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

The last few years Ringnes have, in addition to their normal 'klasse F' Christmas beers, brewed a 'Juleklassiker' (Christmas classic) which changes every year, and allegedly is based on old recipes from the various breweries that have been engulfed (and in many cases closed) by the Ringnes group. Last year it was Aktiebryggeriet i Oslo, this year it's Ringnes' own recipe. As a gimmick every bottle is numbered, I had number 37089! This beer is not 'golden' like the label says, it is reddish brown (the label mentions that Ringnes brewed its first pilsener in 1877 - irrelevant information, as this is definitely not a pils!) - its flavour is very close to the weaker Frydenlund Bayerøl (Munich dunkel) though some may prefer to call it a Vienna (who the hell cares - the term 'Vienna' is unknown in Norway, even if our numerous Christmas beers belong to the borderland between dunkels and Viennas). Anyway this is a good beer, but it could use some heavier malts for its strength (6,5%). Not as spicy as the normal 'klasse F' Christmas beers. Good with food though.

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

330 ml bottle. "Klasse D" means it's the grocery store version (= ABV < 4.75%) of their Yule/Christmas beer. Reddish brown colour, good head. Moderate toffee sweetness, moderately spiced flavour: cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. Not too bad, but of course it’s watery compared to the "klasse F" Juleøl.

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

330 ml bottle. Dark amber colour, pleasant aroma, hints of liquorice and spices. Excellent with traditional Scandinavian Yule/Christmas fare. This version (sold in Norway in Vinmonopolet stores only) is the way to go.

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

Probably the best of the "klasse D" Norwegian Christmas beers (doesn't take much, really). The stronger "klasse F" beers are the way to go! But this is at least a nice try. Golden brown colour. Toffee sweetness, fruity, mild spices. Low bitterness. Good with food. *Seems now to have been replaced by the "Bryggerimester Spesial" series, where the recipe changes each year.

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

Formerly known as Ringnes Light. "Light" in Norway always means ABV below 2.5%. These beers (all are pale lagers) have been known as "driver's" light beers. Consider selling your car in stead. (Well, maybe it is not quite that bad, but aroma, flavour and not least mouthfeel are all very boring.)

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

500 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Pale golden colour. Decent head. Sweetish "artificial" aroma, maize and some fruit, not very pleasant. Very light bodied, a little sweetness in the flavour with minimal hops, but not quite as bad as I expected from a low carb beer.

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

500 ml can, from a random grocery store, Tau. ABV is 4.3%. Clear copper to brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma of malts, toffee and caramel. Light bodied. The flavour is not too sweet, with hints of caramel and Christmas spices. Better than I feared.

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

330 ml can, from Kiwi Tau. ABV is 4.3%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts and candy, hints of hop oil. Medium sweet flavour, a little malts, low bitterness. Forgettable.

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

(500 ml can). There's a price war on cheap swill going on in Norway at the moment, and this lager is probably meant to be Ringnes' contribution. I'm not sure where they actually brew this, no mentioning is made of the Reinheitsgebot, so it's probably full of adjuncts. It's just another pale industrial lager, not unlike the ones made by Grans/Harboe/Faxe. The brewery's recommendation "to be served ice cold" is an appropriate warning. Totally forgettable. At least they had the decency not to call it a pilsener.

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

440 ml can. Amber colour, moderate off-white head, poor retention. Weak aroma, faint notes of caramel and hops. Flavour has some toffee notes and acceptable hops. Drinkable beer, but no masterpiece. Allegedly inspired by Ringnes’ sponsoring of Norwegian polar expeditions 1890s - 1920s, but the members of those expeditions drank proper Ringnes dark bock, not this swill!

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

Like all Norwegian pilseners aggressively carbonated. Not the best Norwegian brand. It's brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot and is drinkable, but really not much more. There's a bread-dough character that I don't like much. Lacks the crisp hoppiness that a good pilsener should have. Slightly better on tap than bottled IMO.

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

500 ml can, ABV 4.5%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate "dusty" aroma, some malts, a hint of caramel and grassy hops. The flavour is tolerably hoppy throughout (at least more than the ordinary Ringnes Pilsner), with hints of caramel and a fairly bitter finish.

