Beer – #120 – Nøgne Ø – India Pale Ale

Nøgne Ø – India Pale Ale. Brewed by Nøgne Ø this in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they get their groove on in Grimstad, Norway.

A rich, malty, and very bitter ale. Cascade hops provide a long, fruity, and spicy after-taste. Recommended serving temperature 10°C/50°F. Ideal with barbequed or smoked meat dishes.

Ingredients: Maris Otter, Munich, wheat and caramel malt; Chinook and Cascade hops; English ale yeast, and our local Grimstad water.

17.5° P, 60 IBU, 7.5 ABV, in a 500ml bottle (that’s about 3 standard drink units).

I remember enjoying the Two Captains Double IPA, so I’m inwardly quite excited. And because I’m a rebel this is the lad-in to a prawn curry. Go on have a word. It’s also the background to the Led Zeppelin LP that I’m playing. It’s all go here.

Traditional beer coloured beer, with a really nice head. A flash of hoppy aroma too. It’s a good start. The aroma tails off though to a dough/yeasty note, masking any hoppy that might have been there. The head dies away.

There is a lot of caramel sweet taste in this, not a lot of bitters that you could expect, they are there, but there but overshadowed somewhat. Expecting a bitter tasting tang and getting a malt warmth might put you off somewhat, but it’s nice.

Other tastes I get or think I get are a citrus and a soapy note. There is a melange of tastes going through this. making it difficult to get a real handle on what it’s trying to be or do.

In general though I think the sweetness of this makes it a bit odd, for an IPA it really does have a sweet tooth that’s not expected. It does take it back to being a beer that has a taste but no definition. The pdubyah-o-meter makes this one a 7 and 3/4 on it’s thing of things.

It might be that I misunderstand this Nogne Ø thing, they appear to have become every beer type available brewer, and not a fanciful in my head little place that turns out some class acts. That said I’m enjoying this less bitter IPA than the last beer I had, because sometimes the hops shouldn’t be the main event and the backing band. An easy beer to drink though, and that is a good thing.