Two Captains - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a light tan head. In the aroma, a mix of pine and citrus hops. In the taste, a small citrus rind and some small pine notes of hops. A small bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry orange citrus in the aftertaste. Nice malt presence, with some nice mellow hops all the way through.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 18:41:44 | More by OWSLEY069

Mora2000

Texas

3/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a hazy, dirty yellow color with a white head. The aroma has some pine and resin notes, as well as some biscuit malt. The flavor is not as good as the aroma. I get a hint of pine and some resin, similar to what I got in the aroma, but I also get some leather and tobacco notes. There is also a hint of orange citrus and some biscuit malt. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 03:27:09 | More by Mora2000

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Deeply resiny and chocked full of juicy citrus flavor, Two Captains may be European-brewed but it's heart is in America.

The pour delivers a hazy orange hue with amber and peach highlights showing through. Well headed with a creamy off-white froth, the foam shows fantastic retention and intricate patterns of lace. IPAs just don't look much better.

Juicy aromas of citrus and tropical fruit tantilize the nose and provokes mouthwatering sensations immediately. Light caramel notes give the impressions of honey-soaked fruit that brace against herbal aromas of freshly cut grass and pine.

All that's promised by the nose is delivered in taste. The flavor of caramel remains mild and supply sweet to inform the fruit juices of ruby red grapefruit, tangerine, passion fruit, mangoes, apricots, and kumquats that carry the beer through mid palate. Afterwards, the malt falls from caramel to a dry starchy taste and the hops fade from fruit to the resiny bitterness of pine and herbal grasses to finish. Such dryness in final impressions, the exposure of mild phenolic spice seems to offer as much intrigue as misplacement.

Medium bodied, but the quick fade from creamy malt to dryness gives the beer a lighter and crisper feel. Alcoholic warmth, dry resin, and fleeting malt textures allow for a snappy crispness and highly refreshing (almost minty) finish and aftertaste.

The magic of this America-inspired ale lies in it's smooth bitterness that massages the palate with a combination of tropical sweetness and citrus acidity. This allows for the beer to crawl into the conversation of beers like Great Lakes Erie Monster, Russian River Pliny the Elder, and Founders Double Trouble.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 17:59:46 | More by BEERchitect

barczar

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a solid one finger cream head that leaves thick lacing.

Aroma is grain and dank hops, fairly subtle, with grapefruit, lemon, and slightly herbal notes.

Flavor is very lemony, with grapefruit and slightly bitter pith carrying into the almost minty herbal finish. A solid bready malt backbone offers support.

Body is moderate, with a fairly high amount of carbonation and significant alcohol warmth.

Overall, alcohol was a bit overwhelming, hops definitely were at the forefront. Not an American ipa, but definitely a hop showcase.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2012 02:17:31 | More by barczar

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: Two toned, cloudy, golden apricot that starts dark and fades to light on the way down.  Crowned by a huge off white foamy head that is decadent and long lasting. 

S:  Abundant fruity hop aroma, spices, pineapple, toasted grains, timid sweet malts, apricots. Potpourri hops and honey are also present. 

T/M:  Floral hops and pine resin are more confident in the taste. Fruit seems to fade out and is mostly apparent in the nose. Nice playful body with a good dose of tongue tingling carbonation that meshes well. Slight hints of citrus rind and grapefruit.   Finishes very dry with grilled pineapple and a touch of smoke on the throat. 

O:  Complex and well integrated flavors deliver a really great IPA. The malt to hop ratio is well done and the juicy fruit aroma is excellent. The taste is not as grand as the smell but still good. I enjoyed this and would recommend it. 

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 00:45:06 | More by Hopswagger

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a turbid glowing orange with active carbonation. Nice rocky head that creates a moundy foam ceiling. This head does not fade below 1/4 of an inch. Think circles of lacing. Very beautiful looking beer.

S - Heavy bready yeast, soapy hops.

