Breakfast Beer Tasting: Nøgne Ø God Jul

With the summer (hopefully) soon upon us, what better way than to start the day with a Porter. This is a Porter from the very well-renowned Norwegian brewer Nøgne. It’s 8.5% by alcohol and has 30 IBU. It poured very dark with a good tan head. The aroma was cocoa and dark malts. There was also a hint of the fruit tang that goes along with the big C hops.

The taste was rich with a smooth-medium mouthfeel. You soon forget it’s 8.5%. There’s lots of caramel and dark chocolate malt. There’s also some of the sweetness you might expect, but it’s very well balanced by a clever combination of those infamous C hops. You’re getting some Christmas spice and then a nice tart finish.

Perhaps not the best summer session beer, but this really is excellent. Complex, with lots of flavour and a good finish mark this out as a class act.