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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub, Stavanger. 2008 vintage (new recipe, new style, new label). Bottle conditioned, ABV is 7.5%. Cloudy brown colour, huge off-white head. Nice "Belgian" aroma, spices (incl. coriander), yeast and woodwork. The flavour is also spicy / peppery and woody, relatively dry with just a slight fruitiness. Good beer.

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

330 ml bottle, vintage 2022, batch #2648, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%, IBU 30. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of fruity, piney and spicy hops. Fizzy mouthfeel. Sweet flavour, notes of distinct grapefruity and resinous bittering hops.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #2629, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%, IBU 30. Hazy yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of citric and spicy hops, hints of yellow stonefruits. Citric flavour, slightly spicy hops, refreshing.

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

(500 ml bottle). Norwegian micro oatmeal stout. Black (= very dark ruby) colour, some sediment, good head. Nice aroma of roasted malts with some coffee, dark chocolate and cigar box. Mellow, smooth and pleasant flavour, can't detect the oats, some roastedness, hints of coffee. Easy drinking. Aftertaste is OK, but I'd like some more hops. Rerate: I should add that there also is a moderate but noticeable smokiness.

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

Sample at Vectura-messe. Hazy pale yellow colour, white head. Fruity aroma. Light bodied. Refreshing flavour, citrus, moderate bitterness. Decent beer.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

500 ml can, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%, IBU 20. Murky orange colour, moderate white head. Sickly "perfumed" aroma of artificial mango and passionfruit. The flavour is somewhat better, some citrus and noticeable bittering hops. Won't buy again, though.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #677. ABV is 6%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Aroma of smoked malts, a hint of roasted malts / coffee in the background. The flavour is fairly smooth, with some mild roasty notes and hints of coffee and chocolate - and plenty of smoke, of course. I am no fan of extremely smoked lagers, but this one is not too extreme. Fairly drinkable, but probably not a beer I’ll buy very often.

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

January 2017: 500 ml bottle, batch #1713, from Coop Xtra, Sauda. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 20. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, moderate to low white head. Aroma of coriander and various Christmas spices, including anise or liquorice. Also some citrussy / wheaty notes. Citrussy / wheaty flavour, said spices are there, but in moderate amounts. A nice and unusual Christmas brew, suitable to accompany the season’s fish dishes.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger (Norway’s best beer bar, untill someone proves me wrong). Sampled side-by-side with its "sister brew", Nørrebro Bryghus Double Knot Brown Ale (pasteurised and unfiltered keg, see separate rating). ABV is 7.5%, 19 degrees Plato, 40 IBU. Very dark brown colour, moderate head. Darker than Nørrebro DKBA. Lovely malty aroma with plenty of aromatic hops, notes of chocolate and leather too. Rich and roasty flavour, plenty of malts and oak. Roasty long aftertaste. Excellent beer!

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was 10%. Cloudy brown colour, minimal head. Very moderate carbonation, like a Southern English cask ale. Vinous aroma, notes of oak and balsamic vinegar, coriander and orange peel. The flavour has notes of alcohol (not very well hidden), fortified wine, coriander (and undefined spices) and orange peel, with distinct hops throughout. Somehow the flavour elements seem not perfectly balanced. Maybe too much bitterness and alcohol crashing with the more delicate wheaty elements? Goes down well enough though.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. Pitch black colour, impenetrable for light. Large and thick brown head. Lovely aroma with vinous qualities, also notes of Colombian coffee, liquorice, chocolate and dark dried fruits. Flavour is dominated by strong notes of bitter coffee, mixed with a substantial malty sweetness, hints of molasses. Also some acidic notes, I’m not sure if they are wanted or not. Strong "coffee" bitterness in the long aftertaste.

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

On tap at Nærbø Beer Festival and a private tasting at Cardinal. Can’t find my original notes of this beer, but I remember it as a very special combination of the roastiness of NØ Imperial Stout (of which I am a big fan) and the sourness of Flanders red (or even lambic). A fun experiment, but I’ll admit I would prefer the original Imperial Stout on a daily basis.

