Merry Christmas

It is Christmas Day, and here at Beer Sagas we would like to wish all readers of this blog a very Merry Christmas.

With Christmas there are also the traditional Christmas beers. Here in Norway the strongest beers are sold at the state owned liquor outlet, Vinmonopolet. There are also beers that are available in supermarkets and shops, but these beers have less than 4.7% alcohol. I have written about some of this year's weaker Christmas beers in this post.

Most Norwegian breweries make Christmas beers, and the beers from the largest breweries are usually available in 0.33 litre bottles. I have tried some of them, and my favourite among the Norwegian Christmas beers from the macros is Aass brewery's Premium Juleøl. This is a fullbodied, sweet delight with fruity aromas both in the nose and in the mouth. A great beer at 9% alcohol that made me think of the supreme X33 beer I tried at U Medvidku in Prague earlier this year.


The craft breweries also have their offerings available at Vinmonopolet. I have seen both Nissefar and Nissemor from Haandbryggeriet, and my bottle of Nissefar is waiting for consumption. Nøgne Ø has had several beers for sale this Christmas. The traditional Christmas beers God Jul and Underlig Jul have been supplemented by the Special Holiday Ale, which is a collaboration between Nøgne Ø and two American breweries. I have had two bottles of this beer in November, and it was a truly good beer.

Unfortunately I never made any tasting notes, and since late November this excellent beer has not been available in any of the Vinmonopolet outlets I have visited. Some outlets are also out of Underlig Jul and God Jul. I have tried a bottle of Underlig Jul. It was quite enjoyable, but it was not as good as Special Holiday Ale.

And what are my opinions on God Jul then? Well, it is also a good beer, but when I drank it head to head with Special Holiday Ale it fell through. That says a lot about Special Holiday Ale, as God Jul is an excellent beer as well. In the glass Nøgne Ø's God Jul is a very dark fullbodied beer with no carbonation. The head is offwhite and small. The beer has a sweet nose. There is some caramel and hints of coffee. In the mouth there is some cloves. The aftertaste makes the hops kick in, and it is somewhat bitter but also some sweetness. I really like this beer, but it is a beer to be enjoyed in small sips with its 8.5% alcohol.

Ægir brewery of Flåm is also supposed to be available at Vinmonopolet. I have not found it so far in bottles, but the Kontoret pub in Bergen sells it on tap right now together with among others Old Speckeled Hen. Ægir Juleøl has a cloudy amber colour in the glass. There is a large head, but there is very little carbonation. The beer feels balanced with some sweetness and bitterness in the aftertaste. It is a good beer, and in the mouth it also has hints of honey. I would not consider this a Christmas beer, but it is labelled as one. The price? 106 NOK at Kontoret, which is about 12 EUR or 12 GBP.

Christmas in October

As Christmas is getting closer, I will taste some of the Norwegian Christmas beers, juleøl. First out is a tasting of three Christmas beers with less than 4.7% alcohol, which are beers that can be sold in Norwegian supermarkets.

Ringnes is the largest brewery in Norway, and their Ringnes Juleøl is brewed at 4.5% alcohol. Poured into the glass, the beer is coppercoloured and has a medium sized head that dissolves rather quickly. There is little carbonation, and in the nose I can feel some burntness and hints of caramel. In the mouth there is some sweetness, hints of malts, a semibitter finish and a watery feeling. This is a nice beer that easily could be sold in Norway as a Bayer, a beer brewed in the Bavarian style. I would anyway have preferred it to be a more filling beer. By the way: Ringnes Juleøl is also available in 0.33 litre bottles.

Grans is one of Norway's traditional breweries, and it was founded in 1899. The Sandefjord brewery has a distribution deal with the largest supermarket chain, Rema 1000, and thus their beers are available all over the country. Grans' beers are among the cheaper ones in Norway, and there are some of them that I do not like.

Grans Bare Jul is at the stronger mark for its style at 4.7% alcohol. It is much paler than the Ringnes beer in colour, and it could be mistaken for a golden lager at the first glance. The head is more compact, but it disappears nearly as fast as the Ringnes Juleøl. There is very little carbonation, and the same can be said about the nose. I can feel more or less nothing. In the mouth I feel this is a boring beer. It is dominated by a metallic aftertaste, which could be the can's fault. Actually there is nothing that can keep up with the comments on the can that promises a beer full of taste. If so, it was not commenting on the beer in my can!

Hansa Juleøl is one of several Christmas offerings from the Hansa brewery this year. It is an amber beer with little carbonation and a little head. The nose has some caramel, but it is less exciting than the Ringnes Juleøl. Just like Ringnes there is a watery feeling, but there is also some maltyness and toffee. A metallic presence is also found here, but it is not as dominating as in the Grans Bare Jul. This is an OK effort from Hansa, but I prefer for instance the Hansa Bayer to this beer. Like Ringnes Juleøl, Hansa Juleøl is also available in 0.33 litre bottles.

The best of these three Christmas beers is Ringnes Juleøl. It will fall through compared to the stronger beers that will debut at Vinmonopolet next week, but so far it will probably be one of the better offers in the Norwegian supermarkets. But of course: There are more Christmas beers available in Norway than these ones. And here at Beer Sagas we will take the challenge and try more of them.

Christmas time is here again

Sort of. Here in Norway the supermarkets have already started selling juleøl, Christmas beers. The Norwegian Christmas beers are dark or amber brews, and they are sold in various strengths. In ordinary shops, you can only find beers with an alcohol content below 4.7%. The stronger beers are available at Vinmonopolet, the stately monopoly for wines and liquor. You can also find them in various bars from November to January, and now and then even from tap.


Ringnes brewery is the largest in Norway, and this year they will in addition to their own juleøl also sell Tuborg and Carlsberg Christmas beers brewed on licence. The Tuborg can has a new design this year, by the way.

Hansa-Borg is the second largest brewery group in Norway, and they will at least have two Christmas beers available in supermarkets. On the picture you can see Hansa Juleøl and Hansa Julebrygg. The second one is supposed to have had a very long period of lagering.

Next week Vinmonopolet will start selling Christmas beers. I have not seen this year's list of beers so far, but I have heard that there will at least be juleøl from Nøgne Ø and Haandbryggeriet together with some Danish offerings and the usual Christmas beers from the Norwegian macro breweries.

The Three Word Challenge

Earlier this week, Velky Al has posted several three word challenges on his blog Fuggled. Here he tries to describe beers in three words. Of course such a challenge needs to be followed up, and here is my attempt.

I have chosen to write about two Norwegian Christmas beers, Hansa Juleøl and Ringnes Juleøl. These are seasonal offerings that probably are sold out right now. Both are in the strong cathegory with about 6.5% alcohol and were only available for sale at the stately outlet Vinmonopolet.

Hansa Juleøl: Dark, halfbitter, flat.

Ringnes Juleøl: Red, sweeter, strong.