Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 1st Edition was the first of 3 in the dark horizon series and was released in 2007 with just 6000 bottles available. With an IBU of 75 and at 16% this was the first high alcohol beer to come out of the Nøgne brewery. A beefed up Imperial Stout brewed with Colombian coffee, extra dark and extra bitter and fermentation with ½ a ton of demerara sugar along with the Colombian coffee extract.
Inspiration from the US Midwest, malt from England, bottles from Germany, name from Japan, sugars from Mauritius, hops from the Pacific rim, Yeast from Canada, coffee from Colombia and brewed in Grimstad, Norway. Dark Horizon 1st Edition got world attention when it won a Gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2008 in San Diego and since then is known as the best beer to come out of Norway.
This beer poured a pitch black and was quite oily with a thin light brown head. The aroma is still wonderful and rich like I remember it from a few years back, dark chocolate and roasted coffee also some wood and dark sugar. Flavour started out with a mild caramel sweetness, mild coffee and chocolate and was very smooth with a nice bitter chocolate after-taste. Some port wine, dark fruits like raisins and plums with the smoothness of the mouth-feel being the key to the success of this beer.
Little to no sweetness left after 4 years, slight alcoholic warming with a great long and lingering well balanced bitter finish. When this beer was first released it was quite raw and not that well balanced, not after a few years it has blended together really well and gone more sherry like. I am just glad to have been given the chance to taste this beer again, it is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most sought after Nøgne/Imperial Stouts on the planet. I really did believe that this was the only beer I would not get to taste for my blog, thanks to Erik Dahl I got the opportunity to tasted this legend again.
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