T - Assertive hops hit first. Bitter grapefruit oil and floral flavors mostly. Earthy pine starts showing up along with a bready chalky yeast. The hops create a dry bitterness that sticks to the tongue long after the finish. Some tropical and stone fruit mixes with tea tannins in the background. Sweet crackery malt gets wicked away with a very dry and bitter finish.

M - Medium to moderate carbonation, light side of medium body.

Bitterness seems to be the focus and it does a great job of delivering it. The aroma, however, is very lackluster. It seems to be one dimensional but it's nice to see a hop forward DIPA. I would buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 23:27:21 | More by StaveHooks

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this from Biergartenok, cheers Freddie!

Pours a fairly hazed apricot with 3 fingers of sand colored head. This never quite clears up, insane head retention & good lacing

S: Breadyness, floral notes, all fairly subtle

T: Woody & grassy bitterness up front, apricots, pears & grapefruit up front, along with peppery spiceyness & some pineapple. Breadyness, honey malt, apricot, grapefruit, woody hops & pineapple as this warms. Finishes with pineapple, pineyness, woody dryness some nectarine & pear fruittyness

MF: Medium bodied, subtle carbonation that becomes creamy as this warms, good balance

A good DIPA, but I've had better from these guys. The hop mix wasn't completely to my liking, plus a little too fruitty for me, but is fairly quaffable none the less

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 13:24:39 | More by russpowell

stephens101

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A respectable dirty-white head pops and crackles slowly into oblivion. Color is a pale orange surrounding a reddish center. Smells of bright citrusy hops (lemon, grapefruit), orange candy and a hint of solvent in the background. Sweet and a creamy up front with a light hop bitterness quickly mingling in. Some spice and big lights fruits are soon noticed along with some grain and yeast. Medium mouth-feel and goes down smooth for a DIPA. Good balance and not as hop forward as many would like, but I find it a unique and well-crafted brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 22:21:58 | More by stephens101

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Straw gold with a hop haze and a solid inch of white foam that lasts through the whole glass. Pine and herb dominated with a pleasant resinous hop oil that lifts up the mouthfeel. Citrus and grass come out more as it warms. A clean grain backbone does exactly what it needs to - support some of the hop bitters without overwhelming the hop flavor. Two Captains is a better DIPA than this breweries regular DIPA. More hops and less malt is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 01:51:45 | More by bump8628

beergoot

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Honey-colored body; thick, two-fingered white head; great carbonation.

Ripened fruit with spice and floral hop in the aroma and taste. Sweet and heavy in character. Heavy-duty bitterness giving way to a relatively subtle alcohol warmth in the finish.

Thick and chewy; medium-heavy body with the malt sugars.

Most assuredly a heavy-duty IPA. Big and bold. Enough character to be distinct, bordering on excellent but needs a little something else to bump it up to that level (a slightly lighter mouthfeel perhaps?).

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 00:25:28 | More by beergoot

nickfl

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured with two fingers of white foam on top of a hazy, dark golden body. The head settles fairly quickly and leaves a nice coating of lace on the glass.

S - A pungent aroma of hops with notes of pineapple, pine, orange and sweaty character. Some caramel malt in the background.

T - Sweet, dense caramel malt up front with some pine hop character. Spicy hops with grapefruit and onion character in the middle. Finishes with more fruity character of pineapple with sweet malt and fairly strong bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - A very intensely hoppy beer and while there is quite a bit of malt there to balance things out, it never comes across as something I could describe as easily drinkable. Still, it has a very enjoyable hop aroma and a flavor that almost comes off as barleywine like and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 02:37:50 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: single finger head with decent lacing on a cloudy golden-crimson body.

S: musty earth notes and citrus, mostly orange peel.

T: Pungent and musty hops, creamy caramel with mild citrus and pine in the finish

M: moderate carbonation and medium body.

