Beer of the Weekend #407: Peculiar Yule
Tonight I sent Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa a big, fat check for Christmas — a damn good reason to enjoy another bottle of Norwegian winter ale.
The beer tonight (for my health!) is Peculiar Yule, brewed by Nøgne Ø – Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S of Grimstad, Norway.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is deep, brownish copper. Two fingers of dense, cappuccino-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a creamy cap and trails of foam along the sides.
Smell: The spice is immediately evident after popping the cap. The cinnamon, coriander, and ginger promised on the label are there. I cannot vouch for the cardamom because I am not familiar with it. It is a little yeasty and the cloves get overpowered by the other spices, especially the cinnamon and ginger. After warming a bit, an herbal/evergreen aroma emerges. Underneath is the malty base of chocolate and caramel.
Taste: The flavor offers a bit more balance. The spices lead (cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and even cloves) and then fade slightly to allow the chocolate and caramel malts to emerge and dull the spicy edge. Much like with the smell, an herbal/evergreen spice emerges. A nice, festive bitterness lingers in the mouth after each sip.
Drinkability: Good stuff. I do not think it is as good as Nøgne Ø’s Winter Ale, but it is very tasty and festive.
Fun facts about Peculiar Yule:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Herbed/Spiced Beer.”
-Price: $7.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The brewery’s recommended serving temperature is “10°C/50°F.”
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: According to the Nøgne Ø website, the beer is best paired with “goro,” a traditional Norwegian Christmas cookie, and “fattigmann,” another Norwegian cookie made with fried dough. At the moment, I have neither for my pairing pleasure.
-IBU: 30.
-According to the beer’s label and webpage, Peculiar Yule “draws its inspiration from Gløgg, a Norwegian spiced beverage enjoyed hot in winter.”
-Much like Nøgne Ø’s Winter Ale is sold elsewhere with a different name, Peculiar Yule is also called “Underlig Jul,” which translates to “peculiar Christmas.”
-If I ever had the chance, I would probably learn how to speak Norwegian. Interestingly, there are two official forms of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk. According to Wikipedia, Bokmål is spoken by 85-90 percent of Norwegians.
-Nøgne Ø also brews sake. It is apparently the first sake brewer in Europe. Norwegian sake. Who would have thought?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer tonight (for my health!) is Peculiar Yule, brewed by Nøgne Ø – Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S of Grimstad, Norway.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is deep, brownish copper. Two fingers of dense, cappuccino-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a creamy cap and trails of foam along the sides.
Smell: The spice is immediately evident after popping the cap. The cinnamon, coriander, and ginger promised on the label are there. I cannot vouch for the cardamom because I am not familiar with it. It is a little yeasty and the cloves get overpowered by the other spices, especially the cinnamon and ginger. After warming a bit, an herbal/evergreen aroma emerges. Underneath is the malty base of chocolate and caramel.
Taste: The flavor offers a bit more balance. The spices lead (cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and even cloves) and then fade slightly to allow the chocolate and caramel malts to emerge and dull the spicy edge. Much like with the smell, an herbal/evergreen spice emerges. A nice, festive bitterness lingers in the mouth after each sip.
Drinkability: Good stuff. I do not think it is as good as Nøgne Ø’s Winter Ale, but it is very tasty and festive.
Fun facts about Peculiar Yule:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Herbed/Spiced Beer.”
-Price: $7.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The brewery’s recommended serving temperature is “10°C/50°F.”
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: According to the Nøgne Ø website, the beer is best paired with “goro,” a traditional Norwegian Christmas cookie, and “fattigmann,” another Norwegian cookie made with fried dough. At the moment, I have neither for my pairing pleasure.
-IBU: 30.
-According to the beer’s label and webpage, Peculiar Yule “draws its inspiration from Gløgg, a Norwegian spiced beverage enjoyed hot in winter.”
-Much like Nøgne Ø’s Winter Ale is sold elsewhere with a different name, Peculiar Yule is also called “Underlig Jul,” which translates to “peculiar Christmas.”
-If I ever had the chance, I would probably learn how to speak Norwegian. Interestingly, there are two official forms of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk. According to Wikipedia, Bokmål is spoken by 85-90 percent of Norwegians.
-Nøgne Ø also brews sake. It is apparently the first sake brewer in Europe. Norwegian sake. Who would have thought?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
