Appearance

The Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale comes in a tall bottle with the Ø brewery symbol on the bottle cap. The label on the bottle is quite simple, with just a large gold Ø symbol, the brewery name and Imperial Brown Ale underneath. The beer itself pours a dark cloudy brown with a fluffy white head.

Aroma

Some fantastic aromas off this Imperial Brown Ale with toasted brown sugar, and a syrupy bourbon sweetness.

Flavor

The first few sips are large boozy notes, then some hoppy, piney bitterness that evolves into syrupy bourbon sweetness. As the Imperial Brown Ale warms up, and my palate acclimates to the booze forward profile, each sip is creamy sweet, with mild bitterness and then the bourbon notes.

Balance

The balance is fairly average here as the booze forward flavors hit you, and then completely drops off to reveal the sugary bourbon notes. The balance does improve as the beer warms up.

Finish

Each sip finishes with piney hops, and then sweet syrupy bourbon notes.

Overall

I’ve had a number of expressions from Nøgne Ø in the past, and it’s rapidly becoming an easy blind buy option. The Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale has booziness that dominates the palate, but the beer does evolve into more complexity as it warms up.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

N/A

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale