Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Fourth Edition

There is so much fun involved in creating Dark Horizon. Once it ferments, everyone in the brewery are very enthusiastic and pay close attention. Is the yeast still active? Is everything OK? How does the flavours evolve? Dark Horizon is normally dark and velvety. Muscovado sugars provides good fruity aromas. The coffee is a chapter on its own. The green beans will first be treated alfa amylase, an enzyme brewers enjoy working with. Then we mash the green beans before drying and roasting them. This gives it the unique flavor Dark Horizon deserves. Share Dark Horizon with someone you think deserves it.

350 reviews

Grimstad, Norway

Community reviews

4.0 250 ml bottle. Old rating notes found in a drawer when looking for something else. Surprised I haven’t rated this one before, have drinking this beer by several occasions, this rating seems to be done with a rather fresh sample. Pitch black body with a fine, dense, medium sized beige head. Nice, strong aroma dominated by dark malt, roast and coffee but also more complex with notes of dry fruit, brown sugar and molasses. Flavor is very sweet with molasses, dark malt, coffee, dry fruit, good balanced bitterness and warming alcohol. Full bodied and long lasting aftertaste with sweet malt, coffee and warming alcohol. My notes also says this still feels a bit raw and by experience from the other DH beers this will improve and smoothen by time. I have not been smart enough to cellar some of these beauties so I would not know if this happens. Still a very nice and truly complex beer. Not as good as the legendary #1 but better than #2 and #3 I think.

4.0 Ressemble tout de même pas mal à la Tokyo black de mikkeller. Nez très éthylique (normal), pas mal de griottes, du pruneau et du café. Bouche très puissante : éthylique, café et chocolat très noir, de la griotte, un côté plus Porto et rond. Une finale ultra café/chocolat et fruits noirs en longueur.

3.9 Hyvin tummanruskea, kirkas olut muodostaa alussa tummanbeigen vaahdon, joka kuitenkin katoaa nopeasti kokonaan. Vahva ja monipuolisen aromikas tuoksu on kahvinen, suklainen, paahteisen maltainen, lakritsinen ja sokerisen makea. Maku maltaisen makea, sokerinen, hieman kahvinen ja salmiakkinen. Öljyisen täyteläinen suutuntuma, alkoholi tuntuu jälkipoltteessa jonkin verran. Hieman liian alkoholinen ja aavistuksen verran turhan makea kokonaisuus, mutta kohtalaisen toimiva kuitenkin.

4.0 Bottled from systemolaget Black with a beige head. Very sweet flavour. Brown sugar, sweet fruits, wiskey. Pleasant!

3.8 Pours a thick black pour with no head . Nose is hoppy, with rich malt, charcoal and alcohol, with some whiskey notes as well ! Taste is very rich chocolate with heavy roasted malt and alcohol . Finishes hopily on the same strong tasting notes. A nice sipper ! Quaff Score 8 / 10

3.7 Bottle, at least a few years old, from Carl (spacecoyote) -- cheers! The coffee flavor in this batch is amazingly strong, considering that it’s been aged a number of years. Some of the malt flavor has fallen off over the years, leaving a bit of an oxidized/stale cardboard taste. This would have been even better fresh, but it’s held up well.

4.0 Labelled as "Batch 857/858". Pours opaque ink-black. Tiny head of dark tan with touches of red that was gone almost instantly. Aroma mixes coffee with notes of fruit and some char. Definite boozy note too. Full body. A bit syrupy, but smooth. Boozy astringency to the finish. Flavors of coffee and caramel mixed with a boozy note (bourbon?) and a touch of char. Fruity notes come forward as it warms. Excellent, might get even better with more aging to get rid of some of the booziness.

3.7 Poured a dark brown with a beige jead. Aroma of chocolate, dark gruits, coffee, and lots of booze. Flavor similar, light oxidation, coffee round it off nicely but the the alky burn is real and in your face.

3.8 Bottle thanks to Martin. Pours pitch black with a small brown head. Aroma is roasty, savory, dark fruits, burned wood, sugar, olives, light smoke. Taste is sweet dark fruity, roasty, lots of chocolate, brown sugar, tobacco, green coffee, cakey, olives, boozy. So much going on but don’t really know if it’s my style.

