[BW] Beer Blog

Brewery: Nøgne Ø
Style: Barley Wine
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A- (Community)
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.9 (98th percentile)
Serving: Imperial Pint-sized Bottle

*Gasp!* That’s right, folks. I’ve finally gotten around to posting a new beer review! I apologize about the few month gap in there, but things got pretty hectic and I just didn’t have much drive to review beer. Sure I had some great beers in that time, but I just wasn’t moved for some reason. Well that time has passed and I hope to post somewhat regularly again.

Today’s brew is Nøgne Ø’s #100 Barley Wine. This comes from the same Norwegian brewery that has continued to impress me time after time. In celebration of their 100th batch, Nøgne Ø decided to pull out all stops and brew a barley wine. Here’s what they have to say:

Our 100th batch, brewed for the enjoyment of the brewers, but popular demand forced us to release it commercially. This malty, yet light bodied ale has a massive hop bitterness. Most enjoyable in a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fire.

I may not have a roaring fire going on, but I do have a rather bright computer monitor. Let’s hope this is an acceptable substitute.

Appearance: Very dark caramel color with a couple fingers worth of tan head. Pours rather creamy compared to other barley wines. Not a whole lot of light gets through either.

Smell: Typical sweet aroma as with most English-style barley wines. Hughes of caramel, apple, and maybe roasted hazelnuts? I can’t quite put my finger on that last one.

Taste: Wow, definitely unique for a barley wine. Some of the typical English barley wine tastes are there, but the mouthfeel and overall experience is much closer to a cream stout. Definitely hues of roasted nuts, caramel, and even a little chocolate. By far the most innovative effort I’ve tried when it comes to barley wines.

Overall this is a very unique and incredibly delicious barley wine. Nøgne Ø continues to impress me with yet another world-class ale. Pick this up if you’re a fan of both barley wines and darker ales such as stouts or brown ales. Pass on this if you’re not on ales with heavier alcohol or prefer American-style barley wines as there is absolutely no citrus in this one. I’d also recommend finding a roaring fire. A computer monitor just isn’t the same.

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