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

330 ml bottle, as Meantime Wheat, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 5.0%. Cloudy golden colour, huge and lasting white head. Spicy aroma, notes of cloves and dust, hints of banana. Citrussy / lemony flavour, bordering on "sour", just a hint of cloves. No detectable hops. Sorry, but the Germans do this better.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Peckham’s, Glasgow. ABV is 6.3%. Sediment in bottle. Pours nearly clear golden, just a slight haze. Large to moderate white head. Typical wheaty strong aroma with banana, citrus and cloves, possibly some aromatic hops too. The flavour is also wheaty and fruity with cloves, slightly spicier than many German hefeweizens. The mouthfeel somehow seems slightly different from the Germans too, maybe fizzier and more lagerish? The ABV is also higher. Still, this is a very enjoyable wheat beer, easily drinkable and refreshing for its strength.

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

500 ml bottle, at Olympen, Oslo. Beautiful reddish colour, large to moderate off-white head. Lovely complex aroma of American hops, notes of various fruits, hints of spices. Delightful hoppy flavour, well balanced with the malts, notes of red fruits / berries, blackcurrants and blackcurrant leaves, extremely drinkable. Great with a mutton dinner, or alone. A "school example" of English subtlety paired with American quality hops in a moderate ABV "session" ale.

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

500 ml can, from SPAR Hirtshals. ABV is 5.0%. Clear pale golden colour, large white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts and grassy and herbal hops. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is fairly bland, with a slight sweetness and moderate hops, but there are no offensive side flavours. Okay.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken, at a very reasonable price (for Norway, that is), probably the cheapest beer per liter you can get at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.1%. Moderately hazy golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of banana and cloves. Banana and cloves in the flavour too, a little citrus, Hardly any bitterness. Well worth the money, might buy again.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. Organic / bio-dynamic ingredients. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, enormous white head. Decent aroma of malts and floral hops. High level of carbonation, big bubbles in the mouth. The flavour has also decent malts (from various esoteric grains), some nutty notes, with moderate but noticeable hops in the finish. Tolerably well balanced beer.

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

Can at local tasting, as Meister Max 8% Lager Beer, shared by our beerpal Olav. Pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Terrible industrial aroma, chemical waste and raw alcohol. Disgusting sweetish chemical flavour. Undrinkable.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

355 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. A British spontaneously fermented cherry "lambic", hmm? Pours with a beautiful cherry red colour and a large and lasting pink head. Intense and beguiling aroma of sweet and sour cherries. Tastes like, duh ..., beer with cherry juice added, maybe because that’s what it actually is? Fairly sweet, reminds me of Lindemans Kriek, but also with a distinct cherry sourness. Low bitterness. Once you get used to the thought of beers tasting more or less like (first class) cherry sodas, this one (like most kriek lambics) actually taste GOOD! No, I wouldn’t want every beer to taste like this one. But it is a nice change of pace, and certainly worth a try!

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Amber colour, large white head. Moderate malty aroma with notes of toffee and some fruity hops. Flavour is moderately malty with some caramel and tolerable hops, but this is really not much more than "average" beer. Some metallic notes in the aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Menabrea Birra 1846. ABV in Norway is 4.7%. Crystal clear golden colour, big and lasting white head. Strong and sweetish fruity aroma. The flavour is fairly clean and zesty, no unpleasant off-flavours, moderate hops in the finish. Definitely not the worst pale lager I’ve had.

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

Bottle, ABV 7.5%, at RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Reddish brown colour, moderate head. The aroma has notes of brown malts, caramel, dark dried fruits and oak, quite nice. The flavour has brown malts and rye bread, a little caramel and oak, not very sweet. The mouthfeel is a bit thin for a beer of this strength.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 5.6%. Copper colour, slightly hazy. Low off-white head. Malty aroma with notes of caramel. The flavour is both malty sweet and well hopped, with a dry and very sharp bitter finish. The alcohol is noticeable. I think a cooler temperature and more CO2 would have helped this one.

