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

Bottle, at Plain Kitchen, Göteborg. Bottle conditioned. Golden colour, moderate head. Hoppy aroma with notes of resin and honey. Hoppy flavour, notes of resin and grapefruit. Good beer.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.2%. Deep golden colour, large to moderate head, slightly off-white. Fairly nice aroma, malts, toffee, ripe fruits. The flavour is fairly dry, some malts, biscuits and a little fruit, moderate "dusty" English hops in the finish. Drinkable, but not exceptional in any way.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Gluten free. ABV is 7.5%. Cola colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of dark malts, brown bread, brittle, caramel and burnt breadcrumbs. Moderately sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, moderate but noticeable bittering hops.

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

500 ml bottle, at Melkebaren, Sandnes - very reasonably priced by Norwegian standards. ABV is 8%. Cloudy deep golden to orange colour, large white head. Strong sweetish aroma of cloves, over-ripe bananas and honey. Fairly sweet (maybe too sweet?) flavour with the same elements as in the aroma, hardly any bitterness. Quite enjoyable though.

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

Shared bottle at local tasting. Hazy golden to orange colour. In the aroma pleasant and spicy notes of Belgian ale yeast collide with some less pleasant hints of vomit. Quite sweet and distinctly spicy flavour, hints of ripe bananas and cloves. Warming mouthfeel.

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

Rerate 13.04.2022: 660 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV is 10.0%. Pitch black colour, large to moderate brown head. Full score on appearance! I'm also upping the mouthfeel and overall score. Otherwise as first sample. Original rating: Shared bottle at local tasting. Black colour, low tan head. Pleasant aroma of dark malts, black bread, hints of leather, liquorice and dark dried fruits. medium sweet flavour with roasty notes, coffee, dark chocolate and molasses, hints of liquorice. Bought a large bottle in Denmark recently, might rferate soon.

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

Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, from Getränke Hoffmann, Harrislee. Hazy deep golden colour, large white head. Moderate aroma, some malts, some fruit, some dust. Smooth flavour, some malty sweetness, a hint of fruit, low bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, at Melkebaren, Sandnes. ABV is 7.5%. Stammwürze 19%. Mahogany colour, large to moderate head, slightly off-white. Malty aroma with plenty of caramel and brown rye bread. Very sweet and malty flavour, loads of caramel and rye bread, a discrete bitterness in the finish. Not bad, but a bit too sweet.

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

Dark golden colour, moderate to low carbonation, head disappears instantly, aroma of caramel and oak. Malty flavour with caramel and fairly bitter hops that linger in the aftertaste. The Ringnes brewery group's "Tou Blå" ( which was distributed in South-West Norway only) was a better alternative in the same style.

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

440 ml can. A new pale lager from Ringnes (again developed by the marketing department, rather than by a brewer with any self esteem). Allegedly inspired by Asian / Japanese dry lagers. Very pale clear golden colour, large head that soon subsides. Weak sweetish aroma with a faint hint of hops. Bland, watery and extremely boring flavour. A glass of sparkling water would be better. But then, sparkling water has no alcohol ... If you LIKE beer, avoid!

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

500 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. A new beer from Ringnes - I thought this was supposed to be a Münchener dunkel, but it is more of a Münchener helles. Deep golden colour, decent head. Very moderate aroma, some fruity hops and boiled vegetables. Flavour has some dusty hops and a hint of caramel - and is otherwise utterly boring.

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

(Bottle). Ringnes Bryggerimester Spesial Julen (Yule/Christmas) 2004 has replaced the old Ringnes Julespesial. Bryggerimester Spesial is darker - a beautiful copper colour, and retains a good head. Caramel, hops and spices in the aroma. Flavour is well balanced between the malts and hops, and there are distinct hints of Christmas spices (cardamom, ginger?). This is one of the better Yule brews in the grocery store "klasse D " segment.

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

330 ml clear bottle. Ringnes intend to present a new recipe for their Bryggerimester Spesial each year, and the 2005 edition is definitely VERY different from the 2004 edition (each vintage is listed separately at BeerPal). Beautiful deep amber colour, decent head. Aroma is dominated by strong anise / cough medicine notes, not a perfect marriage with the weaker notes of caramel malts. Hints of thyme. Flavour is also dominated by anise, vanilla notes are much weaker. Fairly light bodied, malts do not come up front. Some faint hops and anise again in the aftertaste. The 2004 edition was quite good for its moderate strength, the 2005 is not. Definitely not my cup of tea, sorry: beer. Experiments are okay in the world of beer, but there’s no guarantee that they will be successful. This one isn’t. To be avoided. Better luck next year.

