To put it mildly, Norway is not known for its beer.

"About 98 percent of the beer consists of light lagers," sighs tall, bearded Kjetil Jikiun, cofounder and brewmaster of Nøgne Ø, one of Norway's scant microbreweries. "Norwegians," he laments, "don't know much about craft beer."

Jikiun is the exception: Since launching Nøgne Ø (naked isle) six years ago, the gregarious, bespectacled Norwegian has begun altering his country's carbonated landscape. He crafts bold, flavorful beers more in line with American microbrews than Norway's watery lagers. "Most bars there just have one beer on tap," he says, holding court in New York City's multi-tap beer bar Jimmy's No. 43. "You just order a beer-no choice needed." But Jikiun, an ex–airline pilot who sampled suds wherever he landed, liked choice. He began homebrewing, looking toward American microbrewers for inspiration. "Everybody I served my homebrews to liked them, so I though there'd be a market," he says of launching Nøgne Ø.
Optimism can be fatal. "Our first three years we were about to go bankrupt every month," Jikiun says, laughing. Slowly, his craft creations found a Norwegian market. Now they're hitting America, armed with flavor profiles that should ring familiar to microbrew lovers. The India pale ale is similar to West Coast hop bombs: bold and rich, the beer's sweet, malty backbone keeps the assertive bitterness from going overboard.

The saison is a light summertime refresher, redolent of pears and apples with a hint of funkiness. The oil-thick imperial stout packs an intense punch of coffee and bittersweet cocoa, making it perfect for brownie pairings. Still, the standout is #100, a beer originally unintended for public consumption.

"We wanted it to be beer for the brewers," Jikiun says. "Not many bars in Norway wanted craft beer-but they wanted this one." Understandably so: The barleywine-like brew possesses a spicy aroma complemented by cardamom and a lovely, lingering belly warmth owing to its 10 percent ABV. It tastes familiar, yet distinctly foreign.

"We're inventing a Scandinavian brewing identity," Jikiun says. We like the sound of that.