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

Very light and pale thirst quencher for a hot summer's day. Not much taste, but not offensive either. Nice label! (The name and label refer to outdoor life and boating along the range of skerries on the coast, the favourite activity of many Norwegians in the summertime).

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

It works when you're thirsty enough. That's it. Hard to say how this one differs from the Skjærgårds Pils (they are both summer seasonals), they exist side by side so they can't be exactly the same beer. My impression is that the Sommerøl is even more tasteless, bland and boring. Hurrah!

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

330 ml can, from Coop Extra, Tau. Chestnut to mahogany colour, large to moderate off-white head. Aroma of malts, grain, brown bread and some caramel. The flavour has the same elements, malty but not too sweet, a low hop bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle. Cloudy brownish golden colour, large head. Typical hefeweizen aroma with notes of cloves and ripe bananas. Flavour is also typical hefeweizen, but lacks some of the "freshness" of the best beers of this style. Mouthfeel is a bit watery and bland, probably due to a lower ABV. A hefeweizen should have an ABV around 5.4! - which, however, would have excluded it from the Norwegian grocery store market. Still, this is a drinkable and fairly refreshing beer, not a bad try from Ringnes.

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

Aug. 2018: Cask half pint at The Lamplighter, St. Helier. ABV was 4.2%. Golden colour, white head. Moderate aroma, some malts, a little fruit. Some fruit / berries and tingling hops in the flavour, much better than the bottled version. Sep. 2016: Shared 500 ml bottle, ABV 4.2%, bought in London. Golden colour, moderate hite head. Aroma of artificial candy / pear drops / crappy Swedish "pear" cider. Slightly sweet flavour, moderate hops, but the bad aroma ruins the drinking experience.

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

Cask at The Hogshead, Ipswich. My first Ringwood beer. Deep golden colour, light bodied, fruity flavour with a faint hint of barnyard. OKish, but not a favourite of mine.

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

August 2018: Cask half pint at The Lamplighter, St. Helier. Reddish brown colour. Spicy, herbal and malty aroma and flavour, hints of red berries. Very good beer, will buy again when I can.

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

April 2015: Cask pint at the Sand Martin, Cardiff. Copper colour, lasting moderate head, slightly off-white. Moderate malty aroma, hints of toffee. Very smooth mouthfeel and flavour, moderately malty but not sweet, a slight fruitiness makes it very drinkable. Decent hops in the aftertaste.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

June 2019: 650 ml bottle, as Rip Current Dangerous Undertow Belgian-style Abbey Ale, Bourbon barrel series, generously shared by bergstaden, many thanks! ABV is 13%. Dark brown colour, no head. Intense aroma of bourbon and oak, also notes of molasses. Lovely flavour of bourbon and oak again, medium sweet, not even a hint of fusel, very good. Warming mouthfeel. Excellent beer.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad, as Rise Ærø Ærøskøbing Dark Ale. Mahogany colour. Moderate malty aroma. Pleasant malty flavour, nothing spectacular but nice enough to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, as ’Rise Ærø Hertug Hans No. 5 Valnød’, ABV was 7.0%. Shared with my beerpal Olav who got it from a Dane, thx! Brewed with lager yeast, pilsener malts, caramel malts, black malts and wheat malts, Golding hops, ascorbic acid (E300) and walnut extract. Has the character of a ’normal’ bock with walnut flavour added. Brown to copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma with caramel and nuts, also some vinous notes. The flavour has a noticeable sweetness from caramel and malts, also notes of nuts. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

Sampled bottle, as Rise Ærø Marstal India Pale Ale, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Golden colour. Nice hoppy aroma (First Gold, Cascade). Thin mouthfeel. Some hoppy bitterness but little else. Dry. Lacks a presence of malts.

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

500 ml bottle, from NETTO, Denmark. ABV is 6%. Organic. Mahogany coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of malts, caramel and brown bread, some burnt notes in the background. The flavour has also notes of malts and caramel, but is not very sweet. Burnt notes and dusty hops in the finish. Not exceptional, but still one of the better beers I’ve had from Rise.