Dark Horizon 3rd Edition - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

nickfl

Florida

3.99/5  rDev +15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours with no head on top of an opaque, black body. A light ring of lacing persists on the glass and leaves moderate lace in its wake.

S - Bourbon, vanilla, rum, chocolate, cinnamon, awesome.

T - Sweet, sweet, chocolate and coffee up front. Notes of anise, blackberries, clove and cinnamon in the middle. Finishes with lots of vanilla, cinnamon, dense chocolate, and cola syrup.

M - A thick, syrupy body, and a sweet, sweet finish.

D - Well, it smells better than almost anything else I have ever had, but it manages to really drop it with the flavor. An oddly flawed beer, if it was much, much less sweet it could be something world class.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:12:35 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: no head on a a near jet black body.

S: rum, bourbon, some roasted malt, milk chocolate, chili peppers

T: really really sweet. This is like pure white and brown sugar. Reminds me of a coffee that you put too much sugar in. It is even sweet enough to dull but not erase the bourbon/whiskey character. For the abv the booze are actually pretty tame.

M: little carbonation and creamy body.

Overall:I simply can not get over the sweetness. It is too dominant for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:09:53 | More by kylehay2004

billab914

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

8.5oz bottle into my Devil's Backbone glass. Dark brown in color with just a thin tan ring barely forming around the edges of the glass. Pretty still looking overall.

Aroma has a big dark fruit component with fig and dark cherry notes. I'm also getting a good amount or roasted coffee and brown sugar to it. Interesting mix of flavors, it's pretty good but the sweeter dark fruits do seem to dominate it unfortunately.

The dark fruits are even stronger in the taste and become overwhelming. Coffee and alcohol show through in the finish and the roasted flavor lingers for a while. It's very sweet, almost sugary like a darker fruit juice at times though.

The mouthfeel is thin for the style with carbonation being low. Overall, I didn't think it was a good beer of the style unfortunately. The dark fruit sweetness was just way overdone and cloyingly sweet at times. The roasted malts and coffee were pretty much completely overshadowed unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 23:10:43 | More by billab914

DoubleJ

California

4.13/5  rDev +19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Coffee stouts are usually beers that I like to drink. Adding 100 IBU's to the mix looks unsound. Making the beer over 15% ABV could be suicide, but I will progress. Let's pop the cap of this 8.5 ounce bottle and move onto the beer:

Make much darker does black get? As black as shiny and polished oil. A tiny fuzz of head forming on top and goin away, no lace sticking around, but it does leave some legs around for a short time. The nose is supercharged and obliterates your nostrils. There's a lot of great smelling coffee and vanilla coffee beans that's uplifitng. Smoking wood adds a second layer of aroma. Some bittering hops add a sort of bitterness to the nose, adding the third layer.

Very sweet taste, but I like it. It's a good thing the beer was loaded with coffee beans to offset the sweet base, or I would have put myself through some pain to finish the small bottle. A ton of toasted brown sugar, coffee beans and their roast, a "pinch" of hop bitterness, and a good kick of alcohol (yet for its size is hidden pretty well). It's full bodied, slightly chewy, and low carbonated, which helps make the beer go down.

Dark Horizon #3 was fun on paper, and is just as fun to drink. This outta put me to sleep for the night.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 08:39:40 | More by DoubleJ

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours like coca-cola but with less carbonation. The beer was almost entirely flat. Smells like age with sherry notes, dark overly ripe plums, figs, raisins, and booze. First sip is like biting into a fermented fig-newton…not just the filling but the cookie too. The taste mirrors the aroma but with more booze. What a sweetness bomb. Just a little coffee present as I am guessing this puppy was very different when fresh. As it warms, a tad more coffee appears adding to a finish that turns from overly sweet to slightly bitter. The 100 IBU seems to have also eased over time. The 15.5% ABV is not hidden at all and is right there with you sip after sip. I like the complexity and will not penalize this beer for not being fresh.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 02:12:12 | More by ATLbeerDog

jeremy13586

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Black with an oily sheen. Very little head except for some whispy bubbles that settled on top of the beer.

