Located in Egersund, a small fishing town on the southern tip of Norway,
Berentsens manufactures a variety of beverages like soda, apple cider, and of
course beer. Jule Avec is the first Berenstens brew I’ve sampled, although I do
have one of their intimidating 19 percent ABV Christmas beers maturing in the
cellar. At 9 percent ABV, Jule Avec (2011 sample) is a remarkably flavorful
beer, with substantial amounts of complexity and balance.
The body appears with a super dark brown tone and a sizable, fluffy tan head.
Being dense and clingy, the lacing suggests a very serious Christmas beer,
which indeed it is. The aroma is a relatively rich blend of sweet malts and
dark fruits, most notably raisins. The taste is largely sweet, with references
to chocolate, caramel, and again lots of raisins. Given the 9 percent ABV, I
was surprised to find no clear reference to booze, although it was a bit noticeable
after some warming. The body is medium with a syrupy mouthfeel and a somewhat
dry finish.
If you have the chance to try this, I definitely recommend taking it.
Comparatively speaking, it’s reasonably priced, potent, and very tasty – certainly one of the
better Christmas brews out there, and it’s brewed by a company that doesn’t
even specialize in beer.
On a separate note, Berentsens has a pretty nice description of the
history of beer in Norway, although it’s written in Norwegian (see last link
below).
Links
Berentsens Brygghus: http://www.berentsens.no
Berentsens: Facts about Beer (in Norwegian): http://www.berentsens.no/Toppmeny/Vare_Produkter/Ol/Fakta_om_ol/f252db7c-3dee-4f21-924f-f99abf05f0c9/1
Image credits
KraftNytt: http://www.kraftnytt.no/
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