Nils Oscar India Pale Ale - the Nils Oscar Company

hreb

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

33 cL bottle purchased at a Systembolaget in Stockholm. Sweden's "India Ale" (orange and green label) courtesy of Nils Oscar Company. For what I expect is an IPA, the beer pours surprisingly amber, with very little head. Great clarity for the dark color, though. Back label reports this beer is best before Jan '13, and, also in Swedish, what appears to be the standard story about 19th Century Englishmen making IPA for the "long transport to India".

Aroma is unusually sweet and caramely. Flavor is...slightly more hoppy than the next under-hopped Euro macro lager, but along with the familiar thin, lagery mouthfeel and low carbonation (beer is cool but not cold), this beer is only marginally better than the above.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 17:22:25 | More by hreb

EgadBananas

Louisiana

2.53/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear copper colour with a light tan head leaving plenty spotty lace. Aroma okay with some citrus and malt sweetness, though it seems somewhat stale smelling. Taste has little bitterness, mostly sweet bread malts and caramel. Somewhat nutty too. Somewhat of a creamy, slick mouthfeel, medium in body, lower carbonation.

Overall, kinda sux. A new arrival to my store, but it just comes off as stale. Last minute toss into the basket and I regret it.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 21:53:56 | More by EgadBananas

BuddhaBrowett

Sweden

4/5  rDev +11.7%

01-12-2013 23:03:36 | More by BuddhaBrowett

Imaster

Sweden

4/5  rDev +11.7%

12-22-2012 05:49:16 | More by Imaster

sneaks2210

New York

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

11-17-2012 16:52:36 | More by sneaks2210

Blissmo

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

08-12-2012 20:36:01 | More by Blissmo

beerdhabelly

Nebraska

3/5  rDev -16.2%

07-24-2012 05:18:29 | More by beerdhabelly

beergoot

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Despite the lack of a substantial, lasting head, it has a nice amber color. There is a decent aroma of light malts and somewhat spicy and floral hops. Taste comes across fairly well-balanced between the grains and hops. Fairly light and clean mouthfeel.

Nothing extraordinary about this beer, but that's not to say it's not worth having a few. Nicely balanced across the board and flavorful enough to repeatedly enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 20:16:32 | More by beergoot

aztraz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

04-05-2012 13:57:52 | More by aztraz

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -16.2%

12-11-2011 22:28:58 | More by jenray

stjaernstoft

Sweden

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nils Oscar India Ale, ABV: 5.3%.
330 ml bottle, 18.90 SEK at Systembolaget.

A: The beer is amber in colour, with a slightly creamy, off-white head that leaves a lot of lacing.

S: Fruity, hoppy, but balanced aroma of mostly apricots, oranges, and lemon zests, with hints of toffee and raisins.

T: Rich, zesty, hoppy, and dry taste, with notes of rye bread, toffee, and various citrus fruits. A relatively balanced IPA - no bomb compared to American-styled ones.

M: Medium to high in both bitterness and body. Rather sturdy.

O: A stable beer, with fruity hoppiness and grainy maltiness, great along with heavier dishes - such as smoked delicacies, or rich stews. It's no session beer, though, for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 19:00:38 | More by stjaernstoft

sfprint

Germany

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber orange with a creamy head. Low to moderate rising carbonation.
S: Classic IPA fruitiness/citrus. Very similar to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in smell, but perhaps slightly sweeter. lots of hops.
T: Moderate IPA level bitterness. Tinge of honey. Graham cracker aftertaste. A fairly mild IPA and slightly sweet, though nice.
M: Subtle carbonation, almost medium body, relatively smooth.
O: Nice, mild for an IPA, easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 01:19:47 | More by sfprint

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a caramel/toffee/copper color with minimal head and lacing, and moderate amount of carbonation.

S - Earthy, grassy, roasted toffee, caramel, bread crust and light hints of lemon. Aroma reminds me of an English style IPA.

T - Definitely an English IPA. Lots of earthy, grassy bread crust, caramel, roasted toffee (just like the nose suggests). The malt stays strong throughout the entire sip and towards the middle lemon comes through and towards the end, there's a very mild shot of citrus pine.

M - Light body for an IPA and almost borderline a little too watery. Smooth texture on the tongue and a crisp finish.

O - Glad I had an opportunity to try this one since I've never seen it before but I can't say I'm enjoying it a whole lot.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 22:49:07 | More by jzeilinger

alex667gbg

Sweden

2.98/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Orange, clear with a thick foam that leaves a nice trace.

S - Grass and a small amount of the hops, however limited nose to this I(P)A. Leaves a lot to wish for us hops-lovers.

T - I do enjoy the pine and hoppy first bite of the taste, almost a bit citra over the pine, however this is an amarillo based beer but it do not taste enough IPA for me. More like a british style, malty, hopped up ale. No, the taste leaves me with malt, and i wanted a hoppy beer. Disappointing.

D - Not bad, but it should really be redefined to suit its true genre.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 16:00:05 | More by alex667gbg

StJamesGate

New York

2.9/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours ruby gold with stiff white froth that rings. Nose is like the floor of a zoo, making me wonder if this is bad. Caramel and mulch up front, some citronella bitterness, then white grapefruit pith hops and syrupy hop oil. Round, chewy and medium to full.

Awful nose opened up into something skunky and over-malted. If you're going to make something this clingy, step up the ABV and turn it into a DIPA. And heavy-handed for a nice citrusy hop like Amarillo.

Misguided.

Thanks to Chris for bringing this back from Stockholm.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 09:30:31 | More by StJamesGate

chinchill

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle served in pint glass

Pours a cloudy copper brown with modest off white sudsy head. Decent retention.