Booze, but that's expected of the 15.5 percent. Light coffee, some sweet roasted malts to back it up, but tons of booze. A bit of a soy sauce sourness.

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Some molasses and dark fruit add to the sweetness. Bitter coffee finish, and a consistent heat from the booze.

Very viscous and thick. Full bodied and a very minor carbonation. Boozy heat, but not overbearing.

The sweetness definitely stole the show and it almost became cloying, though I actually enjoyed it. The alcohol also became pretty dominant at times. I could see where they wanted to go with it, but the beer was a bit muddied and confusing.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 19:45:01 | More by jeremy13586

output01x

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 8.5 oz. capped bottle (No Date) into a snifter glass.

A vigorous pour yields a faint dusting of off-white head that disappears nearly as quickly as it formed, leaving only a thin foam ring. The body is a dark brown, similar in color to the bottle from which it was poured. Light seems incapable of penetrating the thick body. Very little lacing can be seen throughout consumption with literally none standing the tests of time or gravity.

The first recognizable aroma is concentrated soy sauce with hints of teriyaki sauce. A strong alcohol aroma makes sure to sting the nostrils at the end of each sniff. Digging deeper reveals lots of dark fruit notes, including plum and raisin. Also noticeable is molasses and vanilla. The nose is certainly deep and complex, but not necessarily enjoyable.

Sweet dark fruit flavors impact the tongue immediately, giving notes of sour grapes, bruised peaches, fig, and raisin. Swirling the beer around the mouth allows these flavors to come out a bit more but also calls forth flavors of dark chocolate, fudge, molasses, and caramel. Swallowing the beer brings forth a stampede of sugary sweetness, like the last sip of a neglected coffee that had too much sugar added and hadn't been stirred in a while. This is soon followed by an overpowering alcohol heat that envelops the entire mouth, laying waste to all the previous flavors. As this quickly fades, the flavor of semi-melted sugar reemerges and lingers on the palate between sips.

The body is nearly as thick as motor oil. It is sticky and messy, like the syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. The sugary sweetness coats your mouth and remains there indefinitely. The carbonation is not overly noticeable but definitely plays a big role in keeping this beer drinkable. At such a high alcohol, the thick and sticky body is expected and any less carbonation would probably make this beer untouchable.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 06:47:05 | More by output01x

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark molasses brown with no standing head. Glazing alcohol legs. 3.5

Sweet chiming alcohol with huge roasted notes of chocolate, black coffee, and peat smoke. Powerfully hot on the nose. 4.0

Holy chocolate pudding. Big, sweet alcohol with rich chocolate and dark roast coffee flavors. Like a cafe Americano spiked with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. Not as smoky as the nose pointed at. Some dark dried fruit undertones that carry some weight--prune and raisin. 4.5

Stupid hot, but that's the idea. Stupid sweet, but 'sugars' are the third listed ingredient. Falters with flatness. The body is syrupy big and sticky sweet. Genuine sipper. 2.5

Part of a three-way Horizon tasting. First one is this Dark - Third Edition. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 19:53:17 | More by thecheapies

champ103

Texas

1.88/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A: Pours an opaque black color. A thin, bubbly, watery looking tan head forms and vanishes in a second. No lace.
S: Big roasted malt. Acrid coffee, very sweet chocolate. Alcohol stings the nose.
T: Over barring sweetness. Can you say over attenuation? Burnt acrid coffee. Charred wood and ash, huge roast. Over barring solvent like alcohol.
M/D: A full sticky body. Overly syrupy, like an adhesive. Way to much solvent like alcohol. Really hard to sip on.

WOW, this is over barring. I am a fan of the brewery, but this is to much. Not something I enjoy at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 00:30:55 | More by champ103

scottfrie

California

2.5/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Tiny 8.5oz bottle into Block 15 snifter. Bought it cuz it looked cool. Damn you marketing.