Overall: A relatively malty and creamy IPA. The booze are well concealed. Fairly complex and well rounded.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 02:37:13 | More by kylehay2004

derkfromwi

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Deep orange hazy color with a thick, frothy just off-white head. Lots of carbonation and lacing

S: Nice combination of hops up front, sweet then earthy, some caramel and citrus

T: Sweet bitterness that blends into a nicely balanced maltiness, nice flavor, not quite as dry as I was expecting, but that's fine with me

M: Smooth, resiny, medium-bodied, decent carbonation, a touch of sourness/tartness in the aftertaste

O: Good American Double IPA from Norway, will drink again

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 04:50:31 | More by derkfromwi

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.03/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Craft this summer. Pours out an orange color, nice mild off white head on top of it. Aroma wasn't really hoppy, just bitter.

Taste wasn't really hoppy, just bitter as hell. Really, that's all there is to this beer. Yeah maybe some crystal malt, a substantial amount of alcohol in the mouthfeel, but really this is just a bitter bomb, and it isn't from it being old, as the hopping hasn't turned into sweetness, its just bitterness that blows all other flavors pretty much out of the water. This beer drinks like you could strip paint with it.

It was my first beer of the day, was challenging to finish, but I did. At no point did I taste anything resembling a citrus or pine presence related to hops (or anything else).

Great for a bitter, acidic alcohol fix, but I don't understand the love for this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2012 00:23:38 | More by Beerandraiderfan

BrownNut

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

S - I don't know what this smell is but I like it. I can't put my finger on it but it's earthy. I guess it's a sort of yeast smell intertwined with the hops. It's also sort of that higher alcohol smell.

Bitterness - I had Nogne O's pale ale last night and it left too bitter a taste in my mouth after each sip. And that one was only 40 IBU. Yet at 100 IBU, this one somehow gives me less of a bitter taste. It's like they accidentally swapped labels. So full credit to Nogne O for balance on this one.

T - Well I've gone and gotten a little too buzzy to do this part right. Should have done this part first. There's a booziness going on here, with a certain sweetness that gets sliced off by a bitterness that doesn't punish my tongue. I do get a little tingle at the end, but it's a friendly one.

Overall - When I first tried this I did not like bitter, hoppy beers. Yet even then I liked this one and would have ordered a second glass. That's saying something. This brewery is awesome. More like Nogne OHH amirite?

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 00:07:36 | More by BrownNut

HOPPYKC

Kansas

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this beer at the BeerKitchen in westport, kansas city MO. 22oz. bottle with no dating available.
Poured a nice and beautiful light amber orange in color. Amazing light frothy head that had tight bubbles and released much of the aroma. This had a nice fruity and bitter smell right up front. Descent amount of carbonation, but not over the top. Taste is of citrus fruits! Ive almost never had a good Imperial that packed so much flavor into one glass. Amazing

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 02:05:53 | More by HOPPYKC

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very cloudy dark golden orange that is completely opaque with faint tangerine edges and a frothy, pillowy white head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that leaves rings and large chunks of soapy lacing behind.

Dank, earthy hop aroma with some resinous oils and citrus notes along with a pale malt presence. Floral with lots of soil/pine character balanced by hints of tropical and citrus fruits. Hints of grapefruit, pineapple and orange peel balance by subtle biscuity malt.

Chewy full body with a prominent spicy, earthy hop presence up front with a good balance of earthy and sweet notes. This lingers over the pale malt backbone into a slightly dry finish. The hop profile is complex, being floral, earthy, bitter, dry and sweet with no characteristic overpowering the others. Lots of dry pine needle countered by hints of grapefruit, pineapple and citrus rind. Malt presence has notes of biscuit and Graham but doesn't get in the way of the hops. Subtle heat toward the end of the palate but the high ABV is nicely masked.

Overall, this beer is complex, well balanced, flavorful and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 05:58:42 | More by corby112

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Type - 16.9 oz bottle

Appearance - Orange hazzy tan/brown, monster foamy 3+ inch head, tons of lacing.

