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

700 ml bottle, at Murphy’s 8541 Irish pub, Skødstrup. ABV is 8.1%. Very dark ruby colour, moderate to low head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of dark malts, caramel and Saaz hops. The flavour has notes of caramel without being sweet, the Saaz hops are moderate but noticeable.

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

(Draught). Mmmm... this is good stuff. A well rounded altbier IMO. Nutty and malty flavour with a hint of herbs and caramel.

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

330 ml bottle: Reddish amber colour, relatively pale for a dunkel, good head. Malty aroma with caramel and some aromatic hops. Light bodied but well balanced, fairly malty but not really sweetish, nutty flavour with a reasonable amount of hops which make it refreshing. Nice.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

330 ml slimline can. "To be served at 0 degrees C" = on the verge of freezing, which says a lot about Hansa’s ambitions with this beer. Defiantly I drank the beer at normal fridge temperature - and it was somewhat better than I feared! Pale golden colour, head goes from huge to none. Moderate fruity aroma. Fairly clean pilsener flavour, slightly lemony, hints of alcohol, very moderate hops. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. I’ve had worse beers - at least this one is drinkable.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

330 ml can. A mix of industrial cider and beer. "Includes malted barley and malted wheat". Pale golden colour, fizzy, head goes from large to none. Nauseating aroma of artificial pear candy, vomit and burnt rubber / industrial waste, absolutely disgusting. Artificial apple and sugar flavour, like the crappiest alcopop you can think of. Nothing resembling "beer" here. Blindfolded I would probably have denied that this could be a beer mix. Definitely "crapolainen". Couldn't finish the glass. Drainpour.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

330 ml bottle. This is the grocery store version of Hansa’s Julebrygg (Yule/Christmas Brew - not to be confused with their Juleøl - Yule/Christmas Beer). Very nice appearance - dark reddish brown colour, large and lasting creamy light tan head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel and toast. Flavour has wort sweetness with next to nothing to balance it, notes of sweet bread, caramel, dark syrup and molasses. Tastes too much like "vørterøl" (unfermented wort "beer"). Definitely not my first choice for Christmas.

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

330 ml bottle. This is a new strong "klasse F" Yule/Christmas brew, for the Vinmonopolet segment of the Norwegian beer market. The style may be described as a cross-breed between a strong Vienna or Dunkel and a dark Bock. Deep chestnut colour, moderate light tan head. Malty aroma with a mild roastiness, notes of dark bread, caramel and oak. Flavour is malty sweet with some caramel and bready notes, very moderate hops. Light bodied for its strength and colour. Easy drinking. I really miss some more hops here. Nothing offensive about it, but this will not be my favourite "klasse F" Christmas beer.

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

Incorrectly named "fatøl" (= "draught beer") - comes out of a 500 ml can. Among the better Norwegian lagers, slightly darker than a traditional pilsener, rather malty with German aromatic hops.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

500 ml can, from Coop Prestemarka, Tau. ABV is 4.7%. Moderately hazy greyish-brownish-golden colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma of artificial "peach" essence and "peach" candy. Citric mouthfeel. The unpleasant flavour has a little citrus, but first and foremost loads of artificial "peach" essence. Low bitterness. At least the beer is not too sweet, but this is not something I'll buy again. Ever.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

VERY pale golden colour, but a decent head. Another "ice beer" for people who don't like the taste of beer, but want the buzz. Like all ice beers, hardly any flavour at all. You don't want it.

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

Another Norwegian "klasse D" Yule/Christmas beer for the grocery store market. Actually it's not too bad for its strength, but still: Get the stronger ("klasse F") version instead!

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

Like all "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers, it is sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. This is it - forget the weaker ("klasse D") version! A good Christmas beer, great with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare. The quality varies a bit from one year to another, but is never bad.

