After many notes being written and many a beer consumed, this blog finally saw the light of day late 2013.
A lot has happened in the scene since I started working on this blog. With so many exiting brews & breweries, an increasement in popularity (at least in Europe that is), and let’s not forget- possibly the most interesting of the lot, the homebrewers. It’s simply so much to taste, so many to get accuainted to, that it should be no wonder if there is types that you won’t find here… (Yet). Still; I will try to be as productive as I can allow myself to on this front (Santa, I’d like 30 hour long days for this Xmas!) and include what beers I taste, with my opinion about it etc.
It seems that the more I learn about beer, the more I realize how much more knowledge that I lack about it… But hey, that’s part of what is about to change, part of the mission. Hope you can find it/some of it entertaining (perhaps even interesting?) in a way or another. Oh, and PS: Feel free to leave a comment in the comment-field.
Amber red in looks, with small signs of carbonation. Nose is clearly distinct fruity. Taste is quick sweet inteo followed by subtle smokey vibes. Lightbodied and shortlasting- still nice tasting.
OSLO BREWING «Cabin Ale» (%) 4/6
Dark brown esthetics, nice bubbly head. Coffeish on the nose. Nutty, smoked followed by delicious sweet brown toffeish candy sugar- all culminating in a sweet & bitter «fight» in the end. Delicious!
RINGNES «Juleøl Sterk» (6,3%) 5/6
Shines beautifully brown through the glass with creamy head. Deliciously nut and OAK in the nose. Medium-bodied, superb balance. Rustique, rye bread and nutty intro, which slides smoothly into sweet malty middle witch in turn adjusts to a delicate tobacco-woody bitter ending. Smoother than any years before this year.
HANSA «Julebrygg» (4,7%) 4/6
Breaks the lightbeam beautifully red with much foam to top. Very wort/malty/nutty aroma with distinct woody notes. Fruity, then sweet, much bread, lightbodied. Highly balanced and suitably subtle hoppiness. Very nice, long aftertaste.
BORG «Juleøl» (6,5%) 4/6
So dark that it is non-transparent and creamy small head poured. Nose of dried fruit and roasted malts. Fruity taste too, with coffee coming through without being overly dominating. Lightbodied for its ABV to be- but without creating much disturbance in the balance, just a little sharp sting to it in the late stages. Smooth sweet aftertaste rounding off.
E.C. DAHLS «Juleøl» (6%) 5/6
Murky amber, pouring great head to top. Nose sends assocciations towards sweet toffee-notes, wintery snow crystals and traditional Xmas’y vibes. As for taste? Refreshing, at the same time as it shows mateurity, caramel & Sweet chocolaty elements, entangled in a super-balanced hoppy veil. Long aftertaste emphazising the sweet side again towards the end. Brilliant.
BERENTSEN «JOL» (4.7%) 4/6
Let’s slowly kick off the Xmas ball of 2023! Brownish-red, with beautiful white head to nach. Clean and structured nose of dark fruits and malts. Body is light to medium, taste enhances the fruityness. Balanced and a bit exciting (stemming from the use of the Norwegian type of yeast, Kveik. Long-lasting for its low ABV to be, and a definite pairing for foods.
SAGENE «Hvit Jul» (0%) 3/6 (2023)
Malty-yeasty nose. Lots of bubbly action. Light in colour as mouthfeel which is light bodied. Quite sweet, but a decent alternative.
SAGENE «Rød Jul» (4.7%) 3/6 (2023)
Red’ish colour pouring nice white head. Subtle fruity nose. Great carbonation, light bodied. Also light in taste, but will pair gently with most foods or just on it’s own. Shortlived aftertaste.
SAGENE «Sterk jul» (6.5%) 5/6
Beautiful nose, rich in figs, old basement and a lightly spiced feel.
Burnt dark malty taste with medium mouthfeel and superb balance. Nice bubbles and delicious rounded deep sweet features in focus. A definite will drink again this year.
