Juleol is the Norwegian name for Christmas beer. There are around 50 different Juleols and most Norwegian brewers produce one for November and December. They are typical dark lagers that are strong enough that they are only available from the state run off-licenses known as Vinmonopolet. The Mack Juleol is mahogany brown in colour with a flavour combining woody malt and lashings of stewed fruit. The Aass Juleol has a more pronounced caramel flavour and a hint of spice. Some breweries deliverately produce weaker beers so they can be sold in supermarkets, the most highly rated of these is the Nogne O Julesnadder which, at 4.5% abv, is just weaker than the 4.75% abv cut-off. Over in Denmark festive beers are called Julebryg and given the more enthusiastic beer culture there it's no surprise to find twice as many Julebryg as there are Juleol. The Norrebro Julebryg is a potent 7% abv brew which contains a "secret Christmas spice" while other Julebryg are more standard dark lagers. Sweden also joins in with Julol.
Most of these beers are bocks which are often brewed around the world for special religious occasions such as Christmas or Easter, and many breweries still produce them on a seasonal basis, even if they are not that bothered about paying homage to the Lord. They are usually at least 6% abv in strength and doppelbocks can be even get up to 10% abv. Things get even stronger with eisbocks, which are lagers that are “crack distilled” by freezing a doppelbock to be able to separate out the alcoholic part of the mix. This process often requires an ice cream factory willing to let a brewer play with their equipment.
Bocks usually have a similar flavour to Munich dunkels but they add a warming alcohol feel to the combination of dark fruity and roasted malts. They can also have some surprising flavours: Norway’s Aass Bock even has a hint of carrot cake. One of the strongest bocks is the Austrian Samiclaus. This is a brewed once a year and matured for 10 months eventually coming out at 14% abv. It has a combination of caramel and raisins that do not get blown away by the alcohol. Over in American the Rogue Brewery brew a robust Maibock called Dead Guy Ale, and to give it a bit more of a kick they do a version aged in bourbon whiskey barrels called John John Dead Guy, which has an oaky taste with apricots, berries and all sorts of over-ripe fruit.
Five to try-
1. Mack Juleol
2. Aass Juleol
3. De Molen Juleol
4. Norrebro Julebryg
5. Nogne O Julesnadder
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