Introduction

Brewed by a pillar of the craft community in Norway, the Fruity Pale Ale is another bold and tasty experiment from Nøgne Ø Brewing. Known as Norway’s biggest craft producer and known for their wild takes on styles of beer. In the past twenty years Nøgne Ø has produced over 70 different beers, taking on all styles. IPA, Porter, Berliner Weisse, Tripel — nothing is too odd and no cow too sacred for them to take a crack at it. They have a quest to find new ingredients and recipes, to discover all that craft beer can do. Now they give the world the Fruity Pale Ale, an award winning beer in Australia and Europe. The Fruity is their take on the American-style pale ale, high in hops and fruity esters. They’ve crafted a light bodied beer with a taste that opens and opens again, so much to show us. Serves well at 6°C and can cellar for up to three months.

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How it looks

Pours a very pale straw colour and sports a tinted foamy head that rushes from the can and then runs away to hide.

How it smells

A tricky beer that is fruit forward and then ninja kicks you with a hop suddenly. Grapefruit and oranges with zest and flesh mixed together, a resinous pine hop that eases into a sweeter herbal note here and there.

How it tastes

This cat is one fruity character but with a second personality riding shotgun. First taste is the sweet fruit flesh with a touch of bitter peel but the taste quickly opens up. An acidic sizzle turns the flavour towards the bitter and floral hop, but that to takes a quick change as the hops becomes more herbal and complex. The flavour is sweet and bitter together, dancing back and forth. A very interesting beer with light body and dry finish that demands another taste.

Recommended food pairing

With such a light body and evolving taste, get into something savoury and sweet — bbq ribs with a mess of dirty rice.