Nøgne Ø Tyttebær

A bottle of Tyttebær wild ale from Nøgne Ø brewery located in Grimstad, Norway, made in collaboration with Danish brewer Mikkeller.

This 8% abv wild ale was brewed January 30th 2008, using a ridiculous amount of fresh lingonberries ("tyttebær" in Norwegian). Nøgne Ø then left it in the fermentation tanks for 9 months, coaching the wildness in the beer, and then bottled it and left it for another 6 months until it was deemed ready for release in May 2009.

The beer pours a hazy amber color with a huge white head. Aroma of sour lingonberries and wild yeast (brettanomyces). Mouthfeel is a bit funny, oily with stingy carbonation. Flavor is even weirder; notes of sourness, like a wild ale should have, is offset by a phenolic, oily taste. I love a good wild ale but I'm not sure this one is mature enough for me yet.