Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

June 2019: 500 ml can, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.5%. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pear drops, also hints of dust and flowers. Slightly sweet and malty flavour, some aromatic hops, too little bittering hops. Drinkable, but forgettable.

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

500 ml can, from Coop Extra Prestemarka, Tau. ABV is 4.5%. Clear and pale golden colour, large white head. Strong sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, also notes of flowers and newmown grass. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma made me fear, fairly crisp and "neutral", some citric notes, but the bitterness is too low. Far from undrinkable though.

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

500 ml can, from Bunnpris Sand. Golden colour, moderate white head. The sweetish aroma has hints of blood orange, but more distinct notes of artificial "orange" candy. Citric and thin mouthfeel. Citric flavour, hints of blood orange, not too sweet, moderate bitterness.

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

500 ml can, from Helgø Meny Stadionparken, ABV is 4.5%. Clear reddish brown colour, moderate to small head, slightly off-white. Aroma of malts and distinct caramel, hints of dark dried fruits and brown bread. Flavour with the same elements, but not too sweet. Low bitterness. Drinkable.

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

330 ml can, from Kiwi Tau. ABV is 4.5%. Clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of sweetish pilsener malts and floral Saaz hops, a hint of honey. The flavour is fairly crisp and refreshing, not too sweet, moderate citrus notes, moderate floral and herbal hops. Intended as a decent summer refreshment, and it keeps what it promises. Not bad.

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

330 ml can, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. ABV is 4.5%. Aroma hop is Citra. Pale golden colour, small white head. Pleasant aroma of lime, hints of mint and mango. The flavour is slightly sweet, with citrussy and slightly spicy and minty notes. Light bodied, but much better than I feared.

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

330 ml can, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, moderate to small head. The sweetish aroma has hints of blood orange, but more distinct notes of artificial "orange" candy. Citric and thin mouthfeel. Citric flavour, hints of blood orange, not too sweet, moderate bitterness.

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

Mack Juleøl (klasse D) is made for the Norwegian grocery store market (= ABV less than 4.75%). Rated 0,5 liter can 2002 - new recipe. Copper coloured, good thick head. Peculiar aroma - initially acidic, later dusty with spices: salt of hartshorn, cloves and cardamom - like stale Christmas cookies in March. Less prominent spices in the flavour, thin and watery mouthfeel. Aftertaste does not last for long. If you can't have the "klasse F" Juleøl, Mack's Julespesial is at least a better alternative in the "klasse D" than this one.

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

This one has traditionally been the thinnest of Norwegian "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers - the brewery made a slightly darker brew this year. Not as bad the ratings in Norwegian newspapers tell you. Reasonably malty, nutty, some caramel/toffee.

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

500 ml can, from Bunnpris Sand. ABV is 4.5%. Clear amber colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of caramel and the peel of red apples. Citric mouthfeel. The flavour has again notes of the peel of red apples, some caramel but not very sweet. Bland finish, hardly any bitterness. Won't buy again.

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

For a "klasse D" (= too low ABV, for the Norwegian grocery store market) Christmas brew this is not too bad. Reddish brown colour, good head, mild spices in the aroma. Very well balanced light malty sweetness vs. hoppy dryness. But of course, the inevitable watery mouthfeel of a "klasse D" Christmas brew is there. Lacks "punch" - it's not a brew that will kick off knife-fights, like an "Olde Norse" Yule/Christmas brew should(!) Still better than Mack Juleøl (klasse D), but not as good as their Juleøl (klasse F).

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml bottle. ABV is 2.5%. Pale golden colour, large to moderate head. The aroma has malts, hay and cooked vegetables. Thin and watery mouthfeel, unpleasant dusty and grainy flavour. Hardly any bitterness. Not good.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

500 ml can. ABV is 4.7%. Contains 60% less carbohydrates and 30% less calories than an ordinary pilsener. Extremely pale yellow colour, decent lasting head. Fruity aroma, notes of citrus, maize and candy. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is artificially sweet with grainy notes. Empty finish. Poor.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

(500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at an English brown ale has a deep golden brown colour and pours with a large head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (apples). Flavour is very mellow, some maltiness but not much else. Minimal hops. Flat and bland finish. If Mack’s purpose is to brew a truly GREAT brown ale, they have a long way to go ....

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

500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at a German hefeweizen is drinkable, but unfortunately the pleasant standard hefeweizen aroma is flawed by strong sidenotes of SOAP. Typical cloudy hefe appearance. Flavour is tolerable, but fairly bland and far from great. Still, they ARE trying. And I’d prefer their Hvete (wheat) to their standard macro lagers. Doesn’t take much, really. But any German brewed macro Hefeweizen is still a better choice than this micro ...

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. 44 cl can. Golden colour, moderate head. Butterscotch (diacetyl) aroma, quite nice. Flavour is bland and boring with some butterscotch notes, very moderate hops in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, thanks to OleR. ABV is 4.7%. Unpretentious name and label design from Mack this time. Pale golden colour, big white head. Tolerable but sweetish pilsener aroma, notes of apples, grass and flowers. The flavour is fresh, slightly fruity and fairly crisp, but the finish is too "empty", more hoppy bitterness would be desirable. Goes down well though.

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

500 ml bottle, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%, IBU 33. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Strong aroma of banana purée. Flavour of citrus and banana, not too sweet, moderate bitterness. Not too bad overall.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #3, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%, BU 12. Hazy deep brown colour, moderate to small beige head. Strong aroma of yeast, also notes of malts, hints of Christmas spices. Flavour of sourish malts and yeast, hints of caramel, prunes and Christmas spices. Won't buy again.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml bottle, from Bunnpris Sauda. Brownish golden colour, loads of yeast floaties in the glass. Small and coarse white head. Aroma of yeast and over-ripe mango. Medium sweet flavour with dominant over-ripe mango throughout, a moderate bitterness in the finish. Won't buy again.

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

500 ml can, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. Golden colour, decent head. ABV is 4.7%. Over-boiled maize and vegetables in the aroma, a little caramel too. Thin and fizzy mouthfeel. Boring flavour - a little caramel, minimal hops. Yawn ... zzzzzz.

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

Brewed by Mack (Tromsø) to get market shares in Nordland county, when Ringnes closed Nordlandsbryggeriet. This is just another one in the long list of 'neutral' pilseners, nothing special whatsoever. Could definitely use more hops.

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

330 ml unlabeled dark blue bottle, thanks to Rune. Very dark brown colour, with a big and lasting brown head. Unusual herbal aroma, with notes of apricots. I have trouble deciding how well I really like this aroma. At least it is interesting ... The flavour is very sweet (too sweet) and malty with notes of apricots, birch sap and chocolate. Alcohol is noticeable and leaves a warming mouthfeel. Moderate hops in the finish. Not my favourite Baltic porter this one, but Mack HAVE been trying ...

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

A middle-of-the-road pilsener / lager from the world's northernmost commercial brewery (there's a brewpub further north, in Honningsvåg). Rerate: Typical pils golden colour, slightly darker than Mack Arctic Beer. Good head, fairly malty aroma for a pils, malty sweetness in the flavour, moderate bitterness. Just another pils, really.

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

(500 ml can). A shameless effort by Mack to reach the target group underage drinkers. I didn’t translate the commercial description from Norwegian - it’s all in English ’cause that’s supposed to sound "cooler and trendier" for Norwegian teenagers. I think I’m going to be sick. The beer? Extremely pale colour, NO aroma, NO taste, NO aftertaste. Sparkling water with 4.7% alcohol. There’s not one good thing to say about this beer. Not one. If this was the best beer in the world, I’d become a tee-totaller. I swear I would.