Golden looks, and without any sign of carbonation, the nose is what becomes exciting here at first… highly fruit driven from the get-go, with orange zest, mandarins- a citrus bomb is what we’ve got here. The low levels of bubbly action doesn’t really bother me at all, the fruitful (without being overly sweet in any way) core here is pretty damn good. Far into it, the bitter hops is contributing strongly. Very nice.
HANSA «Vinterlys» (4.7%) 4/6
Nose is clearly mandarin/clementine, deliciously oozing of sweet fruityness. The citrus fruit & wheat really comes into play here when describing the taste-section. Almost Juicy-like, albeit thinner. Little carbonation, lots of taste.
7FJELL «Lys Juleøl» (4.7%) 4/6
What is this? Un-Xmas’y thing, being all blonde’n that… well, i’ll tell you what it is though: highly exciting. With notes of orange, coriander, and other seasonal artifacts, I must admit I’m excited. The Orange and mandarins really comes into play when the beer hits the palate, with suitable levels of carbonation. Light and delicate. Smooth!
OSLO BREWING «Multekrem» 4/6
Nose is wheat and orange. Really bubbly cream ale this! But also very well adjusted from the last version ofcit that I had. Lots of Mandarin and orange in centre, after a swift, Sweet introduction. Smooth & nice 😋
HAANDBRYGGERIET «Nissefar 2023» (7%) 4/6
Darkness in the glass… the spirit sets in. Nose is subtle and fruity. Mediumbodied. Lightly carbonated, taste of roasted coffee, chocomalts, dark grains/rye bread and suitably hoppyness. Smooth on the palate, velvety texture. Longlasting with slight heat/power from the alcohol.
BORG «Juleøl» (4,6%) 3/6
Dark ruby with heavy malty nose of wort. Dried seasonal fruit. Creamy head poured. Lightbodied, refreshing and subtle in appearance. Notes of roasted nuts and slight bitter hoppy vibe. Nice and easy light-weighter.
HANSA «Julebrygg» (6.5%) 4/6
Dark red/golden brew, creamy head on top. Superfruity nose with some nutty seabreeze to it. Well carbonated, clean and smooth profile. Medium body. Tastes of wood, freshness, lots of bitterness a little over midway. Close to no sweetness.
FRYDENLUND «Juleøl 2023» (4.6%) 4/6
Murky and red, this mystical beverage tempts. Little foam, lightly caramelly & floral nose. Tastewise it’s really delicious too- with sweet and fruit-malty notes followed by surprisingly amounts of bitterness for the light ABV to be. Quick but great aftertaste.
FREDRIKSTAD «Juleøl 2023» (4.5%) 3/6
Golden, dark red-brown looks w/inviting creamy head. Nose is wort-driven: Straight down in that good ol’basement. I also find dates. Low but good carbonation, lightstruck tasteprofile consisting of some classic Xmas beer mash, fruity subtle hints. easy drinking, light-bodied beverage with short aftertaste.
BORG «Juleøl» (6.5%) 5/6
Shines beautifully red in the glass, topped by smooth head. Subtle caramelly nose with toffee hints. Superb balance, quite sweet middle. Deliciously hoppy, fresh and balanced. Mature and tasty.
Guess what colour it is? Correct, Red is the answer. (Writing that down now)
Floral, foresty nose. Ooohhh! And the taste… Pommegranade, piney nose,low carbonationlevels. Highly hoppified! Very nice indeed. Big taste, lots of dinension to it. Superb & exciting.
RINGNES «Julebokk» (9%) 6/6
This one is always looked forward to with great excitement. One of my top 5 Norwegian X-mas beers for this season.
So, How does the 2023 vintage hold up?
Well, by the look it is the same as usual: Dark to the extent that transparency is hard. Nose: worty, dark fruits. Suitable bubbles. And taste? Deep and massive, heavy! Not so thick/dense, just really big body and super taste: Balance, sweetness (not overly), figs, wood, hoppy- the whole chebang’s here. Suuuper- and this year’s definetely no exception.
CB «Juleøl» (6.5%) 3/6
Dark red w/cream top, sweet caramelly nose. Classic, malty mildly hopped seasonal beer. Mature taste, medium to light texture. Nice one.