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

Re-enter old rating that disappeared mysteriously: Had this beer in a pub just outside Glasgow Queen Street Station - I think it was cask, but might have been keg. Colour was fairly dark for a bitter, brownish. Aroma had indeed notes of "old fart" (sulphur), but the flavour was fairly malty and quite pleasant. The name probably alludes to the target group for this beer (old farts), a group I am now proud to be part of!

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, minimal head. Nice roasted aroma, notes of coffee. The flavour is also roasty with notes of coffee, but the mouthfeel is a bit thin. Fairly dry. Some hints of liquorice and dark bitter chocolate, but not really impressive. Rather "dead" finish with a moderate bitterness.

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

650 ml green glass bottle, entirely covered in very "christmasy" plastic foil. Courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget. ABV is 5.8%. Clear and deep golden colour, large and lasting head. Fruity and spicy aroma with notes of farm kitchen, quite nice. The flavour has some of the "spritziness" of other bières-de-garde, but is sweeter, with caramel. Artificial "aroma" (whatever that may be) has been added, hmmm ... That is probably what I get some candy / pear drops notes from. Moderate hops in the finish. Not your typical Christmas beer, but drinkable.

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

330 ml green bottle, now available in Norway. The label only says "Meteor Bière d’Alsace". ABV is 4.6%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, big white head. Initially a citrussy and sweetish Heineken-like aroma (an American would probably say "skunky", but I don’t mind), the aroma sort of "dies" in the glass. Fairly "clean" pale lager flavour, moderately sweet and slightly citrussy, very moderate hops, not offensive but far from exciting.

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

330 ml bottle, as Mica Pale Ale Sin Gluten, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5%, IBU 40. Slightly hazy golden colour, large white head. Aroma of yellow stonefruits, yeast, pine and spruce. Citric flavour, yeast and pine / resin, bitter finish.

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

A typically commercial American beer, quite refreshing and better than it's reputation. This was the favourite beer of my (now late) uncle in California, I drank large quantities of it in the summer heat when I visited him there many years ago, and has a soft spot for it due to that. When I much later found the beer in Norway, the magic was gone. Drinkable and better than other BMC swill, but of course no masterpiece.

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

750 ml clear bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%. Some sediment and floaties in the bottle. Hazy red to purple colour, shortlived off-white to pink head. Strong sweetish unfresh aroma of blueberries and honey, apples in the background. Surprisingly dry flavour, crisp apples and blueberries, a hint of honey. Not one I'll buy again.

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

Bottle, at Cardinal’s Ølsymposium. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely and well rounded aroma and flavour with all the typical robust porter porter qualities, but the roastiness is not overdone. Smooth and nicely balanced. Will give a more detailed review on the next occasion.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Reddish brown colour, large and creamy off-white head. Bakery aroma, notes of brown bread and moderate hops. Flavour is also bready with distinct notes of caramel, sweetish with a hoppy and alcoholic bite in the finish. Not the best beer in the world, but much better than I feared.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Reddish brown colour, huge off-white head. Aroma of malts, caramel and brown bread. Medium sweet flavour of malts and caramel, hints of roasted nuts, moderate piney and spicy hops. Warming mouthfeel, feels stronger than it is.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Copper colour, large off-white head. Malty aroma, also strong notes of dark dried fruits and caramel, hints of oak. The fairly sweet flavour has notes of dark dried fruits, brown syrup and plenty of caramel, hints of oak. The bitterness is quite moderate, a little more wouldn’t hurt. Still a decent barleywine. I hate myself for not having some Blue Stilton cheese to go with it.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget. ABV is 9.2%. Hazy brownish amber colour, big to moderate white (or slightly off-white) head. Strong sweetish aroma of candy, syrup, Belgian ale yeast and chili, hints of honey. The flavour has sweet notes of malts and Belgian ale yeast, hints of honey and syrup, minimal hops. Not much chili flavour while the beer is in your mouth, but there’s a distinct chili burn in the aftertaste. A bit weird, but well worth sampling.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 9.2%. Copper coloured beer, decent off-white head. Strong and very nice aroma of fruity American hops, some hints of spices of too. The flavour is first malty and slightly sugary sweet with notes of caramel, then an intense harsh and overwhelming bitterness takes over. Overkill, too bitter and harsh for me.