very hazy, cloudy orange-brown color. Very foamy, bubbly, medium sized, white head. Average retention leaving a thin, foamy lace.

S - Very interesting aroma with a strong spicy, herbal, floral aroma. Juniper, berry, and honeycomb also in there. A bit of a stale wheat and yeast aroma as well. There is a strong je ne sais quoi about this aroma.

T - Similar to the nose. Spicy, herbal, floral. Strong juniper and honey flavors. Spritzy spice and floral start with more of the sweet honey and berry/juniper on the finish. Some stale wheat and rye in the background and a touch of pepper spiciness on the finish.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Very smooth and creamy.

D - Not the easiest beer to drink, and nothing I would want on a regular basis, but a nice mix of spice, herbal, and floral flavors. Slightly sweet, alcoholy, and the other aspects mentioned.

Notes: My first sahti and it was interesting. Plenty of heather, honey, and juniper. I enjoyed it, but only as a "this is fun to try and drink" not a "I want this all the time" kind of beer. It does have a slight refreshing aspect though.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 04:19:41 | More by FreshHawk

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance:
The first thing noticeable about this beer is when the cap comes off...the beer starts flowing (regardless of whether or not you were prepared for it). The beer has a dark golden honey color with a thin white head and little lacing. There is also a tremendous amount of yeast sediment, more so than any other beer I've seen on the market (almost home-brew status)!!

Smell:
WOW, the beer is going to get some points in this category. There is a pungent honey comb overpowering this beer's nose. I would think this beer were actually a mead judging by the tremendous honey character and biting, 11% alcohol this beer presents.
However, it's hard to pick up on the other traditional "herbs" used in the brew and this is unfortunate.

Taste:
I'm glad that only part of the beer's aroma-therapeutic sweetness carried over into the flavor profile. I am able to experience more of the beer's fruity yeast and light herbal spice. The honey is still in full effect, definitely the spotlight.

Mouthfeel:
There is very little of the beer's strong alcohol content, I would have expected more. Also, the beer is more dense than I expected, almost syrupy from the coating sweetness of the honey. I am not entirely sure how I would go about pairing this beer, I think it falls into the dessert beer category given its immense sweetness.

Overall (drinkability):
This beer has a steep price tag, but is worth a try. I tried the DFH version of a sahti almost a year ago and never followed up with any other beers in its class. I feel that although this beer was delicious, I would rather pay the same price for the DFH version that comes in a larger bottle (better for sharing) and supports local brewers.

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 04:14:50 | More by ThePorterSorter

Duff27

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Two inch head atop cloudy amber beer. many big floaties. Good head retention and below average lacing.

S- Smells like honey, only stinky haha.

T- Initial taste is very sweet which is half expected due to all the unusual (for a beer) ingredients...I thought the hops would take a back seat. 11% alcohol is noticeable but not overpowering.

M- Good mouthfeel, fine carbonation.

D/O- Not being accustomed to the style I didn't know what to expect going in. I wasn't turned off by any means, it was just really sweet. I definitely would like to try others interpretations.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 03:03:12 | More by Duff27

yesyouam

New York

3.18/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Nøgne Ø Sahti is a cloudy, very lively, amber brew with a thick, soft, smooth, off white head that has outstanding retention and lacing It has a strong honey aroma. Yeah, just honey-- really strong. It's quite light bodied and very lively with a very clean, dry finish. It has lots of honey flavor. It's lightly sweet and quite bitter. It tastes estery, like a Belgian ale, and a little soapy. The juniper is pretty strong at the finish. There's a hot alcohol aftertaste. I've never tasted anything like this so I have no idea how to gauge it. It's pretty bizarre. It kind of tastes like Thunder Blue snus.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 19:29:54 | More by yesyouam

vfgccp

New York

3.6/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Light amber ice tea with almost no head or lace, but visible carbonation.

S - Dry, slightly sour. Baby powder? Cherry, Hint of juniper.

T - Honey, pine, marbled rye. Nice white grape character. Touch of gin.

M - Nice, med body. Sweet finish.

O - Like many Nogne O beers, the balance is memorable.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 20:33:21 | More by vfgccp

RTJakarta

Kentucky

2.23/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

When I opened my bottle of this, it just started bubbling out....and kept bubbling....and bubbling...I feel like I lost a good deal of the beer just opening it. Sigh.

Pours a dark sort of amber/orange with a nice off-white head that slowly fades away leaving some lacing. I'm not some good carbonation and ton of weird looking sediment at the bottom of my glass.

Smell is a strong floral one. Smells a bunch like flowers, fruits, and various herbs and spices. Very pleasing.

Taste is really subdued. Kinda sweet. Mostly tasting just honey. Really disappointing.

Mouthfeel is pretty full-bodied with good carbonation. Par for the course.

Overall, this isn't comparable at all to the only other sahti I've hd (DFH). I'm thinking more likely than not, I just got an odd bottle of this. Sigh. Maybe I'll be able to get another bottle of this that isn't so wacky.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 03:20:08 | More by RTJakarta

liddytime

Maine

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A Nøgne Ø Sahti??

I've home-brewed Sahtis and they have all been quite good, but I've never been able to try a commercial example. Since true Finnish Sahtis are not hopped or pasteurized, they have a very short shelf-life and are, thus, hard to find on this side of the pond.

Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found this Nøgne Ø Sathi in my local bottle shop.

It pours a light amber, hazy glass.

The smell is heavenly. Candied fruit, juniper, perhaps some estery-banana-clove aromas jumping forth.

The taste is a little surprising. Sweet-honey, like a mead?

( after reading the label, I did discover that this is Nøgne Ø and Dugges' "interpretation" of a Sahti. It was brewed with honey and hops which, I believe, traditional Sahtis do not include)

Spicy, clovey, full-bodied, almost "brandy-like".

Certainly a good sipper by anyone's scale & a great late-night dessert brew. However, I was a little disappointed by the sweetness of this brew and , I guess, disappointed that I still have yet to taste my first "true" Finnish Sahti... sigh ...

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 01:32:59 | More by liddytime