Smell - Citrus hops, sweet carmal malts, orange, pine, maybe some alcohol and added sugars.

Taste - Strong floral hops mixed with some sweet malts is the main flavor. Hops are piney, orange and grapefruity. Has a unique flavor that ive come to expect from nogne. Alcohol is very present and adds some burn. Yeast is masked under everything.

Mouthfeel - Mouth is bittered and hit pretty hard with hops and booze. Palette is crushed with hops, numbed with booze and left bittered, tingly. Aftertaste is dry and soured.

Overall - Pretty good, strong and hop heavy. Its right on for the style. Wish the alcohol was a little less present, but theres plenty of flavor from the hops and malts. Another winner from nogne.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 20:18:08 | More by wvsabbath

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at O'reilly's during IPA day.

A - Pours murky golden orange with a nice pillow of one and a half finger tall white head leaving light lace down the glass.

S - Smells of dulled citric hops, lightly toasted caramel malt, pine resin, and some light citric fruit; mostly oranges. This one smelled a little stale but it was still pretty decent.

T - Starts off with a big dose of caramel malt sweetness slowly giving way to a mix of dulled citric hops, pine resin, oranges, grapefruit, and some light chewiness. The finish is a mix of light citric hop bite and dryness, lingering on the pallet for some time.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. A bit syrupy with a nice, dry, hop bite at the very end.

O - Not too bad. I think this one may be on the verge of going off a cliff. I am glad I got to try it but I won't be running back over here for more.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2011 21:26:02 | More by orangesol

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased in the USA, home of cheap Nøgne Ø, apparently.

Pours a beautifully cloudy oragne-gold colour, with a frothy, thick head of yellowish off-white, that leaves sticky, sheeting, solid lacing down the inside of the glass. Really looks rather impressive.

Nose is crisp and sharply hoppy, with a Citra or almost Kiwi bite to the aroma, giving fresh rubbed lemon, greenery and spicy resin. Surprisingly, it's not all that robust—it certainly doesn't punch you in the face with its potency, but the characters that are there are lovely.

Taste is smooth, with a clean nuttiness towards the back of the palate, and a fresh hop flavour giving a cleansing lemon note throughout, and down the edges of the palate. Minimal true bitterness—it finishes rather light, with a sprightly herbal character like fresh rosemary. Malt is almost indiscernible, although the hops don't feel unbalanced; they just feel as though they have been given free reign in the spotlight.

Feel is also quite light, which greatly enhances the drinkability but somehow without skewing the balance too far to the hoppy bitterness.

Great brew, this one. Even if it wasn't devised by Nøgne Ø, it was executed with style and skill. As always.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 23:04:00 | More by lacqueredmouse

prototypic

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two Captains is a darker copper color. It’s a little hazy. Looks almost like dark caramel when held to light. A tan head tops it and stands almost two fingers tall. It’s slow to recede and leaves a sticky, thick coat of lace clinging to the glass.

The nose is pretty good. It kicks off with a rather strong, sweet caramel scent. Not my favorite thing, but it’s not bad. There are some light, hoppy notes that emerge. They’re citric and smell mostly like orange and light grapefruit. A bit of pine and floral notes are also there. The hops are definitely secondary though. Tough to get through the wealth of malt. Alcohol is there and is rather prominent. Boozy? Eh, maybe a little.

The flavor is above average. It’s alright. It does have a sweet, sturdy caramel malt base. It’s a little too much caramel for me. The hops do their best to fight for space. They have a piney, citric flavor. Orange and grapefruit are noted. It is a little bitter, but the malts provide a lot of balance. I’d prefer things to be skewed much more in the hop direction. Alcohol is there, but isn’t as strong as the nose suggested. It’s not warm or boozy. It finishes sweet and a little piney.

