Fancy Pants Sunday: Nøgne Ø Dark Horizons 7

Øh, do we have Fancy Pants Sunday beer for you. It’s the most famous artisan brewery in Norway. Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun launched it in January 2002 in Bergermoen, Grimstad, an industrial area on the border between the municipals Ringerike in Buskerud and Jevnaker in Oppland — part of the Sørlandet geographical region of Norway. The brewery’s name is Danish for “Naked Isle” and was, according to the website, a poetic term used by Henrik Ibsen in his 19th-century Norwegian poem Terje Vigen to describe any of the countless stark, barren outcroppings that are visible in the rough sea off Norway’s southern coast.  Henrik Ibsen lived in Grimstad in his younger years and later wrote the poem where much of the action is set in Grimstad’s archipelago. This brewery has won numerous awards in the beer industry and continues to impress with their new releases. Peaks and Pints Fancy Pants Sunday column readers we give you Nøgne Ø and their fancy Dark Horizons 7 imperial stout.

Nøgne Ø is often noted as one of Europe’s best breweries. It has one of northern Europe’s largest barrel cellars. Their barrel aging program counts around 240 oak barrels in which they mature everything from bright and light saisons to heavy and massive imperial stouts. They have been ranked among the world’s 100 best breweries for many years (number 60 on ratebeer.com in 2020), and Nøgne Ø has won hundreds of medals and awards for their brews both at home and abroad.

In 2005, Nøgne Ø moved to Gamle Rygene Kraftstasjon — still in Grimstad — and in 2016 the new brewery building was opened, next door to Gamle Rygene Kraftstasjon.

Their Dark Horizon series is unique. Fifteen years after Nøgne Ø launched their first version of the imperial stout in 2006, Dark Horizon 7 (16%) is a unique, full-bodied elixir inspired by the USA with malt from England, bottles from Germany, the name is from Japan, sugars from Mauritius, hops from the Pacific Rim, yeast from Canada, coffee from Columbia, and brewing skills from, of course, Norway. It hits the nose with coffee, burnt/charred malt, dark fruit, licorice and some dark chocolate. Almost madeira or sherry like, expect notes of chocolate, coffee and licorice on the palate, but also earthy hops, dark bread and dried fruits.

You fancy, Nøgne Ø Dark Horizons 7!

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