4.3 Bouteille vendue en 2013, embouteillée selon mes recherches le 22/08/2012, donc bue après plus de 42 mois. Au moment même de verser ce liquide noir comme la nuit à la fine mousse brûnatre, on sent déjà les puissants arômes de café et de malt rôti. Au nez, ça devient plus corsé. Du bois, alcool, anis, cacao, mélasse et léger madère. Ce dernier laisse derrière lui des figues, carré aux dattes et mûres. C’est complexe et très relevé. L’alcool se sent mais pas le 16%. En bouche, c’est une entrée en matière des saveurs sucrées. Des baies foncées et de la mélasse. On pourrais parler de madère mais j’hésite. Une touche de pruneaux et le café commence à se faire sentir. Celui-ci prend alors la relève pendant que le sucre lui s’évapore. Un excellent goût de café noir légèrement grillé ainsi qu’un peu d?anis et de malt rôti et boisé. Par la suite, c’est du chocolat noir qui prend le relais pour nous laisser sur une belle finale soyeuse où le café tente une dernière percée. Les transitions de saveurs sont incroyables. Texture liquoreuse et douce, corps bien rond et carbonatation très faible. Le haut taux d’alcool est bien caché si ce n’est d’une légère chaleur interne. Excellente bière. À déguster lentement à température ambiante.

4.3 Black brown body with minimal brown head, good lacing though. Aroma is sugar, molasses, milk chocolate, surprisingly lots of berries, solvent, plum, figs. Floral hops, lots of orange, perfume. Some coffee in the background, orange marmalade. Heavy sweet, heavy bitter, long salty finish. Nicely balanced and layered. Hides the alcohol well. Body is full, palate is creamy, carbonation is soft. Not overly heavy. More of a fruity experience than roasted/burnt. Very good.

3.2 Bottled, from Systembolaget. Black with beige head.. Black pepper, coffee and licorice up front. Sweet with full body and clean, rounded mouthfeel. Saccharine, cherry, coffee tobacco and licorice. Long warming finish. Concentrated and less edgy than some of the previous versions.

4.2 Bottle: #434: Served in a Chouffe glass: Black beer with a lively larger but alsonquick disappearing brown head. Aroma is nice, subtle yet also complex: soy, roast, coffee, liquorice, some dark chocolate and a hint of something sweet ish, dark sweet ish. Nice! Flavour is spice/light alcohol burn with soy, roast, coffee, light liquorice, light yeasty, some soft chocolate, bitter... Tasty! Aftertaste is roasty, herbal roast, liggt soy, light bitter and spice with a vinous edge. Low carbo, watery mouthfeel, close to full bodied. Good beer. Bit thicker would be better but being a bit watery doesn’t kill it!

4.5 Nera, oleosa e profumatissima: sentori di caffè, mou, frutti rossi, pan di spagna, lievito, zucchero a velo; gusto rotondo, liscio, leggermente liquoroso ma non "spesso", note dolciastre, finale amarognolo e delicatamente tostato. Corpo medio, effervescenza setosa, va giù che è un piacere, l’abv è perfettamente mascherato. Giù il cappello!

4.0 November 29, 2015. Bottle, brewed august 22, 2012. Black with a small creamy brown head. Aroma is sweet dried fruits with prunes, figs, raisin, tobacco, whiskey, toffee, roasted malts, coffee, dark sugars. Taste is sweet, soft bitter and slight boozy. Finish is warming alcohol, figs, prunes, dark sugars, some plum notes, tobacco, soft roasted bitterness. Medium to full bodied, soft carbonation, oily sticky texture. Sweet, sticky and slighly boozy imperial stout, good sipper.

4.1 Cor negra com espuma de muito baixa formação e persistência de apenas um fino anel, quase sem lacing. Aroma intenso e muito agradável de cacau, chocolate ao leite, café e licoroso de frutas escuras (cassis e ameixa) Sabor complexo com início doce, mas agradável, de frutas escuras conforme aroma evoluindo para um meio de cacau com um fim quente de álcool, torrado de café e amadeirado; retrogosto persistente de madeira, torrado e álcool que mantém a boca aquecida por vários minutos. Corpo licoroso e baixa carbonatação. Excelente drinkability para uma RIS que comumente não eh tão fácil de beber.

4.2 The beer is black and thick. Small head, light brown in color. The bubbles recede quickly. The liquid looks heavy and coats the glass pretty nicely. The aroma has a wonderful sweet chocolate and rich coffee character. Big base of molasses and caramel. Just lots and lots of creamy, sweet chocolate. The alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. You get some booze but it’s not bad. Chocolate sprinkles on fudge with a little licorice and hints of dark, sweet fruits, dates and prunes and cooked cherries. Taste is similarly loaded down with chocolatey goodness. Nice and sweet and warming. Roast and coffee in the finish keep it from getting into cloying territory. Feel is full and thick. The alcohol seems to keep it from getting too chewy. Excellent dessert stout. Tons of flavor.

