Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

(0,5 liter bottle.) Whooa... an Estonian Christmas porter, available in Norway, even! This one is 1% stronger and more spicy than their ordinary porter , to obtain a "real" Christmas character. Dark brown colour, low head, lightly roasted spicy coffee aroma and flavour, decent bitterness in the aftertaste. Lots of delicious flavour and sufficient alcohol here, still a slightly thinner mouthfeel than some other porters (probably because it's bottom fermented) - which, however, will not stop me from buying this goody again. I had it on its own, must also be a great accompaniment with Nordic Christmas fare in the rougher end of the scale. Sweet, but not too much. All in all a Christmas beer to be recommended.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

250 ml bottle, bought at Borough Market, London. Beautiful dark ruby colour, very good thick head. Moderate barnyard aroma on a background of red wine vinegar, honey and raisins. Flavour is not nearly as sour as the other two Flemish Sour Ales I’ve had - more sweet than sour, actually. Too sweet for me - elements of syrup, caramel, honey, balsamico vinegar, blackcurrants and blackberries. A craft beer, no doubt - but definitely not a favourite of mine this one.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

330ml bottle, bought at Borough Market, London. Pours with a large light tan head, colour is brown, slightly hazy. Excellent aroma: Oak, sandalwood, camphor, caramel, toffee, spices. Flavour has caramel, spices, oak - but is not quite as complex as I hoped. Still very good - it’s a Trappist! Moderate but decent hops + spices in the finish.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

250 ml Scaldis Noël bottle, bought at Borough Market, London. Pours with an an enormous lingering head, beer is clear, colour is deep reddish amber. Aroma of dark rum, sherry, oak, raisins, spices. Flavour is very sweet with dried fruits and whisky elements, but a distinct spiciness and decent hops prevent it from falling in the "cloying sweet & undrinkable" ditch. Alcoholic warmth in the mouthfeel, as expected from a 12% ABV beer, but not overwhelming or unpleasant. A very fine Christmas special in my book.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

To the best of my knowledge, this is the same beer as Guinness Draught (can), with a nitrogen-widget in the bottle. I had it served at an Angus Steak House outlet in London, poured in a glass (drinking a nitro-beer straight from the bottle? - what an idea!!). Smooth and pleasant to drink, with the usual Guinness coffee-like roastiness.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at The Tottenham, London. Deep amber/copper colour, minimal head. Aroma of nuts and red fruits. Flavour is a bit alcoholic with a substantial hoppy bitterness, which leaves a nice aftertaste.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

(750 ml corked bottle, champagne style. Bought in Denmark.). A Christmas beer in August, why not? Amber colour, large fizzy head that doesn’t last very long. Pleasant and complex aroma of oak, caramel, dried fruits and spices. I find the flavour less complex, maybe because of the beer’s fizzyness. Still it is reasonably malty and easily drinkable, fairly sweet. Aftertaste is OK but not impressive.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

750 ml champagne style corked bottle, bought in Denmark. Pleasant fruity and yeasty aroma. Clear golden colour, good head. A light bodied (despite 6.5% ABV) blonde ale, aimed to please - and it does. Flavour is fruity sweet but not cloying, just a faint hint of spices. Easy drinking, some other raters seem to have expected a strong and dark Belgian to hit them in the head - forget that, this is a delicate French blonde to be savoured for what it is. I like it!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Rerate, cask conditioned at the Robin Hood & Little John, a large Greene King pub in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. The Old Speck’ was in perfect nick, even better than the bottled version which I think is fairly decent for a pasteurized beer. Nut brown colour, low head. Aroma and flavour of nuts, toffee and caramel with a nice but not overdone hoppiness throughout. A solid pint from this ever-expanding regional (now national) brewery, much better than the cask Abbot Ale that I had afterwards. Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Beautiful brown / dark golden colour, moderate to low head. Moderate malty aroma, malty flavour with a good bitterness. A decent ale I always come back too, as it's now available in Norway.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

(330 ml capped bottle, bought at Borough Market, London.) Pours with a collossal head, beer is clear reddish brown but with an enormous amount of lumpy yeast floaties which are not dissolved in the beer when pouring, thus making the beer in the glass look rather unappetizing - you may actually feel the lumps when drinking. I normally prefer to pour the yeast in with most bottle conditioned beers (enhances the flavour IMO), even when the brewers tell me not to - but in this case it is definitely not to be recommended! Aroma is initially surprisingly mild and one-dimensional malty sweet, improves as the beer warms up - vinous notes with some toffee and oak appear. Flavour is caramelly, oaky and spicy, with a nice alcoholic warmth. Decent enough, if disregarding the lumps.