The Bar Towel

So far so great:

the Underlig Jul - marvelous, very herbal-dry and moderate fruity-sweet flavors with an added punch of Chiistmas-cakey spices. Liked!

the Porter - nice to revisit, an incredible beer with a nice bready note of roasted grain and a good fullness.

This is a kick-ass brewer and I plan on getting into more of these Nøgne ales (especially the porter -- haven't even tried the two IIPA's yet.)

... your notes?

Are the IIPAs in the LCBO yet or will they be?

A fan of the style.

Peter Collins wrote:Are the IIPAs in the LCBO yet or will they be?

A fan of the style.

yes there are, the closest to cambridge is waterloo

Thanks, Matt!

Looks like a trip to Waterloo is in my future.

The Two Captains is exceptional, hops are big and a little grassy, lots of layers going on.

Belgian wrote:The Two Captains is exceptional, hops are big and a little grassy, lots of layers going on.

I agree wholeheartedly. Despite being brewed in July this still tastes pretty fresh and damn fantastic!

Liked the two captains very much, then followed it with a #100 and it was awesome.

Just had a Two Captains, which was very enjoyable. Not a world class IIPA, but very good. Agree that the hops are are remarkably vibrant given the July brew date. Found the mouthfeel a little lacking, but overall it scratched my itch for a juicy, bitter IIPA. Much better than the Nogne #500 (not in this release) that I had a couple weeks ago that was brewed more recently, had higher IBU and alc and was a complete disappointment.

The # 100 DIPA-slash-barley wine is deep and full of flavor with a nice big hop edge. Very good.
I also thought the Tiger Tripel was exceptional, very full tasting with a great balance.

Belgian wrote:The # 100 DIPA-slash-barley wine is deep and full of flavor with a nice big hop edge. Very good.
I also thought the Tiger Tripel was exceptional, very full tasting with a great balance.

Had the #100 tonight. Agree with your assessment and thought it was more of a barley wine myself. Worth a second purchase and some aging, agreed? Or would hop-fade kill it?

Droogy wrote:

Belgian wrote:The # 100 DIPA-slash-barley wine is deep and full of flavor with a nice big hop edge. Very good.
I also thought the Tiger Tripel was exceptional, very full tasting with a great balance.

Had the #100 tonight. Agree with your assessment and thought it was more of a barley wine myself. Worth a second purchase and some aging, agreed? Or would hop-fade kill it?

5
I have a 2006 #100 bottle at home. I'll try it tonight and let you know how it is drinking.

But one thing's for certain, I tried a 2006 porter the other day, and it was incredibly well kept. So I'm not giving up on my other damn-old Nogne bottles.

Nogne Ø #100 brewed in 2005, best by 2011.

Look: blood Red, deep ruby color, with significant sediment in suspension causing an even more opaque body than it should have. Thick, dense head of sandy beige color, lacing and lasting.

Smell: Surprisingly floral aromas of lilac nectar, with a musty, old book-y, fructose aroma. Fruity esters abound... Mostly candi sugar and some almond. No, I repeat, No trace of Madeira. Beautiful.

Taste: mouthfeel starts off with a creamy hazelnut mint caramel, with an evolutive floral tartness that provides depth and invigorates the residual sugars. I just can't get rid of a slight cardboard, wet and raw that takes away a tad from its aromatic expression.

Overall: Impressive for a 7-year-old barley wine-that-is-not-a-barleywine. This was kept cold and in the dark all these years, so it came out great... But there is just no killing the aging process.

I would definitely age it in a fridge for 4-5 years. But no more. I can't remember, but was it floral fresh?

iguenard wrote:... I tried a 2006 porter the other day, and it was incredibly well kept. So I'm not giving up on my other damn-old Nogne bottles.

Well then. It's going to suck that I will need a case of 12 more Pørter.

I've been getting into my Nognes over the last few days and loving them, including the two Captains. However, my Two Captains was full of floaties / debris and had a thick sludgey sediment at the bottom of the bottle (Fortunately, it still tasted great!). My first thought was it was bottle conditioned and I should have taken care when pouring. I got out my reading glasses and scoured the bottle for info but found none. Strangely, none of the reviews on Rate Beer mention anything about bottle conditioning either. So, does anyone know if this beer is bottle conditioned? Or was this bottle decomposing?

PS Merry Xmas Bartowellers All!

Don't know S-borg, but those appear to be VERY unfiltered for an IPA. I personally love it! You might get a nicer pour if you shook it up well a day or two beforehand and left it to setlte in the fridge.

It would break up the floaties a bit and allow the heavy junk to settle properly on the bottom of the bottle (there's a very good chance your bottles were stored upside-down, with the guck setling in the bottle neck.)