Recently, the
Norwegian Beer Friends Association (NORØL) released the results of their 6th annual vote on, among other things, Norway’s best beers and breweries. The
results confirm what quite a lot have been saying for some time now: Kinn
Brewery – based in Florø, Norway – is one of the country’s leading craft
breweries and produces some of the county’s most robust brews. Out of the more
than 100,000 NORØL members that had the opportunity to vote, Kinn came out in 2nd
place, with 21.3 percent of the votes. And Kinn’s Bøvelen – the beer under review
here – was ranked number 5 out of a total of 87 candidates. Congratulations
Kinn!
The Brewery
As Norway’s
westernmost town, Florø’s coastal setting and lively atmosphere makes it one of
most attractive places to visit in western Norway. With a population that
barely breaches 10,000, Florø is the home to fish processing, shipbuilding,
petroleum industry, and, with the 2009 opening of Kinn, brewing can now be
added to that list.
The word Kinn (literally
cheek) is the name given to one of the outermost islands that buffers Florø
from the open sea, although it was also the name of an earlier municipality that
was eventually merged into the surrounding municipalities. I can only speculate
that the place name “Kinn” might be attributed to the fact that area forms the
westernmost point, or “cheek”, of Norway’s coastline, although this again is
only speculation on my part.
Kinn brewery makes
about six different beers – all of which are remarkably wonderful concoctions
(see my review of the Vestkyst IPA, for another example). Kinn takes a rather
traditional approach to beer-making by using open fermentation tanks and an
English handpump to tap the beer. Brew master Espen Lothe also bares his
grounded philosophy to brewing when commenting that “my job is not to makebeer, but to help the yeast cells to produce beer”. Lothe’s approach and
philosophy are undoubtedly causes for Kinn’s remarkable brewing success and
their commendable performance in NORØL’s ratings.
The Beer
With a 9.5
percent ABV, Bøvelen strives to be one of the sweeter abbey tripels out there. As
for the name, Bøvelen is a word for devil, but the word is from a local dialect
primarily found in western Norway (thanks Beer Sagas for pointing this out
because I had a ‘hell’ of a time trying to find the word in the dictionary). With
a picture of a bearded farmer with horns and holding a trident, the label is certainly
consistent with Beer Saga’s interpretation.
My sample was
shared with a friend back in November of 2011, but I managed to take quite
detailed tasting notes. Its hazy golden-colored body and fluffy and rocky white
head are clear signs of an excellent abbey tripel. Giving the glass a generous
swirl yields a tight and sticky, web-like lacing matrix. Aroma? Think typical
Belgian yeast, banana, zesty pineapple, and some unidentified spicy notes.
Bøvelen’s mouthfeel
is pleasant and pretty faithful to this particular style – smooth and moderately
carbonated; a medium to full body; and a somewhat sticky sensation. Taking a
generous mouthful brings out a wonderful array of intensely sweet flavors, like
apples and candy, juxtaposed on a rich honey background. An alcohol taste clearly
lingers in the background, but gains prominence as Bøvelen warms. The finish is
slightly bitter at first, but then transitions back into an intensely sweet
aftertaste.
All-in-all, Bøvelen
– like their Vestkyst IPA – testifies to Kinn’s attention to quality, perfection,
and ability to make beers that rival many of the brews from the more ‘matured’
breweries around – quite remarkable for such a young brewery. Personally,
however, I found Bøvelen to be just a tad too sweet – and I emphasize the word
tad. Yet, the alcohol note, while perhaps a bit too strong at warmer
temperatures, manages to somehow balance a bit against that sweetness, as does the
mild bitter finish. Even with these small caveats, Bøvelen is an excellent
representation of an abbey tripel and easily deserving of its outstanding NORØL
ranking. If you like the sweetness of honey with some other nuances tossed in,
then I can do nothing else other than recommend trying Kinn’s take on an abbey
tripel.
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