Nøgne-Ø Porter

     Review Date 7/23/2007

In the early days of the American beer revolution, when microbrews were as scarce as hens’ teeth and only a handful of craft brewers dotted the landscape, asking a pioneering brewer about his inspiration would usually get you a fairly universal response. Usually, it was travel to Europe, most likely Germany, or England, or maybe Belgium, and exposure to the great beer over there that instilled a desire to make the same over here in the states.

Now, it seems, the circle is complete. The other day, I picked up a bottle of Nøgne Porter, a dark ale brewed by an upstart Norwegian microbrewer. The brewers at Nøgne claim they were inspired by the hearty beers being made nowadays in America-hence completing a circle that began some thirty years or so ago.

That makes Nøgne Porter a prime candidate for our little flight of fancy Around the World in Eighty Brews, a visit by bottle to almost every corner of the globe. And while some might argue beers like Ringnes a better known candidate, I would submit in reply that Nøgne Porter is a great ambassador for Norway all the same, and of the budding beer renaissance the brewers at Nøgne hope to spark.

Norway is very near to the Baltic States, and therefore the home of those wonderful bottom fermented porters. But Nøgne Porter, true to its American inspirations, is an ale, though brewed with English yeast. It’s exceptionally robust character is similar to a Baltic porter, though, and well suited to take the chill off of a cold Norwegian evening. It’s made with a number of malts: Munich, black, chocolate, caramel, and Maris Otter.

Nøgne Porter pours to a jet black color with a thick creamy tan head and a distinctly coffeeish nose. The palate is medium in body and extremely robust. As soon as you sip, the intensely roasty and to be quite frank somewhat harsh espresso flavors grab hold of your tongue and never let go. Bittersweet chocolate, licorice, fig, and prune emerge in short order.

The finish is extremely bitter, with two kinds of bitteress really, both from the roasted malt and the hops. The latter provide a grassy, slightly herbal aroma and flavor as well as bitterness. This is, therefore, not a beer for the timid, and even some beer geeks may be put off a bit by its magnitude. For my part, I love it, and think it a real treat.

I enjoyed the last quarter of my half liter bottle with a slice of cheesecake, and immediately decided this was a wonderful dessert brew. The slightly oily, intensely coffeeish roasty notes accented the smooth and creamy dessert perfectly. Overall, Nøgne Porter is simply a unique and heavenly beer-and a great example of Norway in a bottle.