7FJELL “Gøy Juleøl» (4.7%) 4/6
Woah… this sure doesn’t look like your typichal Xmas beer. Dark as night, nose of coffee, milk chocolate and molasses.
As for the taste: Small good carbonation, medium to light body, quick milk chocolaty, slightly spice-infused flirt before bitter coffee sets in towards the end and lingers.
OSLO BREWING «Strikketid» (4.7%) 4/6
It’s a yellow straw-like blonde by looks, with lots of carbonation (even though I have made a mistake of freezing the beer)
😅 still, great fruity nose of cut grass.
Super taste of weed, earth and biscuit.
Medium bodied texture and longlasting farmhouse taste.
DAHLS “Juleøl» (4.5%) 4/6
Amber colour and lots of bubbles. Nose is vague. Taste is a bit anonymous in the start, but gives a proper bitter sting quite soon. Could be a beer to pair well with most dishes and to re-visit multiple times during the season.
DAHLS «Julebrygg» (4.5%) 5/6
Clean, beautiful brown transparent beverage. Nose reminiscent of wet basement and malts. Taste is ever so clean: With a lot of malty drapery, and a super-sophisticated hoppy sting midway. Mild, but easy.
EIK&TID «Skrekkelig Jul» (%) 4/6
Deliciously shining red in glass. Notes of red sour fruits. Also really balanced out in terms of sweetness, but absolutely leaving space for the Aquavit to break through.
OSLO BREWING «Citrus Christmas» (4.7%) 4/6
Straw/autumn grass-like in colour with mild citrus nose. Superbly carbonated. Lemony subtle notes with cut grass, all in a suitable light manner in order to pair with it’s intentioned foodpairing: Seafood/fish. Would have worked as well in summer as during Christmas.
EIK&TID «Syrlig jul» (5%) 3/6
I’ve had this before, still excited to try it yet again. The beverage itself has a straw-yellow colour to it, and nose reminiscent of lime & pickles (which for some is barely ok in beer- not in food and vice versa). A little acidic sour at first, then distinct pickles, leaving little room for anything else. Nice for its style though- that must be said.
Very dark looks, pouring a creamy, nice head. Nose detecting Yule-spices, pastry and dark bread. Medium to light body. Good carbonation and bitter hoppysting. Mature oaky edge.
NØGNE Ø «Norsk jul» (8%) 5/6
Murky brown visuals is what we’re faced with here. A special nose here, exciting indeed: fruity notes (even as served cold) and some exciting spicy contents. Taste reflects more distinctly a subtle acidity/farmhouse-like vibe, grassy and juniper. Medium to fullbodied, the Kveik yeast works wonders in here and covers pretty much any Trace of honey. As the beer is tempered, the more rustique ending rounds off this great beverage.
NØGNE Ø «Ekstra God Jul 2022» (15.5%) 5/6
This monster of a powerbomb is one that I look tremendously forward to every year. Since the first time and they said it was absolutely splendid, never to disappoint. So what have we got here? Well, it’s last year vintage. Boozy & fruity on the nose, fullbodied beer. The way this have evolved, the licorice playing the main role now. I cannot recall it being like this last year when I had it. Still, a good strong powerhouse of the Xmas portfolio of Nøgne Ø. Powerful- yet tasty and great.
FREDRIKSTAD «Juleøl» (6.5%) 4/6
Very dark in looks. Deep vineous nose of dried red fruit and cellar. Medium body with super balance, subtly bubbled. Dry in the beginning, complex profile with strong bitter end. Very good.
RINGNES «Juleøl LITE» (4.3%) 3/6
Shining light brown in glass, showing lots of carbonation. Nose is highly spice-driven; with hints of anice/licorice being dominant. The beer itself is quite lightbodied, which reflects in the taste-section. Here there’s little resistance- even from the nose detections. Lightbodied and quite anonymous… a bit too bland for my liking.
