Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale

As a lad from the North East of England, I was raised on Brown Ale. But this stuff? It's next level!

In 2014/15 there was an influx of Scandinavian craft beer from breweries with big reputations and bucket loads of hype behind them. It was said by the beer geeks in the (still quite small at the time) KL craft community that we were about to have our collective socks blown off. Wild tales were told about huge flavours and uncompromising experimentation. Strange names celebrated... and beer styles that ran to short stories in length were considered. 

Omnipollo, To Øl and Mikkeller arrived with impressive artwork and crazy styles, but stood behind them, quietly doing its own thing; confident in its own ability; was Nøgne Ø. Their bottle designs were simple, yet bold. The type of beer was stated confidently on the label and didn't run to 18 insane ingredients like some of their regional brethren. 

Some of those other brewers had beer styles that couldn't be understood or ingredients lists that said things like: hops, barley, water, chocolate, peanut butter, the number 7, the mysterious sound of purple, the thoughtful laugh of an unborn child, kitten tears, yeast... (I'm looking at you Omnipollo).

Order an Omnipollo before you run out of breath

Nøgne Ø's beer simply and boldly had Imperial Pale Ale or Belgian Blonde Ale stamped across the front.

The beers were likewise simple yet bold. Recognisable styles, not just done well, but extremely well. But, just as suddenly as they all appeared, the Scandinavian beers disappeared. Sad times.

Then, the dark days came. The simple, beer laden pleasures of the Before Times, were forgotten as a pandemic swept the globe. Surely we would struggle to find good beer ever again?

Well. err, actually... for some reason during the pandemic, the glorious craft beer importers of Malaysia, heroes all, stepped up their collective game and beer from across the planet rained down upon the grateful beer drinkers of Kuala Lumpur! Let joy be unconfined!

And into the presence of the mask-wearing, lockdown-weary public strode Nøgne Ø, like the Norse God of Beer!

Nøgne Ø have been brewing beer (and, indeed, saké) for 20 years, with the uncompromising aim of combining traditional methods and ingredients with big and new flavours.

Amongst the range of beers that arrived in 2020 was their Imperial Brown Ale and I was intrigued. Having grown up drinking the legendary Newcastle Brown Ale, I have always looked out for a good version of a brown ale from the craft scene. (And I'm perfectly aware that many people do not consider Newcastle Brown a good version of a Brown Ale - I do though, so there!)

Many of the brown ales I've tried have been too thin, to dry or overly carbonated to really hit the spot. While other brewers have gone too far the other way making overly rich, thick, sweet drinks, closer to a very strong Old Ale than a brown ale. 

A real brown ale was the archetypal working mans beer, drank through world wars and lean times by ship builders and miners. Designed as the perfect northern session ale, Newcastle Brown was poured from the big bottle into a half-pint glass (often a style called a schooner), and enjoyed over time, topped up occasionally. As it warmed the rich, nutty flavours were allowed to bloom.

In the 1980s and 90s, students found the beer and a new generation called it their own. Drinking it as overly chilled as a lager straight from the bottle, the beer was able to withstand the cold and still taste great, all the better to dance at clubs and gigs without spilling a drop.

No beers can be all things to all people no matter the situation, but Newcy Brown comes close. And despite not being, perhaps, the very best incarnation of the style, it is the quintessential one, and the one that all other brown ales invariably end up being compared to.

That being said, Nøgne Ø's Imperial Brown Ale is a different beast altogether. Stronger at 7.5%, it has a big hit of coffee and chocolate upfront, sweetness on the palate, but then a lovely, hoppy bitterness to finish. It's richer and more complex than the paler, dryer style of Brown Ale, but not overly so like other craft examples. Much more balanced.

This was probably my favourite beer of 2020. If you get a chance, it's highly recommended. You can read about other brown ales here.