A: Pours near black with almost no head. A short layer of foam appeared after the pour but quickly disappeared into a faint collar. No lace.
S: Huge notes of alcohol vapor in this one. You can smells every bit of the 15.5% alcohol. I also get scents of burnt coffee, peat, vanilla and some very sweet brown sugar.
T: Wow! Cloyingly sweet. This tastes like pure sugar! The sugar overpowers everything, but in the finish I can detect coffee, sweet chocolate and a hint of alcohol. Despite the nose, the strong alcohol is actually masked by all the sugar in this beer. My mouth is coated in a sugary film after every swallow.
M: Very slick mouthfeel, almost syrupy, from all the sugar. The body is thick and the carbonation is low and made up of fine bubbles. It almost isn’t noticeable. The alcohol doesn’t burn at all, but I get a slight warming in my throat after the swallow. I’m surprised how masked it is.
O: Holly crap, this one took me by surprise. I was expecting a very boozy hot beer from the high alcohol content. I was not expecting to be drinking sugar water. The sweetness is so cloying that this beer is hard to drink. Maybe ageing this for 5 or 10 years would let the sweetness die down. I’ll never know, I’m not spending my money on this series again.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 02:01:06 | More by scottfrie

PatrickSwayze

California

1.23/5  rDev -64.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

A: Poured deep oily black with absolutely zero head retention even when forced.

S: Reaks of teryaki sauce and bbq pulled pork with charred roast and chocolate at the end.

T: This beer was absolutely and utterly disgusting. The only flavors that i picked up from this 3oz snifter pour were roasted teryaki and strange bbq sauce. What is this beer cause it defintely does not taste like an imperial stout. First time i headed towards the sink

M: Thick deep and insanely sweet with little to no carbonation.

O: Drain poured this puppy. Just couldnt stomach it. Complete waste of money

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 18:44:12 | More by PatrickSwayze

4thelvofbeer

Virginia

2.73/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This beer is a bit harsh. Not sure that it deserves the 80 rating that it currently has, but it is definitely bitter and has some harsh tones. The alcohol overpowers the beer and the underlying tastes, which are good. This is a nice sippin' beer.
A: Dark brown/black with minimal head
S: Alcohol with some coffee/mocha notes
T: Alcohol again
M: Somewhat oily and slick
O: Not bad...

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 23:45:28 | More by 4thelvofbeer

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very dark brown with just a hint of bubbles along the edges of the glass (too thin in my opinion to even be called head). There was absolutely no lacing whatsoever.

S: Aromas were extremely sweet, almost overpowering, with a slightly medicinal aspect. The alcohol was very present and almost smelled like the beer has been fortified with spirits (like a port).

T: Flavors were extremely sweet, cloyingly so - candy sugar, syrup, and alcohol. Just a hint of coffee flavor as the beer warmed. Seemed to be really out of balance to me.

M: Medium bodied but a little bit thin with almost no carbonation.

O: Very much a dessert beer and needs to be treated that way (any serving more than a cordial glass is probably too much). Much too sweet and too much alcohol present to really be something that could be easily enjoyed. Could really use a touch more bitterness to make it enjoyable for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 13:32:40 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark brown in color. It poured with a thin tan head that quickly dissipated, leaving only a thin ring of bubbles on the surface around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong sweet aromas of chocolate liqueur in the nose. The smell becomes stronger as the beer warms up.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is very sweet and has flavors of chocolate liqueur. No bitterness is detectable.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit thin on the palate with a low amount of carbonation.
O: This beer lacks balance because it is overly sweet; however it would make a good dessert beer of digestif.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 09:13:04 | More by metter98

Sean9689

Illinois

2.55/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Thanks, Alex! 250ml bottle (thank the Lord) into Darkness tulip.

A - Pours black, thin collar, some bubbles here and there.

S - Very medicinal, very boozy, very harsh. Reminds me of a teriyaki chocolate charred mess. Does that sound good to you? No, I didn't think so.