E.C. DAHLS «Juleøl» (6%) 4/6
Superbly carbonated, amber colour- beautiful head to match. Incredibly delicates fruity notes of figs and caramel. Mouthfeel carries a medium to lightbodied profile, fruityness followed by short sweet middle before a proper bitter ending sets in. Strength from alcohol does not disturb, but rather gives the beer a helping hand. Very nice.
TUBORG «Juleøl 2023» (4.5%) 5/6
Red-transparent in glass with small head to top. Lightly caramelised nose. Light-bodied with small bubbles. Great sweet intro, fruit-driven middle section rounded off by a light flirt of bitterness- all in the uttermost delicately balanced executed way. A prototype of it’s kind in a way. This I may drink to pair with food as well as have 4-5 more afterwards.
FRYDENLUND «Juleøl 2023» (4.6%) 3/6
Very subtle wort’ish nose. Quite thin body & lightly carbonated- still, clear and clean taste. Vague neuances of fruiyness and ronded hint of bitterness at the end.
DAHLS «Julebrygg 2023» (4.6%) 4/6
Amber-brown, malty delicious nose. Delicately carbonated, full taste here. Medium to light body, subtly hopped & sweetened. Refreshing yet seasonal vibe. Definite re-visit this year.
7 FJELL «Falalalalator» (8%) 5/6
Pours beautifully Ddark brown in glass, with a perfect head to match. Nose is very delicate: orange, spices and old cellar. Taste is a short sweet bliss at first, quickly followed by a hint of licorice/anis and muuucho dark roasted coffee. It all culminates in a long, balanced, bitter ending. Very very nice indeed.
BERENTSEN «The Holy Bock 2023» (%) 6/6
Dep brownish-red colour, creamy top. Super-inviting nose of nutty, toffee and date features, woody draping. Mouthfeel is medium, taste is packed with caramelly burnt notes, vanilla and bourbon finish. One of the better bock’s I’ve had.
OSLO BREWING «Same Procedure» (6,5%) 4/6
Another of this year’s Xmas beers from Oslo brewing, and a Bock this time. I’m a fan of the style and thus anticipation are there for this amber beverage in my glass… Nose is fruity and malty, dominated by nutty vibes and caramel. Body is medium with a distinct sweet centre, with lots of carbonation (not too much though). Rounded off by by a nice hoppy finish.
Right, it’s that time of the year again that we all love so much. There is every foodie’s season, then social souls’ dreamtime with get-together’s and what not. And- lest we forget: The season of the year when so many exciting variants from all over the country.
That being said: Let’s get down and gritty with the first round, consisting of 10 of them. 🍻
The next beers will be added consecutively.
-A-
MACK “Juleøl LITE» (4,5%) 3/6
Lightstruck nose, but fruity and refreshing taste in this (not surprisingly) lightbodied beer. Nice suitable hops-bitterness to, light and easy-drinking.
EIK&TID “Jule III” (6,3%) 6/6
Yellow, orange visuals, topped with a great foamy head. Nose is vinegar and pickles. Wow! The taste is highly piney, shining brilliantly through the acidity here. (Which is spinetingeling!) This might not be your average typical Xmas beer, but what the heck… I love it! Perfectly balanced with sour mash, overripe sour fruits, somewhat woody hints, superb carbonation and a long, delicate aftertaste. Medium to fullbodied mouthfeel. Superb.
HANSA «Juleøl 2023» (4.7%) 4/6
Beautiful, red colour with a big head when poured. Nose is extremely mild/nonexistent. Mouthfeel/body is light, refreshingly bubbly. Soubtle notes of spice, albeit quite watery. Also the hops kinda shines through at the later stages. Easygoing thirst quencher.
HAAND «Nissemor» (6%) 5/6
Beautiful, red colour with a big head when poured. Nose is extremely mild/nonexistent. Mouthfeel/body is light, refreshingly bubbly. Soubtle notes of spice, albeit quite watery. Also the hops kinda shines through at the later stages. Easygoing thirst quencher.
Oaky nose, dark brown visually. Pours small creamy head, medium bodied texture. Great carbonation. A somewhat nutty, fruity middle, followed by caramelly outro. Very nice indeed, will revisit.
