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

February 2015: Shared 375 ml bottle at local tasting. Pitch black colour, low tan head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of molasses, coffee and liquorice, also plenty of oak and orange liqueur The flavour is not too sweet, roasty coffee notes, discrete hints of orange in the background.

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

July 2016: RBESG 2016 in Barcelona, Grand Tasting. Hazy pale golden colour. Lovely sourish farmhouse aroma. Sour lemony & brettanomyces flavour. Enjoyable.

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

Cask conditioned at The Quakerhouse, Darlington. ABV is 5.0%. Very dark ruby colour, nearly black. Moderate tan head. Roasty aroma, notes of dark chocolate. I expected an "Irish" dry stout, but the flavour is surprisingly sweet and sugary. The mouthfeel is not very rich though. Roasty notes, black sweetened coffee, some chocolate.

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

500 ml can, bought in France. Pale golden colour, decent head. Weak aroma, some faint fruity and flowery notes. Fairly clean and "neutral" pale lager flavour, which means that there is not much taste, but not too many offensive off-flavours either. Some bitterness in the finish, becomes metallic in the aftertaste. This is swill for the South Pacific heat, not something for beer lovers to search out, unless you want another country in your ratings list.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy brownish-orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of sour plums, lemons and sea salt. Medium sour flavour with the same elements as the aroma, low bitterness. Refreshing.

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

330 ml bottle, brought from Japan by my son Steinar. The label has silver and white writing on a dark blue background. Matured in cedar casks. ABV is 6.5%. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Fruity aroma (plums and fruity hops, orange marmalade), also notes of cedar wood. Woody flavour, medium sweet, fruity notes, moderately bitter finish.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. Orange to amber colour, only slightly hazy. Moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of oranges (some of them decaying) / orange peel / orange marmalade, some grainy and piney notes too. The flavour is better, fruity with oranges again, but not too sweet. Moderate bitterness. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee and chocolate, hints of dark fruits and vanilla. The flavour has a distinct roasty character with strong notes of espresso coffee and dark bitter chocolate, some malty sweetness, bitter finish. Excellent rich mouthfeel.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, slightly hazy, big off-white head. Pleasant aroma of flowery and fruity hops, hints of cedar wood. The flavour has first a substantial malty sweetness with some notes of caramel and wood, followed by a distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish and a wormwoodlike bite in the aftertaste. An unusual balance of the flavour elements, but quite good.

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

330 ml bottle, from Matkroken Stokka. BB date 01.2014. Black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of lactose and moderately roasted malts, hints of chocolate. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is nice and smooth, with mild roasty notes, some lactose (but not too sweet), hints of mild coffee and chocolate. Pleasant and easy to drink. Might well buy again.

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

Shared 550 ml bottle from Vinmonopolet, ABV is 6.5%. The bottle is full of floaties, but not visible in the glass. Golden colour, the aroma is a little weird, but hard to describe. Hints of sea water and also some dill (Sorachi Ace). The flavour has also hints of dill and laurel leaves, but lacks the fresh lemongrass notes.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Amber colour, slightly hazy, big off-white head. Nice aroma of fresh ginger and fruity and flowery hops, hints of lemongrass. The flavour is malty sweet with ginger as the dominant element throughout, hints of sweet fruits and candy. The finish is drier, with moderate hops. A fairly good beer if you like ginger (I do) - but if you hate ginger or are allergic to it, you are looking for trouble here.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Pale brown colour with a reddish hue, big off-white head. Aroma of malts and rice, hints of caramel, also some sweetish and somewhat strange notes of undefined fruit. The flavour has a sweet mix of malts and some strange undefined fruit again, low bitterness, alcohol is noticeable. Some hops in the aftertaste. Well worth sampling.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.0%. Brownish-orange colour, small head, slightly off-white. Aroma of yeast, wort, boiled rice, stale orange marmalade. Slightly sweet flavour, yeasty and fruity, hints of grain and rice, somewhat better than the aroma. Moderate bitterness in the finish. Heaven knows what makes this a "saison".

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

11.2 fl. oz. bottle, from Vinmonopolet. BB date 01.2014. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, only slightl hazy (some sediment remained in the bottle), moderate to low white head. Moderate aroma of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel. Fairly refreshing flavour, medium dry, wheaty with notes of coriander, nutmeg and some orange peel / citrus. Pleasant to drink - I have a somewhat fresher bottle too, but this one seemed to have kept well. Might buy again.

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

350 ml can, from Vinmonopolet; Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. slightly hazy golden colour, small white head. Fresh aroma of yuzu fruit. Dry flavour, distinct notes of yuzu, also distinct hop bitterness.

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

Oct. 2019: 330 ml bottle, from Green Peas, Stavanger. ABV is 4.3%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, grass and maize. Light bodied, citric mouthfeel. Sweet and citric flavour, notes of grass and maize again, a modest bitterness.

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

Feb. 2016: 500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. BB date 04.04.14. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, nearly clear. Moderate white head. Aroma of malts, dust, bread and some citrus. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is medium dry, and very drinkable due to a moderate citrussy fruitiness throughout. The malts reveal that the beer is not very fresh, but it is still decent enough. Moderate hops in the aftertaste.

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, slightly hazy when the yeast is poured in, moderate white head. Aroma of hay, mild herbal spices, chocolate and dust, hints of smoke. The flavour has a mild fruity acidity, followed by chocolate, smoke and moderate hops. Apparently they have used some pale chocolate malt and a little smoked malt here. The smoke is probably there to celebrate the Severn Valley Railway. An unusual bitter, but not bad.

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Auburn colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of caramel, dark died fruits and "dusty" hops. Rich malty and earthy flavour, mild roasty notes, some caramel but not too sweet, dark dried fruits again, reasonably hoppy finish. Nice one.

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. The main label calls the beer a "rich ruby porter", while a side label calls it a "strong mild". Whatever - it is a decent beer anyway. Mahogany coloured beer, clear first, hazy when the yeast is poured in the end. Low beige head. Moderate natural carbonation. Malty aroma and flavour with mild roasty notes, hints of ripe berries, chocolate and mild coffee. Not very sweet, a moderate bitterness in the finish. Not bad, and "very English".

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Plenty of sediment in the bottle. Very pale yellow colour, hazy. Moderate white head. Sweetish aroma with notes of grassy and herbal hops. The flavour is crisp and medium dry, with distinct herbal, peppery and citrussy hops throughout. Decent bitterness, refreshing.

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

April 2013: 500 ml clear bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 3.6%. Very pale golden colour, moderate white head. Typical clear bottle "skunky" and Heineken-like aroma. Sharpish hoppy bitterness throughout, but little hop flavour besides the bitterness. No body to support the bitterness. Not a very nice beer, the poorest I’ve had from Hobsons so far. Won’t buy again.

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.2%. Plenty of sediment in the bottle. Hazy very pale yellow colour, like a witbier. Large and lasting white head. Moderate wheaty and yeast aroma with some spicy and zesty notes. Refreshing wheaty flavour, with citrussy, herbal and spicy hops. Nice bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. However, this is not a traditional English "bitter" by any stretch of the mind.

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

Can, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Dark reddish brown colour. Aroma and flavour of moderately roasted malts. Quite nice. Maybe not a piece of genius, but certainly much better than your average swill in a can.