KOTBR #122 Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition

What do you chase a three-quarter block of cheese and a bomber of BrewDog Hardcore IPA with? We choose Dark Horizon 3.edition from Nøgne Ø. Three of us met at Goose the Market in one of my favorite spaces in the city downstairs at the Enoteca. I've heard they make other sandwiches, but I always go for the Batali and a bottle of beer downstairs. What I really like about the Enoteca is that you can grab some food from upstairs and sit downstairs, or you can order some food directly downstairs. You can also browse the beer or wine selection and then have it cooled down for you and drink it on the premises. It is just a great and inviting space that is very conducive to conversation and having a good time with friends. This beast of a beer we reviewed doesn't look intimidating; it came in very nice packaging, but you only get 8.5 ounces of beer. It might look small, but once your read our reviews you will understand that 8.5 ounces is more than enough.

Think back about the beer the got you into craft beer? It was a great moment wasn't it? That moment of thinking, "Wow, this is really something different." Many of us from that moment were hooked on trying everything under the sun and chasing the craft beer dragon. As you keep going further into your own craft beer adventure, that feeling gets harder and harder to find. But the great thing about craft beer is that you do get to find that great beer that really makes you take a step back and go, "Wow." Dark Horizon v.3 is one of those beers for me. We each got thimble-sized sample split between the three of us. This beer pours a dark brown color with a very small head on it, but it has huge scents on it of coffee, chocolate, smoke, and roasted grain. I wasn't really prepared for the flavor profile. I was greeted with very sweet initial hints of raw brown sugar, but the coffee flavor quickly comes in followed with chocolate and caramel. I even get smoked cedar wood out of this beer. This beer is a sipper in every sense of the word. I know for a fact I would feel much different about this beer if I sat down with just one by myself, but between the three of us my sample was the perfect size. If you spend the money on this beer I would recommend sharing it. Don't say I didn't warn you. 4.80 Mugs.

A $15, 8.5 ounce bottle of beer? You've got to be kidding. In this modern era of ever increasing beer prices, I'm becoming more and more disappointed by the lack of increased quality to match the inflated prices. That said, I was quite intrigued by the packaging effort by Nøgne Ø and decided I wanted to give this beer a shot. I would either walk away astounded, or perhaps turned off of Nøgne Ø forever. As we divided the small amount of beer between three glasses, I threw caution to the wind and raised my glass.

This is certainly an imperial stout. A big one. Thick and almost syrupy. The bottle says 15.5% ABV and I'm getting a little bit of that in the nose. A heavy molasses character is most prominent, followed by hints of bourbon, cocoa, and cedar. The last molasses-heavy imperial stout I had, I did not care for. I was starting to get worried. I took my first sip. The molasses came back through, but was balanced by a surprising cherry and date fruitiness. Muscovado sugar rounded out the edges with an almost candied ginger-like sweetness. I picked up a bit of licorice as well. At this point, I was fairly shocked. This beer had an amazing depth of flavor that I did not see coming at all. I took another sip and started to note a roasted coffee background with balanced elements of wood smoke and vanilla. The 15.5% was there, but had a dark rum alcohol flavor to it. With many big stouts, I'm looking for the flavors to drown out the alcohol, but with Dark Horizon the alcohol seems to bring even more out of the beer. As I continued to sip on Nøgne Ø's third rendition of Dark Horizon, I became very comfortable with the burnt sugars reminiscent of creme brulee, the alcohol that kept the sweetness from becoming cloying, and the wealth of complex stout flavors such as smoke, dark fruits, molasses, vanilla, and coffee. Amazingly, everything was in balance.

I think I see now why this beer is in such a small bottle. You simply don't want a huge amount of it, but not because it's bad. This beer is a high alcohol sipper, one that brings out new flavors each time it visits your tongue. By the time we finished the bottle, I was thankful for the experience. It's not often you go in to a beer with lowered expectations and walk away with an eye-opening revelation of beer. Well played, Nøgne Ø. 4.75 Mugs.

Mike and Gina sampled the same beer, but it was a different bottle in a different setting.

Bought this beer on a whim - I'll admit that the metal canister packaging suckered me in. So when Rod noted that he, Jess, and Matt had roundtabled (and fell in love with) it during the first secret meeting of the HBG/Goose the Market Beer and Cheese Club, I wanted to make sure I weighed in. We can't have Rodney just throwing out high scores without a little common sense to balance things out.

Dark Horizon version 3 has a nose that's heavy on the BBQ, with a strong Worcestershire sauce note that runs right up the nostrils. There are also elements of plum there - the nose might be the best thing about this very complex drink. I'm pretty sure I spent more time smelling it than actually sipping from it.

And it is a sipper - sweetness hits first, and then the BBQ and Worcestershire show up again. There's a whole lot going on here - it's a beer that doesn't sit still, greeting your tongue with different flavors at every nip. It's also an insanely rich beer - we shared a 12 oz. (?) bottle among six people, and everyone had enough to be quite happy.

I'm not as impressed as the rest, possibly because the complex flavors within aren't exactly my favorite flavors in a beer. But I can definitely appreciate what's going on here. 4.41 Mugs.

Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 3.edition
Matt: 4.80 Mugs | Rod: 4.75 Mugs | Mike: 4.41 Mugs | Gina: 4.90 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.72 Mugs (currently a HBG KOTBR Top 10 Beer)

The Hoosier take on St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day used to be a one day drinking event; then it started stretching to include the nearest weekend; and now it is almost the whole month. As we have done in the past, Hoosier Beer Geek is providing you with alternatives to the typical Guinness/Smithwick’s/Harp/Bass lineup.

Dry Stout:
-Ring of Dingle, on draft, from Sun King Brewery, 135 N. College Ave., Indianapolis; served at their tasting room and around town.

Ring of Dingle Tapping Party: Friday, March 4th, Rathskeller. Available at tasting room on March 8th

-Saint Slater’s Irish Stout, on draft, from Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company, 1021 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis; named for one of the brewery owner’s sons; served at their brewery and Scotty’s Brewhouse locations.

St. Patrick’s Tent Party: 5pm-midnight; $5 cover; $4 pints of Bunny Blonde, Centennial Martyr DIPA, Golden Zoe IPA, and Two Lucy’s Blackberry Wheat; music by Sam King (5:30) and The Last Goodyear (7pm); bagpipers at 10:30pm

-Digby’s Irish Stout, on cask, from Lafayette Brewing Company, 622 Main St., Lafayette; served at their brewpub.

Served in a collectible pint glass beginning March 17th; also LBC’s St. Patrick’s Day Benefit Show with CircAfrique and Kyle Bledsoe; 8pm, $4; portion of the proceeds going to the Food Finder Food Bank.

-Celtic Pride Oatmeal Stout, on tap, from Crown Brewing, 211 S. East St., Crown Point; served at their brewpub.

City of Crown Point Parade: Crown Brewing will have a float in the parade. They are tapping the Celtic Pride and Steve's 100th batch Double Black IPA. Band of Brothers Pipes and Drums band, 30-40 person band, will play at the brewery.

-Other stout variations to consider: Hoosier Ma Stout (Rock Bottom), Double Imperial Stout/ReplicAle (multiple breweries), Harry Baals Irish Stout (Mad Anthony), Brass Knuckles (Barley Island), Singing Sands (Shoreline), Belle Gunness (Back Road), Clay County Coffee Stout (Bee Creek), Conscientious Inebriator (New Boswell), El Nota (Bier), Milk Stout (Flat 12), Stout (Great Crescent), Diesil Oil (Power House), Tim's Big Woods (Big Woods), Big Stone (Bloomington), Ol' 23 (Turoni's Main Street)

Irish Red Ales:
-Ole St. Mick’s Irish Red, on draft, from The RAM Restaurants and Brewery, 140 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis, and 12750 Parkside Dr., Fishers; served at their restaurants.

Also being tapped at 1pm: a coffee-infused version of their Irish Red called Shenanigan’s Irish Coffee; only 5 gallons available at each location. When it’s gone…

- Kwang O’Casey’s Irish Red, on draft, from Oaken Barrel Brewing Company, 50 N. Airport Parkway, Greenwood; named for the brewery owner; served at their restaurant

- Whose Ear Double Red Ale , on draft, from Barley Island Brewing Company, 639 Conner Street, Noblesville, and 701 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis; named for a possible origination of the term “Hoosier”; served at their restaurants

Thursday, March 3rd 6:00 pm tapping, both Barley Island locations; big, malty double red ale with Summit, Cascade and CTZ hops; dry hopped with Cascade and CTZ; about 9.3% ABV.

-Ard Ri, on draft and in bottles, from Upland Brewing Company, 350 W. 11th St., Bloomington; and 4842 N. College Ave., Indianapolis; named for the High King of Ireland; served at their brewery, tap room, and other locations.

- Brian Boru, on draft and in bottles, from Three Floyd’s Brewing Company, 9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster; named for an Irish King; served at their brewpub and other locations.

-No. 3 Irish Red, on draft, from Mad Anthony Brewing Company, 2002 Broadway, Ft. Wayne; served at their restaurants.

-Irish Red, on draft, from Bier Brewery, 5133 E. 65th St., Indianapolis; served at their tasting room.

-Other red variations to consider: Raccoon Red (Rock Bottom Downtown), Heartland Red (Rock Bottom College Park), Elector (New Albanian), Aberrant Amber (People’s), Region Rat (Shoreline), Ro Shampo (Firgure Ei8ht), Stoplight City (Half Moon), Rose City (New Boswell), The Hoppit (New Boswell), Amber (Flat 12), Busted Knuckle (Big Woods), Ruby Bloom (Bloomington), Thunderbolt (Turoni's Main Street)

Pale European Lagers: I’m not aware of any that are produced in Indiana. In the United States, Rogue’s Kells Irish Style Lager is the first one to come to mind. I suggest you consider other Indiana lager options.

-Circle City Light (both Rock Bottoms), Star City Lager (Lafayette), Gabby Blonde (Mad Anthony), Layflatter Lager (People's), Foggy Loggy (Shoreline)

ESB’s: okay, it’s an English beer, but it is the partner to the stout in the black-and-tan.

