Nogne - Julefri
Julefri is Norwegian for "Christmas vacation" and this dark ale is clearly meant to be a good accompaniment to all those pies and puddings consumed at that time of year. The ingredients include ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and coriander, as well as malted barley and malted wheat. And indeed the aroma is akin to that accompanying a Christmas pudding coming out of the kitchen. The taste is of all the flavours one would expect - dried fruits, black treacle, toffee and spices (particularly ginger). There is a low level of carbonation whilst the mouthfeel is soft if a little on the thin side. The finish is lightly sweet, but not excessively so. Overall, it does exactly what it says on the 33 cl bottle - a great beer to quaff with all that festive food.