This Swedish brew uses American Amarillo hops but certainly is not like any American IPA I've had. There's a substantial roasted malt component in taste together with fruity hops and a bit of yeast. Terrible example of an Amer. Style IPA, but once I got past this I was able to enjoy the rich, earthy and unusual flavor combo., and smooth, fairly full body.

A malt-lovers IPA?

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 13:50:47 | More by chinchill

brentk56

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a rocky head that leaves some splashy lace

Smell: Hints of toffee and pine

Taste: Up front, the malts lay down an earthy, toffee-influenced backbone that has a mineral aspect to it; by mid-palate, the piney hop element adds a bit of bitterness but, after the swallow, the hop character recedes and allows the malts to dominate the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Pleasant enough but not particularly exciting; hard to know whether this is fresh given the origin and lack of dating, but my guess is that the hops have really faded

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 01:03:15 | More by brentk56

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The bottle I have has an entirely different purple label than the one depicted here, and is called 'India Pale Ale', but, whatever...

This beer pours a slightly hazy medium orange amber colour, with two fingers of foamy ecru head, which leaves some random swaths of lace around the glass as it falls away. It smells of sweet toffee malt, fruity citrus, and leafy hops. The taste is fruity, biscuity malt, and mild floral, citrusy hops. The carbonation is quite subdued, the body light, crisp, and lean. It finishes a bit off-dry, the bready sweetness countered somewhat by the earthy, leafy hops.

Despite the ode to American influence on the label, what we got here is much more of an old world, British rendition of the style, if only a bit more pungent than the normal UK noble effort.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 02:13:52 | More by biboergosum

jrallen34

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

11.2oz bottle into a tulip glass.

The beer pours a darkish orange with a nice three finger head but falls quickly, not much retention...The aroma is super malty with tons of caramel on the front with a touch of alcohol, and little grassy hops...The taste is super boring just keeps about half the caramel and not hops at all, flavor is almost dead. Feel is ok, boring to drink.

Nothing to see here, no taste, not worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 15:04:47 | More by jrallen34

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I'm confused on this one. The label mentions American IPAs and Amarillo hops, but on here it's English IPA. In the end, though, it doesn't fit either. Perhaps a blend...
Pours nicely. copper, light and clear body topped with a wonderful head; rocky and chunky, good lacing.
Aroma is malt strong and earthy. Hops are a bit fruity, but not much. Quite disappointed as the balance just isn't.
Average flavor. Yeah, it tastes good, and it drinks well, just not hoppy enough. The bite is weak, and the sweet malt becomes and earthy mess and reminds me of twigs. Hmm..
But it drank well.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 06:08:19 | More by Mebuzzard

niklas0770

Sweden

3.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An amber/redish color with a small head makes this beer look inviting and desirable to me. Calmness is a word that strikes me.

The smell is very nice with lots of hops, a flower-like sweetness and hints of crispbread.

The taste goes in the same theme as the smell. Lots of hops (not like in american IPA's, but still a significant presence). The sweetness is not as apparent as in the smell, but it still plays it's role, and does so quite well. The crispbread is much clearer than I remembered it to be and contributes with a dry aftertaste. I also get hints of lemon peel.

The mouthfeel is not extrem in any way, qutie low carbonated, a bit dry as mentioned earlier but all in all it's a very balanced beer wich gives it a 4 in drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 20:40:37 | More by niklas0770

rarbring

Sweden

4.13/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A clear orange amber beer with a thick off-white head leaving lots of lacing.

The smell has nice citric aromas - bitter orange, but also pine and wet grass, some bread notes and a hint of syrup.

The taste is a bit more on the sweet site, caramel and raisins, but well balanced with acid, lemon and oranges, and bitterness.

Medium carbonated, a refreshing feel, possibly a bit oily.

In all a very good well balanced EIPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 18:44:46 | More by rarbring

WesWes

New York

3.2/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy dark golden/amber color with virtually no head and some bubbles lingering on the sides of the glass. The aroma is good. It has a solid malt bill of pale and Carapils malts; even some light crystal/bisquit as well. The hop nose is good. It's bitter, but nothing over the top. The taste is average. It's weak and watery with some lackluster hop character. There is little body also. It does have some crystal malt and bisquit flavors. but they too seem watered down. THe mouthfeel is terrible. It is a medium bodied beer with less than adequate carbonation. I think it's possible I may have gotten a bad bottle, but I'm not interested enough to go back for seconds.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2009 02:01:51 | More by WesWes

zeff80

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, bubbly, orange amber color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. It left a little streaky, trails of white lace.

S - It smelled grassy and earthy. It also had a sweet malty nose.

T - Nice piney hops with a grassy flavor. It has a nice burnt toast maltiness.

M - It was crisp and very sharp. A medium bodied beer with a dry finish.

D - This is a very nice "English" IPA. The pine flavor is more of an American style, but overall it works and is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 02:50:27 | More by zeff80

erz316

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 floz bottle into old speck pint glass

A - a fairly vigorous pour makes about one fingers of lightly cream-orange coloured head. the body is a bright amber/ dark orange colour. slightly turbid and completely diaphanous. what little foam there is lats about 3-4 minutes and leaves some dotted lacing.

S - an IPA? Really? where are all of the amarillo hops? I smell a slight trace, a miniscule vestige of what an IPA should be. more hops are desperately needed

T - this is odd, the malts play a bigger role than the hops! the initial taste a light bitterness, something one would expect from a non-hop dominated amber ale or some sort of brew besides an ipa. the initial taste is slight bitterness, a bit of grapefruit, and a big malt body holding the whole shindig up. the finish is no more bitter but slightly more malty, having a bit of a musty or really grainy taste. the aftertaste is slightly sweet but mostly a mild bitterness.

MF&D - everything needs to be pumped up: carbonation, body, hops, just put this boy on some steroids and we might have a decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 22:34:24 | More by erz316