Nogne 0 - Double India Pale Ale

Tonights review is of a brew crafted by the folks over in Norway.  Nogne 0 (they have an American website!) is a solid brewery with well crafted beer.  Their double IPA, or Two Captains from what I can tell on their site, is a collaboration brew between themselves and some Japanese brewery called Yo-Ho.  Please feel free to show your appreciation for Yo-Ho breweries name in the comments by completely bastardizing it in ways that only dirty minded Americans can.  Nogne 0's mindset for their beers is to bring American beer craftsmanship to north Europe.  Their entire line up completely strays from the modest, smaller beers typically found in Europe and embraces bold, aromatic, big and complex beers brewed within the states.  They just recently started distributing to America and their presence has been largely embraced.

This double IPA starts out with a full white head and a cloudy, burnt amber color.  I assume the cloudiness is not only from it not being filtered but also from the hop resins lingering from the 100 IBU's this bad boy packs.  The aroma is amazingly hoppy.  Very floral and full of citrusy notes that are common across American hop crops.  The flavor is right on par with the aroma.  Very hoppy with a solid malt backbone to support the flavor.  A nice caramelized malt and bready flavors come through on the finish.  The foam is still lingering as I finish off my first pint of this bomber.  The brew goes down smooth with hardly any hint of alcohol warmth.  The finish is only slightly sweet but mostly dry.  Very easy to drink.

Overall 5.0/6.0 - This double IPA is one for hop lovers and malt lovers alike.  The balance in this beer is phenomenal.  I would almost categorize this as an American barely wine as opposed to a double IPA due to its solid malt presence.  Im not complaining though.  Thats how I like my IPA's.  Well balanced with a blast of hop aroma to draw you in with every sip.  This beer traveled well from Norway which was a nice surprise since its always a hit or miss with freshness from overseas.  Definitely give this one a shot if you come across a bottle.

Can anyone read Norwegian?

Nice English label slapped on the back for us non-linguists.