T - Worse then the nose, but barley. Chocolate charred teriyaki is basically what I'm going to call this one. Huge booze in there as well, which also doesn't make me want to drink anymore...as if I needed the help.

M - Full, rich, creamy finish, light carbonation.

O - This one is pass/avoid for me. The 1st and 2nd Edition's were much better, and I highly doubt this Edition will ever get to the level(s) of the first two. Avoid, do not drink...I gave you fair warning!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 16:28:06 | More by Sean9689

MasterSki

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from West Lakeview Liquors. Served in a Cigar City snifter.

A - A hard pour barely rouses a dark brown crust of foam that settles to a few wisps. Black body that has a glint of brown at the bottom of the glass.

S - Booze, anise, dark chocolate, light olives, charry malts, light espresso. As it warms up it gets pretty intense, and moderately harsh and fusel.

T - This is incredibly sweet. Tons of melted chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, and straight up sugar. Some charred malts in the finish.

M - Full bodied, melted chocolate syrup texture, minimal carbonation, and moderate-to-high alcohol warmth.

D - I think Nøgne Ø tried to hide the intense booziness of the 2nd edition using sugar. They succeeded, but the end result is a cloying beer that's palatable in 1oz portions. The switch from 500ml to 250ml bottles was certainly a good idea, but I don't anticipate this improving much with age. As it oxidizes it may get even sweeter...

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 05:58:20 | More by MasterSki

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours an opaque black with virtually no head. Only a small ring of white lace is noticeable on the sides of the glass.

S: The aroma is dominated by dark chocolate and coffee, though aromas reminiscent of brown sugar, port, and madeira emerge as the beer warms.

T: This is easily the most interesting stout I've tried in a while. Notes of port, madeira, coffee, cream, brown sugar, dark chocolate, and herbal hops bludgeon the tongue. The finish is long and delicate with coffee and chocolate again taking over, though traces of warming alcohol and brown sugar also make their way down the throat. For a beer that hits 100 IBU, the hops are almost an afterthought.

M: Thick and viscous in the mouth, Dark Horizon is far from dry. Expect a very luscious, full- bodied beer with subtle carbonation that emerges just before the swallow. In some respects, this is more like drinking a port than drinking a beer.

O: This is an interesting and delicious beer, though I can imagine that this one is not going to win over a great number of people. Compared to many stouts that are brewed with coffee, it is very sweet, and the port-like body and flavor may be a bit much for some drinkers. Overall, I'm quite impressed, especially considering that this kind of stout is not normally my thing.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 13:57:15 | More by mrfrancis

Pencible

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a nearly opaque black mahogany with a bit of tan head.
S: It smelled like tobacco and tabasco, with soy and smoked peat and a bit of pickles and dark chocolate.
T: It tasted like super sugary sweet molasses and smoked peat and tabasco, with a little soy and tobacco and pickles. It had a sickeningly sweet aftertaste, with some alcohol warming.
M: It was oily with some carbonation. Very slick body.
D: What a strange beer! This was halfway between Huna and death - somewhat delicious and somewhat disgusting. The body was definitely nice, and the alcohol wasn't as bad as anticipated. But it still was pretty difficult to drink. I doubt age would change this much. A very unique experience, but probably not worth repeating.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 22:07:14 | More by Pencible

rootbeerman

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours deep black, mostly headless with a few light spots of brown.
S: sweetened black coffee, with malty alcohol heat.
T: mellow coffee with very strong flavors of dark roasted malt. Has a very noticeable almost numbing alcohol heat. Overall coffee and malt lingers on the palate for a good bit of time.
M: coats and lingers for awhile. Almost no carbonation.
O: gonna let my other bottle age for awhile. This is hot. But is definitely a good one to sip on a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 04:57:57 | More by rootbeerman

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A couple of bubbles on the surface. Opaque dark brown.

Nose is heavy in coffee and leafy. I don't associate the leaves as hops, but they probably are.