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

330 ml green bottle. Amber coloured, large off-white head. Weak aroma with hints of berries (incl. juniper berries?) and boiled vegetables. Flavour has very moderate malts and hops (and possibly bog myrtle), notes of caramel but not very sweet. Thin and faintly sourish mouthfeel. A very boring beer, but not offensive.

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

A new "klasse D" (grocery store strength) beer, introduced Christmas 2006. 330 ml green bottle. Copper coloured, large and creamy light tan head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of bakery, caramel, juniper berries and wild cranberries. Flavour has a noticeable malts and caramel sweetness with some bready notes, faint hints of spices, minimal hops, short and slightly dusty finish. Minimal and boring afteraste. Too thin mouthfeel for a "juleøl", despite the initial sweetness. Won’t be my choice for "the meat dishes of Christmas" this one.

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

440 ml can. Guajiro is a very pale golden new lager from Ringnes, artificial (?) lime and mint flavouring, probably developed by the marketing department rather than by any brewer with some self esteem. Initially decent head that rapidly disappears completely and leaves no lacing. Sweetish artificial aroma of lime and mint candy. Nasty and watery flavour with repulsive notes of "lime and mint" chemicals. Minimal hops. A remarkably bad beer! Avoid!

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

500 ml can, ABV is 4.6%. Golden colour, decent head. Sweetish fruity aroma, notes of artificial candy. The flavour has some malts and a little caramel, but is mostly bland and boring. The promised "hoppy bitterness" is actually minimal.

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

Ringnes first tried to call this beer "Loaded" (clearly identifiing the target consumer group), but that was stopped by the Norwegian "Morality Police". Head disappears quickly, colour just slightly darker than a pils, sweet aroma of fruit, vegetables and alcohol, flavour grossly dominated by alcohol and not very good hops, unpleasant aftertaste that luckily doesn't last for long. Not a beer I'll buy again. This shit won't even get me drunk fast (despite 10.2% ABV), as I just can't manage swallowing it fast. Urk!

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

Not very successful, medium strong golden lager. Did not sell well. Discontinued. When it was discontinued, the stronger Ringnes Gold changed its name to "Extra Gold". Oh, well ...

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

Formerly known simply as "Ringnes Gold", and before that (many years ago) as "Ringnes Export". Ringnes Gold was renamed "Extra Gold" when the Ringnes brewery discontinued their short-lived 5.3% ABV medium strong "Ringnes Extra". Ringnes Extra Gold is a strong and fairly malty golden lager in the Norwegian "eksport" style, closely related to Danish "gulløl" and German "Heller Bock". Quite acceptable, but no masterpiece.

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

500 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Pale golden colour, decent head. Moderate sweetish and sugary aroma, notes of grass and boiled vegetables, not very attracive. Moderate sweetish flavour, minimal hops. Another boring beer from Ringnes.

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

330 ml can. ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, decent head. Sweetish aroma with notes of flowers and corn. Light bodied, moderate carbonation. Very moderate malts and hops in the flavour, but not offensive. By no means a great beer, but not as bad as I feared.

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

500 ml can. Golden colour, decent head. Sweetish flowery and fruity aroma, not unpleasant. Flavour has more sweetness than most pilseners and is not "crisp", but the hops are not very distinct. Not too bad though.

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

Brewed for every Christmas since 1999, this year (2002) unbelievably is the first (but definitely not the last!) year I have had this excellent beer. The recipe this year is supposed to be slightly less sweet than in 2001. Dark reddish brown colour, low head, pleasant but initially surprisingly weak roasted aroma (improves as the beer warms up). This is par excellence the most flavourful beer in Norway for nearly a century (between 1909 and 1999 max. ABV was 7%). Not as subtle and complex flavour as Aass Bock, but robust as hell. Roasted malts and coffee abound, Christmas spices and decent hops are balanced by a sufficient sweetness. Alcohol (9,9%) is well hidden. Robust aftertaste. Now THIS is a beer for the big boys! (OK, for big girls too.) Rerate Christmas 2004: Still excellent! Robust and "raw" in the edges, but I love it!

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

Another "klasse D" (moderate ABV) Christmas brew. At least this one has some aroma and flavour of toffee, caramel and spices. Reddish brown colour. Drinkable, but far from impressive.