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

This beer was designed to chase down a shot of "akevitt" (aquavit), the hard licquor that Norwegians drink at the pre-Christmas "julebord" (and hardly at any other time) to get senselessly drunk and incomprensibly stupid before scolding their boss, fighting their co-workers or stumbling off to have sex with the company’s 60 y.o. secretary. I actually had this beer WITHOUT the aquavit, and found it to be quite good for a "klasse D" (low ABV) Christmas beer. Brown colour, good head, spicy aroma and flavour with a distinct hoppiness. Moreish.

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

Lemon soda drinkers will regard this one as a lousy lemon soda, beer drinkers will regard it as a lousy beer. No one will be happy. We don't need it. (Well, if you're dying of thirst, you might find it refreshing - no alternatives given). Having written that, I found myself craving this beer a couple days later, on a very hot day. Strange ...

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

Another light beer (which in Norway always means low alcohol) that may keep you from dying of thirst when you have to drive. Actually, this one has acceptable hops as well, and is not too bad. Light coloured and less malty than other Norwegian light beers, it's still among the more drinkable of its kind (which doesn't say much, really).

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

500 ml can, from Rema 1000 Jørpeland. ABV is 4.3%. Clear golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of sweetish malts and newmown grass, some floral hops. Thin and citric mouthfeel. The flavour has a little citrus and sweet notes of toffee, moderate bittering hops in the aftertaste. Could have been worse.

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

500 ml can, from Rema 1000 Tau. ABV is 4.2%. Clear deep golden colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma of lychee / litchi and fruit candy. Citric mouthfeel, light bodied. The flavour has hints of fruit candy, but is fortunately not too sweet. Low bitterness. An acceptable summer refreshment, but not something I'll buy again. And this is certainly not an IPA by any stretch of the mind!

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

A slightly-above-average golden lager (Easter seasonal) in a yellow can. Nothing offensive, nothing remarkable. But what makes it an EASTER brew?? Or is that a theological question?

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

The Norwegian Hansa beers have no connection with Namibian or German (DAB) Hansa beers. This one is a fairly malty pilsener of acceptable quality, IMO one of the better Norwegian macro pilseners. There's actually a bit of flavour here. The Hansa Borg brewery group has 3 breweries: Hansa Bryggeri in Bergen, Christianssands Bryggeri (CB) in Kristiansand and Borg Bryggeri in Sarpsborg.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

500 ml can. Pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big white head. Sweetish and sugary aroma, some grassy notes too. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is not quite as bad as I feared, there are some bittering hops here, becoming metallic in the end. Not a beer I’ll buy again, though.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

500 ml can, ABV is 4.5%. 30% less calories and 70% less carbohydrates than in a normal pilsener, hmmm .... Even less carbohydrates than Hansa Ultra Lavkarbo. At least you get a pretty good idea what to expect .... Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, decent head first, does not last forever. Moderate sweetish aroma, some fruit, candy, maize and boiled vegetables. Fizzy and thin mouthfeel. Very bland flavour with a little sweetness, slightly grainy and sourish, very "industrial" character. Congratulations, Hansa: probably your worst product so far.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

500 ml can. To call this n/a beer a "pilsner" is a bit of an atrocity. Clear pale golden colour, fluffy white head. The aroma has the usual sickly and sweetish "boiled" notes (over-boiled vegetables, baby maize porridge) that you find in most n/a beers. The flavour is also slightly sweetish and bland with minimal hops. Won’t buy again.

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

Rerate: Quite successful pale lager. Some wheat malts are used in addition to the barley, giving the beer just a little of the dry freshness you find in a wheat beer. Too weak on the hops though.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

April 2022: 500 ml can, from Coop Extra Prestemarka, Tau. ABV is 2.4%. Moderately hazy golden colour, moderate to small white head. Strong aroma of apricot and elderflower soda and candy. The flavour is way too sugary and sweet, notes of artificial apricot and elderflower candy.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

May 2020: 500 ml can, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. ABV is 2.4%. Hazy pale straw colour, pours fizzy with a large white head. Aroma of a grapefruit soda / pop. Mouthfeel is slightly "beery". Flavour of grapefruit soda / pop with a hint of hop bitterness in the finish.