This winter the LCBO brought in a trio of beers from Denmark’s well-reputed Nørrebro Brughus. A noted brewer in a country not known for much in the beer world aside from producing what is clearly the self-proclaimed best beer in the world, there currently is available at the LCBO their Bombay Pale Ale, Nørrebros Julebryg (Spiced Ale), and Little Korkny Ale (Barleywine). The bottles are quite attractively labelled, and while forty thousand brothers’ love might not make your sum, seven hundred and fifty pennies will a bottle of the Julebryg or Bombay buy; the Korkny will not be had for less than two thousand one hundred and ninety five. Ay, there’s the rub. I parted myself company with three thousand-odd pennies and brought home all three. Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks. Let’s see if Nørrebro can win my praise.
Nørrebros Julebryg - Nørrebro Brughus
From a 600ml bottle with what appears to be brewed on and best before dates (though my Danish abbreviations aren’t quite up to muster), the beer pours a nice dark brown with hints of orange around the edges. A fizzy off-white head dropped to pretty much nothing but a little disturbance on the surface fairly quickly. Aroma is sweet and rich, a bit like a biere du garde, hints of something a little sour, and nice sugary aromas of caramel and rum. Raisins and apples are present and maybe a hint of honey. Taste is stewed apples, and much less sweet than I expected. Hints of leather, and caramel, and maybe a little pie crust. The sweetness is quite delicate and is partially masked by some spiciness I might have thought were hop-related; not like the heavy-handed spicing of many winter ales. Some hops come at the finish, a little dry and spicy and cleans up most, though not all, of the apple-sweetness and spice. I have no idea what spices are used, but would guess clove is one, not so much because I taste it clearly, but because everybody uses it… A little BeerAdvocating tells me that the only spices used are clove and ginger. Shoot, it’s actually printed in the ingredients on the label. Two pretty punchy spices that seem to have been reigned-in nicely. For a 7% Winter Beer, this drinks pretty easily, mouth feel is only just medium, and the gentle carbonation gives it a bit of interest on the tongue. That sneaky label also tells me that there is rye in the grain-bill, which certainly would add a bit of velvety feel to the body. A very nice winter beer, and fitting for the snow the allegedly is coming in tonight. Interesting note, the final pour obviously released some sediment, the beer is both more cloudy, and also showing more spice. Still not “spicy”, but a bit more clear ginger on the finish. Quite nice. It makes me fear the World’s grown honest.
Skål Nørrebro Brughus!
