Beer Me! — The Nordic Brewery — Monticello, Minnesota, United States

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The Nordic Brewery

530 Cedar Street
Monticello MN 55362
Telephone: +1 763-271-2739
Hours: Monday-Thursday 4pm-9pm, Friday noon-10pm, Saturday noon-10pm, Sunday noon-7pm.
[Update]

Notes

Visited: February 2, 2024

Opened: 2018

Contributors: Jon Hughes, Ralph Wells

Updated: February 10, 2024

Beer List

Addled Ale

American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale

5.00% abv.
- Date: January 26, 2020 (#10182)
  
  Package: draught
  
  Place: at the brewery
  
  Score: 16 points
  
  Appearance (2½)
  Golden. Low head.
  
  Aroma (3½)
  Clean. Mildly bready.
  
  Mouthfeel (8)
  Light body, smooth. Sweet, grainy malt all the way through. Very mild fruity hop flavor, very low bitterness. Very mild sulfur in the finish.
  
  Overall Impression (2)

Bram's Black IPA

American-Style Black Ale

7.20% abv.

Date: July 31, 2020 (#10328)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Roasty and citrus, which is kind of a weird combination. Nicely bready.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, smooth. Roasty, malty. Grassy. Mild citrus. Low-medium bitterness. Malty, mildly roasty, mildly fruity finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Not bad; it's a difficult style.

Dank Wagon

Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale

7.00% abv.

Date: February 5, 2023 (#11313)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Amber, some haze. Low head.

Aroma (3)
Cantaloupe. Mild bready malt.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, smooth, slick. Bready malt behind a melony hop flavor. Low bitterness. Sweetish, but not sticky.

Overall Impression (2)
Not my favorite style, but not bad.

Ester's Uppercut

Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale

10.50% abv.

Date: February 2, 2024 (#11573)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant amber. Low creamy head.

Aroma (3)
Earthy, really floral. Some alcohol.

Mouthfeel (8)
Thick, smooth. Intensely estery, grape fruitiness. Big clean malt all the way through. The esters dominate, but it's still very nicely balanced.

Overall Impression (2½)
Good beer.

Date: February 5, 2023 (#11314)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15 points

Appearance (3)
Intense beautiful red. Very high carbonation. Massive head.

Aroma (3½)
Mildly spicy, mildly nutty. Mild caramel.

Mouthfeel (7)
Medium body, surprisingly smooth considering the fizz. Sweet caramel, toasty, grassy. Kinda phenolic. Sweet grassy finish.

Overall Impression (1½)
Awful sweet, and kinda metallic.

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10184)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15 points

Appearance (2½)
Amber-red, hazy. Moderate head.

Aroma (2½)
Mildly toasty. Very mild earthy hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light-medium body, smooth. Earthy, dry. Bready, like toast or crust.

Overall Impression (2)
Clean, smooth, mild beer.

Date: October 30, 2021 (#10752)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Deep amber, hazy. No head.

Aroma (3)
Grassy, fruity.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light-medium body, fairly fizzy. Grainy, grassy, a little sticky. Grassy hop flavor, kinda fruity. Low-medium bitterness sticks around for a while.

Overall Impression (2)
Brewed with fresh hops from nearby Becker MN.

Date: July 1, 2022 (#11080)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, translucent. Low dense head.

Aroma (3)
Some banana, very mild clove, and a hint of honey.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, creamy. Big sweet wheat flavor all the way through. Lots of banana, mild clove.

Overall Impression (2)
Pretty good beer.

Date: February 5, 2023 (#11312)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Golden. High carbonation. Creamy head.

Aroma (2½)
Very clean.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light body, fizzy. Clean bready malt, mildly grainy. Very mild fruity hop flavor, very very low bitterness.

Overall Impression (2½)
Good clean beer.

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10181)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (2½)
Red-amber. Hazy. Low head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, piney hops. Bready, toasty malt.

Mouthfeel (8)
Big, but not too big. Very low carbonation. Smooth caramel malt. Fruity esters. Very low bitterness. Alcohol is well-hidden.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: February 20, 2021 (#10448)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Low brown head.

Aroma (4)
Malty, roasty, with a hint of coconut.

Mouthfeel (10)
Massive and malty and dark. Rich. Complex. Some coconut, very nicely roasty. Not alcoholic at all.

Overall Impression (3)
This beer does it all.

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10180)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14 points

Appearance (2½)
Black. Still.

Aroma (2½)
Very mildly smoky. Very milky roasty.

Mouthfeel (7)
Light-medium body, smooth. Nicely smoky and nicely roasty. Real good flavors, but not a lot of backbone.

Overall Impression (2)
"Oak Smoked Porter"

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10178)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14 points

Appearance (2½)
Brown, some haze. No head. Still.

Aroma (2½)
Toasty, bready. Smoky. Umami.

Mouthfeel (7)
Light body, low-medium carbonation. Sweet caramel-toasty malt. Lots of fruity esters. Mildly smoky. Toasty-sweet finish, mildly astringent.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10183)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright red-brown. Low head.

Aroma (3)
Mildly roasty, mild toffee.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body, smooth. Malty and toasty and dark-bready all the way through.

Overall Impression (2)
Pretty good beer.

Date: July 1, 2022 (#11081)

Package: nitrogenated

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Moderate creamy head.

Aroma (3½)
Creamy coffee.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body, creamy. Sweet malt, roasty and chocolatey. Some grassy bitterness. Chocolate malty finish.

Overall Impression (1½)
Pretty good stout.

Date: February 2, 2024 (#11572)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, translucent. Creamy head.

Aroma (4)
Smoky! Mild grainy malt, maybe a hint of lemon.

Mouthfeel (10)
Light body, moderate carbonation. Cleanly smoky all the way through. Mild grainy malt background. Just a hint of citrus. Very mild grassy hop flavor, low bitterness. Smoky malty finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Damn tasty beer!

Date: February 2, 2024 (#11574)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (3)
Golden-amber. Creamy head.

Aroma (2½)
Really clean. Just a hint of guava.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fizzy. Really fruity. Really malty. Fruity, malty, and maybe a little smoky.

Overall Impression (2)
Interesting. Kinda tastes like a Belgian Pale.

Date: July 31, 2020 (#10327)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, opaque. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, berries. Bready.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light-medium body, fizzy. Really fruity, berries rather than citrus. Lingering fruity finish, not bitter at all.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: October 22, 2023 (#11492)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant red. Creamy head.

Aroma (4)
Toasty, bread crust. Mild floral hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, creamy and smooth. Malty, toasty, bready. Very mild floral noble hop flavor, very low bitterness. Malty, toasty finish. Very mildly phenolic at the end.

Overall Impression (2)
Pretty good smooth beer.

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10185)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Dense head.

Aroma (4)
Richly chocolaty and malty. Milk chocolate.

Mouthfeel (7)
Medium-big body, smooth. Chocolaty. Big herbal hop flavor. Kinda phenolic. Grassy, a little grainy.

Overall Impression (1½)
OK beer, weird balance.

Date: February 20, 2021 (#10447)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Low head.

Aroma (2½)
Surprisingly clean, with only a mild roasty note.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big and malty and really nicely roasty. Mildly alcoholic, mildly grassy, not at all mildly balanced.

Overall Impression (3)
Damn tasty beer.

Date: January 26, 2020 (#10179)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (2½)
Bright amber, low head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, toasty.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light-medium body, smooth. Really fruity. Toasty malt background. Not all that bitter. Bready, fruity, malty finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Brewed with Jarrylo hops.