Sunday, December 5, 2010

Christmas and Nøgne Ø

It is getting nearer and nearer to Christmas. Here in Norway the days are short and the temperatures on a freezing level. It is a good time to be inside drinking dark beers.

Kontoret is a good place for beer drinkers in the city centre of Bergen. At the moment, Kontoret has two rotating taps focusing on beers from Nøgne Ø and Ægir. It is exciting visiting Kontoret, as you never know what beers you will find on the taps.

This week I was back at Kontoret. A smiling and helpful waitress told me that two Christmas beers were available: Ægir's Juleøl and Nøgne Ø's God Jul. I have tried both from bottle, and my favourite was God Jul. Therefore I chose to try the Christmas beer from Nøgne Ø this time around.

In the glass Nøgne Ø's God Jul was a nearly black beer with no carbonation and the tiniest head. Just like from bottles, the draught beer version had a nose with malts, hops and some toffee. The beer was served way too cold, and tastes of dark chocolate and coffee was present. From bottle at a higher temperature this was a rich and flavourful beer. The way it was served here, it was nearly boring. Next time around, I will have God Jul from bottle and not from tap. The price for a half litre of God Jul at Kontoret was 106 NOK, which is nearly 11 GBP.

A few weeks earlier I tried another Christmas beer from Nøgne Ø at Kontoret. Julesnadder was also a black beer. It was served with a small head and very little carbonation. In the nose there were aromas of toffee and some malt. In the mouth I felt coffee, a hint of licorice and a nice touch of sweetness before a finish where cold coffee took the lead. This is the Nøgne Ø's Christmas beer that is sold in shops, as it has an alcohol content of less than 4.7%. I liked it, and it is a very good alternativ to other Norwegian Christmas beers sold in shops if you can find it. I have not seen it the shops I frequent. The price for Julesnadder at Kontoret was 86 NOK for a half litre.

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