Stuten

Nøgne Ø Stuten is the first alcohol free (actually 0.4% as all beers have alcohol except for root beer) Imperial Stout to be made. The beer was actually baptized Inferial Stout, but legislation on marketing prevents the use of the word Stout so it was released as Stuten. Stute means bull in Norwegian and uten means without so the name I believe comes from Stout St & uten a shortening of Stout & Without. Without being the alcohol here and I did not see this at first but then changed the Ø on the label to 0 also reflecting zero percent alcohol, pretty cool.

Stuten is jet black in colour with a great mocha foam and really looks like an Imperial Stout. Aroma has lots of roasted malt, bitter coffee, dark chocolate, smokiness and some licorice. Taste is pretty similar, cold coffee, quite bitter, some dry tobacco and lots of hard roasted malt, it might have been a mistake of mine to taste this quite cold as a slightly higher temperature is needed with Imperial Stout to enhance the flavours and with 0.4% alcohol they would be quite mild. Was not expecting any body to this beer, was quite happy with the look and aroma but had difficulties drinking a full bottle with its dry bitterness and somewhat burnt character.