3.2 Bottle at Bishops Arms Järntorget, October 27, during Porterveckan 2015. Thanks _angst_ for the taste! Clear black color with some very dark brown in the bottom, small light brown head. Alcohol, solvents, light spicy scent. Alcohol, some cocoa, light smoked taste. Grainy aftertaste. Full mouthfeel, medium bitterness.

4.0 Bottle at the Gnarly Barley, Orlando. Sweet roasted hazelnuts, plums, espresso, and chocolate aroma. Oily black under only a few bubbles. Potent complex flavour that starts with pumpernickel and brown sugar, evolved into dried fruit and tobacco, and ends with ethanol and then a ton of coffee that it’s dry and medium bitter. Full body, moderate carbonation, smooth and slightly warming.

3.8 Bottle sample @ BAJT. Pours viscous pitch black with a small mocha head that doesn’t leave much trace while dissipating. Smell is malty, roasty, fruity and boozy with roasted malts, burnt caramel, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, raisins, prunes, dates, leather, moist soil and hints of brandy alcohol. Taste is sweet, bitter, malty and slightly fruity. Mouthfeel is round, syrupy, roast astringent, slightly boozy and near full bodied. Finish is sweet and bitter with roasted malts, burnt caramel, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, raisin molasses, prunes, dates, leather, moist soil and alcohol. Solid heavy sweet IS. Has most likely benefitted from a few years in the bottle.

3.9 Bottled (backlog). Pitch black colour with a small brown head. Aroma is alcohol, plum, liquorice, chocolate and molasses. Flavour is chocolate, liquorice, burning alcohol and some roasted malts, coffee and dark sugars. Ripe dark friuts and alcohol in the aftertaste.

4.1 Jet black with a little tan head. The aroma is something else. Vineous alcohol notes of plums, dried fruit and port wine, blending perfectly with coffee, chocolate and licorice notes. Sweet and full bodied flavour, mostly fruity, with obvious coffee notes. A little over the top sweet, and quite an alcohol presence, but it’s a really fine dessert beer for quiet sipping

4.2 Black as night in colour with little to no head, aroma of dark fruits and coffee, chocolate and it smelt boozy. Peeling back the aroma layers there is definitely mocha coffee here with some nice maltiness and vanilla tones, brown sugar. First tastes to hit the tongue are coffee, bitter-sweet chocolate, more dark fruits like prunes and dates and the coffee flavour is really nice and more like an espresso now. Very rich and has a sweet touch but also very dry in the finish which is probably a slight alcohol burn in the end.

3.9 Bottle picked up in Corvallis. Tiny little ketchup-shaped bottle, but dolled up nice in a black triangular box and wrapped in purple paper. Pours black with short-lived brown head. Coffee, marshmallow, thick roast reminiscent of BBQ. Soy sauce, fudge, and vinous elements. Surprisingly dangerously smooth for 16% abv - well, it would be dangerous if it didn’t come in such a cute little bottle. Full body, slick and viscous. Overall: nowhere near as awesome as 1st edition was (thanks again for that, Carl), and at the price/ounce point I can’t really say I’d do it again, but still a nice treat in its own right. Pairs well with under baked ghiradelli brownies.

3.8 Converting" from old excel scoresheet. So there are no comments on this beer.

3.7 Opaque dark brown liquid with a smaller dark tan head. Sweet aromas, with dark chocolate, dark fruit Dates, prunes and figs), along with a rye and toasted malt background. Strong sweet espresso start. Toasted and roasted malt along with a alcohol flavor in the middle and into the finish. Late burn on the tongue. Mild ash in the linger. Certainly a strong imperial stout. For the heft, this is fairly nimble across the palate.

3.5 Bottle. Aromas are sweetened coffee, dark chocolate, dried dark fruit, and light caramel. Tastes very sweet. Huge molasses and brown sugar. Underlying sweet chocolate, coffee and dark fruit. Light bitter roast in the finish but not nearly enough to cover the cloying sweetness. But I am impressed with how smooth this is for being 16%. Just a little disappointed overall.

4.2 Tap@Taphouse, Copenhagen (Nøgne Ø Takeover 24/06/2015) - black pour with tan/beige head. Dark roasted malty aroma and taste with big coffee and chocolate flavours, dried dark fruits, some caramel sweetness, vanilla nuances, and roasted finish.

4.3 Tap@Taphouse, Copenhagen. (Nøgne Ø Takeover 24.6.2015). Pours pitch black with a tan head. Aroma and taste is roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, some dark fruits. Full body. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice roasted coffee finish.

3.8 Tap.Black colour with almost no head.Aroma is vinious and sweet of dark dried fruits and licorice,sweet and warming with hint of vanilla and cocoa,well balaned and smooth finish.