GREVENS JULECIDER (4.7%) 3/6
Smells of Xmas soda pop. Tastes of Champagne sodapop blend with white wine. Highly sweet- for those into that kinda thing.
OSLO BREWING «Holiday Heat» (4.6%) 4/6
Nose easily detects chocolaty notes and wet basement. A tad of smokey vibes emerges as well. Taste is lightly bitter and sour, with chili in the aftertaste. Light-bodied with great carbonation, this chocolate&chili porter.
OSLO BREWING «Voksenjulebrus» (6%) 4/6
Highly fruity, the associations of sweet pink fluff candy emerges. Loads of bubbly action, soda pop-like body. Sweet taste with a sourish end. Funny Xmas alternative, quite nice.
NORDLANDSBRYGGERIET «Juleøl 2023» (4.5%) 3/6
This beauty has got a delicious burgundy colour to it which is highly inviting. Also pours a nice creamy head. Knows it’s Delish: caramelly malty, a tad woody and fruit. Light bodied, refreshing and mild- a bit short lasting, but still a great alternative to quench the thirst with all those Xmas meals.
MACK «God jul 2023» (6.5%) 5/6
Dark & sweet nose of wort, honey, raisins and oak. Great carbonation, fullbodied superb mouthfeel. Balanced.
ÆGIR «Snøblonde» (4.7%) 4/6
This Belgian blonde ale is Golden yellow-brownish visually with a nose of spice & wheat. Tastewise its refreshing, lightbodied, has got that definite Belgian vibe to it- and with a portion of goodwill- a very, very mild hint of Xmas spirit. Tasty? Indeed.
Let’s slowly kick off the Xmas ball of 2023! Brownish-red, with beautiful white head to nach. Clean and structured nose of dark fruits and malts. Body is light to medium, taste enhances the fruityness. Balanced and a bit exciting (stemming from the use of the Norwegian type of yeast, Kveik. Long-lasting for its low ABV to be, and a definite pairing for foods.
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while now. Well- tonight’s the night!
This thick Barleywine pours beautifully in glass, with nice big bubbles. Amazing oaky nose of barrel. Thick, dense body, superb mouthfeel.
Further on: Amazing taste explotion with a clean profile, enhancing the Jamaican rum barrel. Glamorously suitable heat stemming from 15 years on it too. Sweet, caramel, figs and chocolate, withvsuper-smooth maple features. Delicious! Perfectly edged, not too sharp rum-finish. Damn guys, this is- as wifey pointed out: Norway’s answer to Anchorage. Friggin’ amazing.
This classic always gets me excited. This, however, gets me even more going as it is a part of the Kaggen-series.
Visually it’s as expected: Black with a beautiful creamy small head on top. Nose is heavily dominated by coffee (at least in the beginning, as it’s cold yet, also honey, , distinct aroma.
so; let’s get down to the biz of taste…
mouthfeel is medium heavy. For a short while, there’s an chocolaty-orientated intro, hints of tobacco, oak-barrel, whisky-spices and bitterness of the finest kind. Smooth & well-balanced, this Swedish pride again shows old-school brews from its absolutely best side. Gorgeous and delicious.
It’s Saturday! A great day to try out a new stout. I miss time, why not go for one from inside the country- more precisely the town Bodø?
Bådin hails from up north. Today what we are faced with is a more so classic stout. It har reflections of reddish vibes visually, pouring ligh head. The actual taste is a little bitter stemming from coffee, with distinct licorice-tones. There’s much roast and little sweetness in here. Mouthfeel is light to medium. All in all: A straight one of it’s kind.
Time to share some thoughts about a refreshing glass of beer! Today we have a Swedish IPA at hand- one from a relatively new brewery I suppose… At least I haven’t seen this around.
Yellow-golden colour. Great head poured- pineapple, citrus and on the nose. As for taste? Let’s get down to it: great carbonation-levels with small bubbles, providing lots of room for the hops. Nothing dominant really, but the somewhat lightstruck body emphasizes the bitter notes for sure. Decent everyday IPA.
After many notes being written and many a beer consumed, this blog finally saw the light of day late 2013.