-Bitter Druid ESB, on draft, from Sun King; served at their tasting room and other locations.

-ESB, on draft, from Broad Ripple Brewpub, 842 E. 65th St., Indianapolis; served at their brewpub.

- Eastside Bitter, on draft, from Lafayette Brewing Company; served at their brewpub.

- Other not-labled-ESB-but-appropriately-bitter beers to consider: Beak’s Best (New Albanian), Pride & Joy (Three Floyds), Mild Ale (Great Crescent)

Disclaimer: HBG does not guarantee that these beers will absolutely, positively be available when you arrive to kiss the blarney stone. This is just a guide to help you decide what you will do and drink.

RB Brewer's Dinner - Winter '11

This edition of the Downtown Rock Bottom brewer's dinner featured more meat than usually comprises the menu, but I'm not one to complain. When I saw both a lobster bisque and a duck entree on the menu, I knew this was one that I could not miss. Although to be fair, I hardly miss any of these. 4 beers and 4 courses for $35 is a deal not even Devour Downtown can match!

Apologies for some of these pictures being blurry, the light is low and my lens is not so good.

First Course: Smoked Salmon Stuffed Potato Nest paired with Hop Bomb IPA

Why it worked: If you haven't had the Hop Bomb IPA at the downtown Rock Bottom yet, you need to. This was the last of the current batch and it may not be back for a few months, but this is really one of Indiana's great Double IPAs. The base of this entree was a whipped salmon infused cream cheese that was incredibly decadent and delicious. The immense hop presence in the Hop Bomb helped cut through the creamy texture of the cheese. The cream cheese itself was seasoned with lemon zest and carried a bit of a citrus note as a result, which paired very well with the grapefruit, orange and lemon notes in the beer, while the grassy notes were a nice compliment to the meaty aspect of the salmon. Citrus and grassy notes tend to work well with fish, and when you add a rich cream or cheese in to the mixture (or even a fatty fish like salmon), hops are provide an excellent cleansing ability.

Second Course: Lobster Bisque paired with Raccoon Red Ale

Why it worked: This dish would perhaps be better described as a lobster tomato bisque, as the pureed tomatoes carried a much more dominant role than I had expected. When I saw the description of the dish, I wasn't sure how a sweet, malty red would work with this, but the tomatoes seem to be the answer to the puzzle. The sweet tomatoes and the caramel and nutty malt flavors of the beer paired together very nicely. While they didn't introduce any new flavors together, the well balanced profile of each made for an enjoyable match. When pairing sweet beers with sweet foods, the danger lies in creating a combination that is simply too sweet to be enjoyable, but with the light balance of hops and the sweetness of the soup coming from tomatoes instead of sugar, this was a well balanced pairing.

Third Course: Rosemary Duck paired with Trouble Belgian Tripel

Why it worked: I am a huge fan of duck. Duck provides a wealth of rich flavors with little necessary spices to coax additional flavors out of it. I was quite pleased when I saw that the entree was not one, but two duck breasts. The breasts were on the lean side and even though they were cooked medium well (I prefer medium rare), they were excellent. This was my food highlight of the meal. The Trouble sits on the spicier side of tripels, with a noticeable touch of alcohol in the back. When paired with the duck, something really exciting happened. It was almost as if the clove, cinnamon, anise and rock candy notes in the beer actually seasoned the duck. None of the spices conflicted with the rosemary rub, but they all gave it a nice burst of flavor that was not there on its own. Beer can often provide additional flavors or seasoning to different types of meat, but it is important to note the flavor profile of the beer and ensure that those characteristics are things you would season the meat with on its own. In this case, cinnamon, clove, anise and sugar are all used in different duck dishes, and worked great when provided by the beer.

Fourth Course: Strawberry Mint Spring Rolls paired with Hoosier Ma Stout

Why it worked: The Hoosier Ma Stout rotates its style, and is currently an English stout with notes of chocolate and coffee. If I were to pick a pairing of the evening that fell a bit short, it would probably be this one. English stouts tend to be on the drier side, and the strawberries and their glaze were simply too sweet to work with the dryness of the stout. All was not lost, however. The dish was seasoned and garnished with a bit of fresh mint leaves, which provided a nice cooling mint sensation that paired well with the dry chocolate notes of the stout without overpowering any of the flavors of the beer. Dry beers typically don't work very well with sugary dishes, but they do lend themselves very well to herbal flavors, which worked great here.

Pairing Lessons: Foods that have a relatively high percentage of fat often work well with hoppy beers, due to their ability to cut through thick flavors. You can never go wrong with pairing similar flavors either, providing neither are incredibly intense. Citrus pairs with citrus, sweet pairs with sweet, etc. Try to keep things in check, though. You don't want too much of one flavor going on or the pairing will appear one dimensional. When pairing beer with meat, always choose a beer that has tasting notes similar to things you might add to the meat, whether it be spices or side dishes. Belgian beers tend to work great for this reason. Dry beers can be overpowered very easily, and they aren't sweet for a reason. Focus on creating subtle balance and accenting flavors and avoid drowning the beer out with big sweet or spicy flavors.