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

440 ml can, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 10. Hops are Csacade, Citra and Mosaic. Cloudy reddish brown colour, surprisingly dark for something called a "golden ale". Moderate white head. Aroma of citrussy hops, also notes of spruce. Citric mouthfeel and flavour. Resinous hops in the finish, but the bitterness is moderate.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Cloudy brownish golden colour, moderate white head. Strong wheaty / estery aroma, notes of yeast, cloves, banana and chamomile. The flavour is sweet with strong notes of banana, yeast, spices and chamomile. Powerful and warming mouthfeel. I admit being sceptical to a wheat beer this strong, but Good Force is actually .... well, GOOD. You’ll need an ability to handle a certain amount of sweetness, though.

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

440 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 5.7%. Moderately hazy golden colour, large white head. Aroma of grapefruit and tangerine. Relatively light bodied. Refreshing and medium dry flavour, notes of citrus fruits again, with a distinct and piney hop bitterness throughout. Decent beer.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Vintage 2006, bottled March 2008, BB March 2010. (This beer is also imported to USA by Shelton Brothers.) Cloudy dark reddish brown colour, big tan head. Intense aroma of red wine vinegar and oak. The flavour is VERY sour (too sour), with oaky notes and a sharp and lemony finish. Some hops in the finish, but overall the malts and hops are very subdued - this is really all about acidity and oak. Still an interesting beer, and definitely something out of the ordinary. The alcohol is well hidden. If the average pale lager drinker Joe would sample this beer, he would probably be killed by the shock.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Brewed with redcurrants and "tyttebær"/lingonberrries (a kind of wild forest/mountain cranberries) and lambic style yeast. Aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Orange colour, moderate to low off-white head. Strong aroma of tyttebær juice, farmhouse / horseblanket and vinegar. Moderate carbonation. The flavour is sour and lambic-like, but not extreme. The berries come through nicely, funky and oaky notes, not much sweetness. Alcohol is noticeable, but not in a bad way. Refreshing and interesting beer.

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

500 ml bottle, from the brewery. ABV is 8%. Dark reddish brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Nice aroma of malts, brown bread, caramel and bakery. Fairly sweet flavour, notes of caramel, molasses, slightly roast malts, moderate hops. Good beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

330 ml bottle, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. ABV is 4.5%. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate to small white head. Distinct aroma of grassy, floral and herbal hops. Light bodied. Dry and fairly crisp flavour of herbal hops. Moderate bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle in Heart of Darkness cardboard box, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 13%. Pitch black colour, small to minimal tan head. Boozy aroma of molasses, raw alcohol, oak and rum, also notes of roast malts, coffee, chocolate and nuts. Very moderate carbonation, warming mouthfeel. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, not so much raw alcohol though, more oak and rum, and appears quite well balanced. Moderate hops. Slightly salty aftertaste.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

440 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Nearly clear pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Moderate aroma of coriander seeds and citrus / orange peel. The flavour is yeasty and wheaty, moderate coriander and orange peel. Fairly drinkable and refreshing, but no masterpiece. I miss Ardenne Blond!

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

500 ml bottle, batch #240, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.5%. Light brown hazy colour, big off-white head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops and orange peel, also notes of Belgian ale yeast and mild spices. The flavour is a bit too sweet for a beer for sweaty farm workers, but still good - also fruity, yeasty and spicy notes, hints of caramel, with a distinct hoppy bitterness and a hint of smoke in the finish.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Madla. ABV is 7.7%. Cloudy "dirty" yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of citrus and tropical fruits, also pine and spruce. The flavour is on the sweet side, notes of sugar, oranges, tangerine and tropical fruits, hints of grapefruit, alcohol and resin, moderate bitterness.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Hazy yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of yellow stonefruits, hints of pineapple. Citric flavour, hints of yellow stonefruits and tropical fruits. The finish is piney/ resinous and medium bitter. Good beer.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Fruited milkshake IPA. ABV is 7.0%. Opaque dirty yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of over-ripe mango and ditto pineapple and peaches. Flavour of said fruits, also citrus and lactose, moderately sweet, distinct bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, batch 589, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Cloudy pale golden colour, large white head. Intense aroma of Citra hops, citrus and tropical fruits galore, some catty hints too. Very hoppy flavour on a slightly sweet background, notes of grapefruit and resin, hints of tropical fruits, medium bitter finish. Maybe not perfectly balanced, but a decent beer all the same.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle conditioned, RBESG 2005, Grand Tasting (courtesy of the brewery). Lovely hoppy aroma (Cascade?), notes of grapefruit and very subtle oak. Flavour is somewhat less impressive, fairly light bodied and bitterness is not overwhelming - still, this is another decent beer from Haandbryggeriet

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Small sample from can at Vectura-messe. Cloudy beer. Aroma and flavour of lactic acid (lots of it) and nothing else. Uninteresting. There's thirteen in a dozen of these beers nowadays. I will rerate if a get a larger sample, but only if it's for free.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Sauda. Black colour, small tan head. Aroma of roast malts, lactose, molasses, fusel alcohols and honey. Warming mouthfeel. Rich and sweet flavour of roast malts, molasses, lactose, liquorice, oak and honey, fairly distinct bittering hops.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Sample at Vectura-messe. Hazy pale golden colour. Piney and catty aroma and flavour. Light bodied for its strength. Not the best from HaandBryggeriet.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.0%. Reddish brown beer, big to moderate off-white head with a reddish hue. The aroma is yeasty and somehat alcoholic, with distinct and unusual notes of crowberries. The beer is fairly light bodied and refreshing for its strength. The crowberries come through nicely in the flavour, but the beer is neither very sweet nor very sour. Very moderately hopped, obviously with the intention of letting the crowberries stand out more, but I’d still like some more hoppy bitterness in the finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Shared bottles at HaandBryggeriet. ABV 7%. Reddish brown colour, low head. Strong sourish aroma of crowberries and lemony gueuze, notes of farmhouse. Sour flavour, notes of crowberries and oak. Interesting, but will probably improve with a year or two in a cool cellar.

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

440 ml can, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 10. Hops are Citra and Mosaic. Cloudy straw colour, moderate white head. Hoppy aroma of citrus, pine and spruce. Light bodied. Pine needles, sprucetips and grapefruit in the medium dry flavour, more resinous bitterness than expected from alleged 10 IBU. Not bad, but there are many competitors in this field.

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

On tap at Olympen ("Lompa"), as "Lompas Vinter", renamed after Christmas. Black colour, moderate tan head. Nice aroma of mild coffee and dark malts, hints of chocolate and liquorice. The flavour is moderately roasty with a moderate malty sweetness, hints of dark chocolate. Quite good.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Ole_R ! Batch nr. 58, brewed Nov. 06, BB Nov. 08. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights, huge, creamy and lasting brown head. Lovely aroma of chocolate, coffee and roasted malts. Nice roasty flavour, notes of roasted / burnt malts and coffee. Fairly dry, medium mouthfeel. Moderately bitter finish.

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

On tap at HaandBryggeriet tasting, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy yellow colour, moderate white head. Well hopped aroma and flavour, notes of citrus, tropical fruits and spruce. Good malt body, but still very refreshing.

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

440 ml can, from Det Gode Brygg, Kvadrat. ABV is 4.5%. Slightly hazy golden colour, small white head. Aroma of mango and piney hops. Good body for its strength. The flavour has also notes of mango and distinct piney / resinous hops, with a distinct bitter finish. The mango nearly drowns in the bitterness.