Thick and syrupy sweet. Lots of coffee and actually a fair hop presence but it's so skewed towards sweet that it shouldn't count. Trace of soy or seaweed.

Mouthfeel is unremarkable, pretty average.

This is impressively sweet-- a dessert beer for sure and in spite of the 100ish IBU rating, it is sweet more than enough to match.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 03:32:39 | More by zaphodchak

Mora2000

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Rating No. 2,700 on RateBeer.

Thanks to my brother for sending this beer my way. This was drank alongside the 2nd edition.

The beer pours a deep black color with a tan head. Absolutely no light is getting through this beer. The aroma is full of coffee and chocolate with some roasted malt. It smells a lot like the 2nd edition.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with a few changes. The main flavor I get is chocolate and bourbon. Unlike the 2nd edition, this beer has a big coffee note in the flavor which really compliments the other two major components. The alcohol is actually fairly well hidden, although you can definitely tell it is there. Overall, the beer is very sweet and would make it tough to drink too much of this beer.

Thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

The big difference between the 2nd and 3rd editions of this beer is the addition of the big coffee notes in the 3rd edition. For this reason, I feel the 3rd edition is a better beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 18:21:46 | More by Mora2000

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Jason at my 22nd birthday, 250ml bottle into a tulip.

Poured almost black, dark brown around the edges. Light brown bubbly collar, with little-to-no head. Nose has heavily sugary and caramelized dark fruits off the bat. Intense espresso and coffee notes, some alcohol as well but not at the level of the stated ABV. Roasty as hell, with some subtle brown sugar. Taste is very sweet and roasty, brown sugar, vanilla, and sugary dark caramelized fruits ("in that order of perception" as my notes indicate). Sweet raisins in the finish. Sweet but roasty and bitter lingering mouthfeel. Lightly cloying but drinkable, the minimal alcohol presented is impressive (or maybe I was just that far gone?). Certainly very rich, a sample of this sufficed; surprisingly subtle alcohol was the highlight of the show here.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:07:23 | More by liamt07

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a thick deep brown, ring of soapy off white/tan head, slight lacing. Smell is full of chocolate and lots of brown sugar, soffee grinds, suprisingly little alcohol, roasted almost burnt malt. Taste is quite sweet, deep roasted malt, brown sugar, milk and bakers chocolate in finish with coffee. Lightly carbonated, full body and good weight, thick feel. This was quite good I must say though it is a bit on the sweeter side which took away from this a bit, glad to have had this though.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 15:41:02 | More by peensteen

ehammond1

California

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle

Pour It Black
Stone Brew Co.
Escondido, CA

Black pour with dark brown edges and a very thin light brown head. There's not a lot of visible carbonation and it leaves the glass oily.

The aroma is powerful and very, very sweet. There's lots of melted chocolate, molasses, simple sugar syrup, and mild roast component throughout.

The flavor is incredibly sweet, and thus, particularly out of balance. The flavor comes in waves of molasses, toffee, melted chocolate, and sugar cookies. The onslaught does not stop. Incredibly sweet and certainly a sipper.

Thin to medium bodied with low carbonation and a touch hot with alcohol. The body of the beer is somewhat oily.

Far too sweet to drink in any quantity.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 22:58:14 | More by ehammond1

SFLpunk

Vermont

4.55/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at R.S.V.P. in Portland, ME. Tiny bottle in a tin can.

Pours a super thick black with very little carbonation activity. Looks like oil. Nose smells like a big black hole of scorched earth, coffee and black black malt.

Palate is big and aggressive right of the bat. Bitter and almost corrosively thick. At first it's like coffee extract, then like Kahlua, still like Kahlua and then mellows out into a mocha espresso drink taste and then to tasting like (cold) hot cocoa.

Notes: Wow. What a fucking awesome beer! This is seriously thick, but seriously complex and evolves as you drink it. I think some people will probably hate this or not "get" it, but it's damn fine!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 04:05:26 | More by SFLpunk