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

250 ml bottle, kindly shared by Odland. Sampled at room temperature. Pitch black colour, creamy brown head. Strong aroma of cognac oak barrel, some roasty notes too. Well rounded flavour, roasty of course, dark chocolate and coffee, the cognac and oak are there, but not overwhelming. Excellent beer.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, big chocolate brown head. Lovely aroma of whisky barrel (possibly used for sherry before whisky?), but the whisky elements are not overdone - also notes of chocolate, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has a pronounced malty sweetness and well balanced roastiness, again notes of oak, sherry, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee - also moderate notes of tar. An excellent example of how good oak aged impy stouts can be, when the balance is just right.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned. Colour is hazy deep amber, good head. Lovely hoppy and citrussy aroma that says: Come hither, lad, and drink me! Flavour is malty and very bitter, plenty of Cascade hops give a grapefruit-like bitter aftertaste.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). The good people of Nøgne Ø have brewed as many as 4 different Yule/Christmas beers for the Yuletide of 2004. "God Jul" and "Julesnadder" are continued from last year with revised recipes, new ones are "Underlig Jul" and this one, their vanilla porter "Julenatt" (= Yule/Christmas Night). Black colour, thick tan head. Aroma of vanilla, roasted malts, hot chocolate and dark fruits. Flavour is rather sweet, dominant vanilla, roasted malts, coffee and plenty of chocolate. A roast and hop bitterness make the aftertaste tolerable. Nice for a change of pace, a decent "dessert beer" for those with a sweet tooth. But like I said in my rating of another vanilla beer: "there’s probably a reason most beers DON’T smell and taste strongly of vanilla". I’m not a big vanilla fan, but for those who don’t mind, this is probably as good as it gets.

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

500 ml bottle, vintage 2022, batch #2574, from Vinmonopolet Egersund. ABV is 12%, IBU 25. Hazy dark brown colour, nearly black. Small tan head. Aroma of dark malts, brown sugar, Belgian ale yeast and mild spices. The flavour is sweet but not too much, with the same elements as the aroma, also noticeable bittering hops.

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

(500 ml bottle). The Nøgne Ø micro brewery is in a class of its own (at least by Norwegian standards), so this beer is by far the best Norwegian "klasse D" (= grocery store market) Christmas/Yule beer you can get (all others are Vienna lagers). Deep copper colour, moderate head. Malty, oaky and toffee aroma with hints of spices. Malty flavour balanced by a decent bitterness. Rerate Christmas 2004: Colour seems even darker this year, plenty of yeast floaties. Flavour is maybe a tad spicier, well balanced hops. Impressively tasty for a Yule beer with a meagre ABV of 4.5%

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. 2011 version with Belgian yeast. Batch #704B. ABV is 4.5%. Cloudy brown colour, large beige head. Sourish aroma, infected? Also strong woody and ashy / smoked notes. The flavour is somewhat better than the aroma, quite dry, again strong woody notes, hints of ashes. Some roasted malts and hops in the finish. Seems overall unbalanced. Thin mouthfeel. Drinkable, but this is Nøgne Ø, and you expect something better than this. Won’t buy again (not untill a better version - hopefully - is released next year).

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Nøgne Ø Double Hop IPA. ABV 6.5%, 60 IBU. Hazy orange to amber colour, large off-white head. Nice aroma of citrussy and piney American hops. The flavour is distinctly hoppy with piney and grapefruity notes, but not extreme. Moderate malts in the background, not too sweet. Very good.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed specially for the Skral music festival at Groos in Grimstad. Like all NØ beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4,5%. Ingredients include wheat malt, lager malt, Crystal hops, coriander and Belgian yeast. 20 IBU, 11 degrees P. Cloudy pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of coriander and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is distinctly spicy throughout, a modest fruitiness carries hints of citrus and banana, the coriander is dominant, but there is also a substantial hoppy bitterness. I find it VERY hard to believe that the IBU is as low as 20, but what do I know - I guess they wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Dry and bitter finish. Tastes like a cross between NØ’s Wit and their Saison. Definitely something else than the pale lagers you will get at most music festivals.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Opaque black colour, dark ruby in the highlights. Nice and creamy beige head. Very interesting aroma, strong notes of raspberries and balsamic vinegar, on a subtle background of vanilla, malts and chocolate. The flavour was extremely sour and acidic, with notes of raspberries, red wine vinegar and undefined sour fruits, hints of chocolate. Interesting beer, but too far out on the sour side to be a favourite of mine. Maybe not a good idea to make a DARK beer this sour? - people kind of expect a fairly different flavour profile from the dark stuff.

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

330 ml bottle, from Helgø Meny Stadionparken. IBU is 30. Moderately hazy golden colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of grain and tropical fruits. The flavour has also grainy and fruity notes, with a sharp and medicinal bitterness in the aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Nectar DDH IPA, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6%, IBU 20. Moderately hazy golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of citric and piney hops. The flavour is not too sweet, and has again notes of citrus and pine needles, also hints of yellow stonefruits, guava and strawberries. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle in metal cylinder, batch #2500, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 15.5%, IBU 50. Very dark brown colour, small tan head. Aroma of dark malts and chocolate, distinct notes of juniper and honey. Sweet flavour, with the same elements as the aroma, hints of dark dried fruits. Warming mouthfeel.