Pours brownish-red with a 'milky coffee' coloured head. The beer smells festive, with a chocolate, caramel and cinnamon nose. Chocolate runs all the way through the taste and reminds me a lot of Young's Double Chocolate Stout (not yet reviewed). Initial sweet chocolate, roast coffee, oak and mint notes are soon overcome by a stinging American pine (perhaps Christmas fir or Norwegian spruce would be more fitting metaphors?) hop aroma that bleeds through. The malt and hop mix is visceral and both components wage war on the palate. The hop aroma comes across more plainly that the bitterness. The finish is resinous, long and yet velvet-smooth, with hints of vanilla and cream. Deeply warming alcohol is felt at the end. The beer is firm and full bodied throughout.
God Jul roughly translates as Merry Christmas so as you can guess, this is one of Nøgne Ø's Christmas beers. It can be thought of as a winter warmer or porter; possibly even a stout. Its a complex beer which seems to defy bracketing. A perfect Christmas beer that would have been a great partner to the Anchor Christmas Ale 2011 I drank last christmas.
- MALTS: lager, munich, caramel, black, chocolate
- HOPS: CHINOOK, COLUMBUS, CENTENNIAL
- IBU: 30
- ABV: 8.5%`
- BOTTLE-CONDITIONED
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