Norsk Kornølfestival

Judges' competition results list

This was a difficult competition to judge, with a full 58 competing ales, and in some cases sky-high quality on the contributions. The judges spent almost four hours to determine the winners.

The judging committee consisted of:

All ales were judged blind. The judges received no other information than a numerical code that did not correspond to the numerical codes in the program.

The finalists were judged by all six judges together, while the others were only judged by two judges.

Best kornøl

1st place

Lars-Tunet Bryggeri, Hornindal, 27 Konnjøl. A full-bodied, delicate kornøl with classic flavors of umami, mushroom and grain, with a clear note of tropical fruit and juniper. Easy-to-drink and balanced. “Fantastic raw ale with elegant yeast character,” wrote one of the judges.

2nd place

Thor Humberset, Ørsta, 11 “Stjørdalsøl”. Large smoke flavor with notes of bonfire and warm wood. Relatively sweet, with a light balancing acidity and clear flavors of tropical juice and citrus. Some grain flavor and green juniper. A complex ale with powerful flavors.

3rd place

Vasstrond’e Småbryggjarlaug, Voss, 16 Chop and Brew Haimabrygg. Large banana flavor with light smoke, like grilling banana over charcoal. Complex aroma of spices, herbs, orange peel and madeira. Sweet, with lots of flavor, yet still balanced.

Finalists

Torkjel Austad, 39 Setesdalsøl. A strong and full-bodied ale with clear flavors of banana and caramel, with some alcohol character. Little bitterness.

Sigurd Johan Saure, 33 Imperial wedding ale. A sweet and intense ale well balanced by the slightly rough mouthfeel from the raw ale. Complex flavor of miso, herbs, mushroom, juniper and light smoke. An exciting ale that makes you want to drink more.

Olav Sverre Gausemel, 5 Konnjøl. Classic kornøl with balanced sweetness and clear flavors of umami, moss, pine needles and fruit. Good and easy-to-drink.

Kjell Arne Bjørdal, 42 Konnjøl. Sweet aroma of mushroom, grain and moss with clear fruit notes in the direction of apricot and plum, with weak smoke notes. Perhaps a bit watery and light finish.

Morgedal Susle- og Ølbryggarlag, 13 Susle Øl. Sweet and fruity ale, with some surprises in the fruit character, perhaps a bit overripe fruit. Well balanced with light bitterness, perhaps a bit oxidized (old). Delicate, weak aroma of juniper. Very easy-to-drink.

Final candidates

Vidtskue Brygghus, 12 This is bee. Sweet flavor of honey and stone fruit, with a bit of pepper and alcohol.

Odd Stian Botnen, 25 Råøl Gjernes. Good aroma of peas, earth, juniper and bark. Light acidity and juniper bitterness.

Gunnar Skare, 48 Kornøl. Full-bodied ale with clear smoke aroma and distinct forest flavor. Some notes of earth, moss and spices.

Pellabakkjen Låvebryggeri, 15 Konnjøl. Clear flavor of citrus and tropical fruit with notes of pepper. Light bitter finish.

Odd Stian Botnen, 26 Råøl Ebbegarden. Flavor of caramel and dried apricot, with some alcohol.

Vidtskue Brygghus, 45 This is smoketoo. Somewhat neutral sweet ale with light smoke flavor and acidity.

Others

Thor Humberset, 9 Heimabrugg. Flavor of butter caramel and raisin syrup, with notes of orange liqueur and alcohol. Reminds of an intense, concentrated barley wine. Perhaps a bit heavy.

Vasstrond’e Småbryggjarlaug. 17 Haimabrygg from Selland. Powerful ale with flavor of caramel, orange liqueur and rye.

332 Furnesåsa Kveikeri, 52 Opa Honndal Style. Dry, easy-to-drink ale with flavor of grain, juniper and plum.

Vidtskue Brygghus, 41 This is tradition. A fairly sweet and fruity ale with some pine needle character, where the sweetness gets in the way of the flavor and makes the ale relatively neutral.

Thor Humberset, 12 Kornøl. Relatively dry and astringent with distinct flavor of juniper and peas, with something that can remind of eucalyptus.

Idar Nygård, 22 Kornøl. Sweet kornøl with flavor of caramel and ripe fruit. For the judges this ale was a bit too sweet.

Thor Humberset, 23 Kornøl II. Acidic with flavor of juniper and orange. A bit simple and neutral.

Jogeir Halland, 32 Malt ale from Stjørdal. Sour-sweet smoked ale, with some fruit and apples, but ultimately a bit neutral.

Jørund Geving, 49 Stjørdalsøl. Sour-sweet ale with strong smoke character and notes of banana and candy. Lacks some complexity, and has a bit of sharp acidity at the end.

332 Furnesåsa Kveikeri, 51 Smokey and the Bandit. Sweet, with flavor of banana and candy, with some fruit. Perhaps a bit too sweet.

Terje Raftevold og Roger Bruland, 1 Konnjøl. Sweet and acidic, with some impure flavors, plus grain, citrus and gingerbread. Hint of vinegar.

