Rakfisk and Christmas

Berentsens and Atna are two of the smaller Norwegian breweries. I have not been very fond of the Atna beers I have tasted so far, and beers from Berentsens are new acquaintances for me.

I started out with a Christmas special from Berentsens. Berentsens Jule Avec is a black beer with 9% alcohol. In the glass it has some carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose I feel coffee and roasted nuts. The beer tastes of coffee, dark chocolate and some tobacco. This was a really good beer, and it is one of the best Christmas beer I have tasted this season.

In a Norwegian newspaper Atna's Øl til rakfisk was reviewed together with the ordinary Christmas beers. This is a beer brewed to be eaten with rakfisk, which is a Norwegian fish speciality. This is a cloudy beer with loads of carbonation. In the nose I felt yeast and pine. The beer had a watery taste with some yeast. The finish had a pinch of caramel and cold coffee. Unfortunately this was another boring beer from Atna.

Christmas beers revisited

When we reached 20 December, most Christmas beers were already sold out in Norwegian shops and the state owned alcohol outlets, Vinmonopolet. Especially the Christmas beers from craft breweries like Nøgne Ø, Haandbryggeriet and Ægir were sold out at Vinmonopolet early in December. If you want to be sure to have those Christmas beers at Christmas this year, it is a good idea buying them in November.

In early January I had three Christmas beers left in my fridge. One of them was Hansa Julebrygg. At 6.5% alcohol, this is the version sold at Vinmonopolet and not in shops. In the glass this was a dark and nearly black beer. It had very little carbonation and hardly a head. In the nose there was some toffee, while it tasted caramel and some cold coffee. It was an average Christmas beer, but it was the best Christmas beer from the Bergen based brewery.

Frydenlund Juleøl was the supermarket version with 4.7% alcohol. In the glass it had an amber colour and very much carbonation. It built a large head in the glass, and the beer had aromas of pears and malts. Tastewise this was a very good beer. In the mouth I felt a combination of apples, caramel and sweetness. Lovely!

From the little Atna brewery hails Atna øl til julemat. This is a beer brewed to be combined with Christmas food. In the glass this was an unclear beer with a brownish colour. There was a little carbonation, but nearly no head. In the nose there was some roastedness with a hint of toffee. The flavours were of caramel and yeast. This was a different Christmas beer, but I felt it was OK except for a watery finish.

Two from Atna

Atna Øl is one of Norway's smaller breweries. Until lately, I had never tried any of their beers. Atna's beers from bottles are often available in Norwegian pubs with a wide beer selection, but they are not very often found as draught beers.

Recently I came across some Atna beers at a supermarket for the first time. I wanted to try some new Norwegian beers, so both Atna Nakenbad and Atna Stabbursøl found their way into my trolley. Both beers are ecological beers.

First out was Atna Nakenbad, which translated into English means nude bathing. The label says that this is a beer with traces of wilderness. From the nose I found nothing wild except for a fruity aroma with a hint of strawberry. The beer was cloudy with a small head and nearly no carbonation. In the mouth there was very little taste before a finish with grains and some bitterness. I felt it was a different beer than what I am used to, but it will not become a favourite.

Atna Stabbursøl (English: grainary beer) was another cloudy beer with a small head. There was some carbonation, though. This beer is brewed by using only malts and hops, according to the bottle label. There was very little taste from the beer. I felt hint of hops, but otherwise this was a watery beer that I did not enjoy.