Two Captains has a medium body. Carbonation feels light. It does have a smooth feel. That’s no big surprise given the strong caramel malt presence. I guess it goes down relatively easy for a beer of its size.

It’s my understanding that Two Captains is the winning recipe of a Scandinavian homebrewing contest. It’s not bad, but I’m somewhat surprised that no one came up with something better. For a DIPA, it’s above average. It’s a little too heavy on the caramel malt and too light on hops. Having said that, it’s definitely far from bad. Definitely worth picking up, especially if you’re into maltier DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 03:47:08 | More by prototypic

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - A hazy and pale orangish yellow body with a head of frothy eggshell with very nice stamina.

S - Citrus and orange aroma in the form of hops.

T - Great citrusy hops flavor with a fantastic bitter bite.

M - This beer offers very little stickiness on my lips but leaves a huge stick in the back of my mouth. It keeps me wanting to drink it. It has a subtle coarse feel throughout each pull.

~ Complex and well thought out. This is an excellent drinker. Not for the faint-hearted pale ale drinker, this is a beer that should be enjoyed by folks who know how to drink a great DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 02:12:55 | More by cdkrenz

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Nøgne ø always intimidates me as a brewery. First, they are foreign; I mean, beyond foreign, as in Norwegian. Does anything even grow up there, or is all snow and ice? And, if nothing grows up there, how do they make beer?

More intimidating for me, though, is hazarding whether or not the beer in my hand is fresh, or has sat in some cargo hold of a sea vessel for months, sloshing around the Atlantic wending its way slowly to our shore.

But I suppose what I find most intimidating is, I can't even say their name. "Nawgnu Oh"? "None-o"? What is it?

For this review, though, I set aside all those xenophobic fears, and pours out some of this ale from a 500 ml bottle into a snifter. The label states ingredients which appear to comply with the German purity law; Grimstad water, malted barley, hops and yeast.

The beer itself pours a cloudy amber/pumpkin color, with a two-finger ivory head that oh-so-slowly reduces.

The aroma is pungent, to say the least. I can smell the yeasty barley even when the glass is sitting on the table. Quite alcohol-forward, the aroma is strong, even harsh and does nothing to quell my trepidations about this beer. Buttery and biscuity, this has a "gee" like smell that is not terribly pleasing. Cutting through some of the malt and yeast, however, is a contingent of hops to remind you that 100 IBU's of bitter is waiting for when you start sipping.

And a a sipper is what this is! As malty and yeasty as the aroma was, it is not nearly so is taste. Rather, an astringent mix of alcohol, grapes and leafy, almost herbal flavors start out, giving way to an all out bitter hop assault. Whew, I love bitter, but this is definitely one you wean yourself into.

Mouthfeel is harsh, dry, and abrasive. You feel this as it spreads down the throat and into the gut.

Well, I'm glad to have tried it, though at $10 a pop, plus the Pepto I'm going to need later on, this is a monster of a DIPA that is more work than it is fun to drink. There are so many better examples of the style that I find it hard to recommend seeking this one out.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 01:45:37 | More by TheHoppiest

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased from the cooler. 500ml bottle.

It pours a cloudy gold color with a foamy off-white head. There is a bit of lacing.

The smell is very leafey and green. There is also some muddled malt presence.

The flavor is a bit better. It has a nice hoppy bitterness and a matching smooth maltiness. Though it didn't smell that great it tastes like a pretty good DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 20:25:46 | More by crossovert

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle, $7.99. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a murky burnt orange color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both OK. Aroma is mostly citrusy (tropical fruit, mango, grapefruit) hops, along with some pine hops and caramel malt. The taste is similar to the aroma, but the citrusy and pine hops flavors are pretty even with each other in their strength. Some caramel and bready malt is also noticable, and there's a nice bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and has moderate carbonation. Another solid overall brew from Nøgne Ø, I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 21:28:32 | More by bluejacket74