Arvid Solheim, 6 Malt ale. Fruity malt flavor with notes of nuts, somewhat unpleasantly bitter.

Vidtskue Brygghus, 44 This is smoke. Smoked, but otherwise fairly neutral, with salt and sharp acidity at the end.

Kjetil Dale, 55 Kveika Simcoe. Full-bodied, deep flavor of caramel banana, with sharp, long bitterness. Perhaps a bit too bitter, almost metallic.

Thor Humberset, 24 Spissøl. Flavors of thin lemonade. Exciting aroma, but the flavor doesn’t quite follow. Aroma of citrus, star fruit and grain.

Vidtskue Brygghus, 43 This is beetoo. Flavor of honey, malt drops, and camphor. A bit unbalanced, and the yeast profile is not quite clean.

Jørund Geving, 50 Stjørdalsøl. Strong smoke flavor, “like drinking a bonfire.” Somewhat acidic, with aroma of sausage water, stable and sweat, hints of raisin syrup and hay.

Tjønes Bryggelaug, 30 Bukkeøl. Malt character with aroma of caramel, but also rubber/sulfur. Somewhat alcoholic and medicinal.

Arve Sundnes, 3 Hauen. Flavor of spices and raisin, but also THP and vinegar in the finish. The judges think the ale has been standing too long, and oxygen has gotten to it.

Sigurd Johan Saure, 48 Bondebryllup. Green aromas with notes of apple and juniper. Tastes oxidized.

Marianne Løvlid og Håkon Seljeset. 36 Konnjøl. Clear diacetyl (butter caramel) and apple peel. Strong alcohol flavor. Fresh yeast character.

Osebrygg, 41 Konnjøl. Flavor of candy, fruit. Unfortunately also off-flavors, a bit thin, and relatively neutral.

Morgedal Susle- og Ølbryggjarlaug. 53 Åsgrend. A bit too much carbonation, very fruity, reminds of modern hops.

Ivar Husdal, 29 Tidlaus.* Very clear problems with bacteria during fermentation have led to a dominant aroma of butyric acid, which simply gives associations to vomit. The flavor was better than the aroma, but it was still difficult to recommend this ale.

Espes Bryggeri, 8 Kornøl. This ale was by mistake not picked up by the judges. The judges remember it as good from Saturday, but without notes we can’t say more.

Innovation with tradition

This class was for brewers who wanted to play with tradition and try to use elements from traditional ales to make something new and different. The goal here was not just to make something good, but also something unusual and new.

1st place

Torkjel Austad, Oslo, 56 Lærdal-sake. A relatively sweet sake with clear character of umami and mushroom, with beautiful fruit character. Green pears, yuzu, tea. Half of the judge’s forms contain exclamations, partly with profanities, about how good this sake was. A very successful Japanese-Norwegian fusion where the fruit character from Lærdal kveik plays well together with the sake flavor.

Final place

Vidtskue Brygghus, 46 Kveik on ice. Beautiful malt base, heavy, heavy, yet easy-to-drink. Flavor of sweet caramel, tonka beans, chocolate and clove. Extremely full-bodied and strong. Very good.

Sigurd Johan Saure, 57 English bitter. Sweet, with a clean and clear aroma of marzipan, plum and light smoke. Warming, with some alcohol flavor.

Sigurd Johan Saure, 58 Kettle sour with raspberry. Flavor of tart raspberries with a fresh and clean tartness that makes the ale easy to drink.

Tjønes Bryggelaug, 31 Piggbukken. Clear citrus aroma with flavor of herbs and gooseberries. A bit thin and bitter, but no off-flavors.

Final candidates

Vidtskue Brygghus, 54 This is sour too. Tart, with flavor of citrus and elderflower.

Osebrygg, 29 Kveika pils. Mild with little aroma and flavor, aftertaste of herbs and meadowsweet.

Osebrygg, 28 Cider. Sweet cider balanced by light sweetness, with clear fruitiness from the kveik.

Others

Thor Humberset, 10 Imperial stout. Classic porter flavor, with tartness and flavor of herbs and licorice. Somewhat sharp.

Lars-Tunet Bryggeri, 28 Spissøl++. Fresh and round, tart and fruity.

Sigurd Johan Saure, 35 Kvorter. Somewhat thin and astringent with coffee flavor.

Arvid Solheim, 7 IPA. Aroma of overripe fruit and herbs, somewhat sharp bitterness.

Vidtskue Brygghus, 40 This is sour. Sour with flavor of hops and grapefruit. Somewhat anonymous.

Arve Sundnes, 4 Ervik. Full-bodied, sweet ale with aroma of herbs. Somewhat anonymous, and somewhat sharp bitterness.

Arve Sundnes, 2 Årvik. Flavor of honey and something that can remind of bog myrtle, medium intensity.

Morgedal Susle- og Ølbryggarlag. 14 Aslak Øl. Sweet, with flavor of cream caramel and liqueur, warming.

Kjell Arne Bjørdal, 51 English Pale Ale. No comments from the judges.