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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.5%. Organic, ingredients include sugar and ascorbic acid (E300 - vitamin C). Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Brewed with English ale yeast. Weak aroma of floral hops, some "dusty" notes too. The flavour is first fairly sweet and malty, with a "dusty" finish. Some metallic hops in the aftertaste, with notes of wet cardboard to boot. Ridiculously poorly hopped for something going under the name of "IPA". Would not be a great beer, whatever name they had chosen. Nope, this is simply not good enough.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Attractive chestnut colour, moderate off-white head. Decent malty aroma, notes of caramel and brown sugar. The flavour is also malty with caramel, but not overly sweet. The hops (First Gold) are very moderate. Still a quite drinkable Christmas ale.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6%. Deep golden to amber color, moderate off-white head. Sweetish aroma of new-mown grass, caramel and nuts. The flavour is quite sweet and sugary, with notes of caramel, honey and nuts. Very moderate hops. A bit too far out on the sweet side, but not undrinkable.

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

January 2016: Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, from Prima Beer. ABV is 4.9%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate but nice aroma of herbal and grassy German hops. Fairly crisp and dry flavour, a typical German pils (no more, no less), reasonably bitter finish.

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

January 2016: Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, from Prima Beer. 6.8% ABV. Golden colour, white head. Malty and dusty aroma. Malty and dusty flavour too, a bit unfresh, moderate hops. Not great.

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

Oct. 2017: 500 ml bottle, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 6.6%. Deep amber colour, moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of spices and malts, hints of brown bread, dark fruits and sea water. Medium sour flavour, notes of lactic acid, lemons, citrus peel, plums, spices and salt.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.3%. Pale golden colour, large white head. Wheaty aroma, hints of fart and smoke. Fizzy mouthfeel. Medium sour flavour, notes of lactic acid and lightly smoked wheat malts, also some fruity notes reminiscent of yellow plums. Low bitterness. Not bad, not great, historically interesting - but there is probably a reason that the Lichtenhainer beer style died out.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%. Deep, deep purple colour, moderate to small pink to purple head. Aroma of blueberries, sour cherries and vanilla, hints of almonds and marzipan. The moderately sour flavour has the same fruity notes, and is not too sweet. Very nice and drinkable.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.6%. Hazy yellow colour, moderate white head. Lovely aroma of yellow stonefruits, pineapple and various tropical fruits. The flavour has also notes of said fruits, some citrus too. Low bitterness. Delicious beer.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.6%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of lightly roasted malts, dark chocolate, mild coffee and chili peppers, a hint of blueberries. Relatively light bodied. The flavour is slightly on the dry side, with the same elements as the aroma, a very moderate burn from the Scotch Bonnet peppers. Low bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Mahogany coloured beer with a thick off-white to beige head. Strong and dominant sweetish aroma of chocolate and vanilla, not unpleasant, but pretty close ... The flavour has loads of cocoa and vanilla, on a malty base with some vinous notes, but the beer is not nearly as sweet as the aroma made me fear. There are some moderate hops in the finish. This is a nice change-of-pace beer, but I would normally prefer the "ordinary" Old Tom.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. This is Old Tom blended with Fentimans Ginger Beer (the latter is actually not a beer at all, but a softdrink like "ginger ale" - only with REAL ginger as an ingredient). Mahogany coloured beer, big beige head. Distinct aroma of ginger, also fruity and slightly vinous notes, hints of caramel. The flavour is rich and sweet, a bit too much on the sugary side, with distinct notes of stem ginger in syrup. Some hops and a ginger burn in the finish. I definitely prefer the "ordinary" Old Tom to this one - and also Chocolate Tom if I need a change. However, Ginger Tom is far from undrinkable, if you happen to like ginger - which I fortunately do.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Mahogany coloured beer, large and lasting tan head. Malty sweet aroma, notes of port wine, oak and bakery. Excellent mouthfeel, full and rich. Flavour of generous malts, caramel, dried dark fruits, moderate but noticeable hops (Goldings and Northdown), port wine finish. Fairly sweet, but not cloying. A true classic!

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

(330 ml bottle). Pours with an enormous and thick light tan head, beer is cloudy, very dark brown colour. Heavenly complex aroma: oak, port wine, dried fruit and spices. 10 points for aroma is not enough! Flavour is complex, spicy and oaky - toffee sweetness is well balanced with hops. Warming mouthfeel, otherwise the high ABV is well hidden. Long lasting aftertaste. Can't find any faults with the beer - therefore a straight 10. Does that imply that any "perfect" beer has to be as strong as Rochefort 10? Certainly not - but in the strong division, this one is in the lead, at least untill I have sampled Westvleteren... (But the price in Norway is outrageous: USD 9 for a small bottle - in the store!)

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

330 ml bottle, at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival. Served directly from the fridge. Had to wait half an hour before I could drink it. Strange thing with British pubs and beer festivals - they’re very conscious that their native cask ales should be served at cellar temperatures, but foreign bottled beers are served ice cold, no matter what! Barnyard aroma with notes of dried fruits and oak, improves as the beer warms up. Flavour has much of the same elements as Rochefort 8 and 10, just on a more moderate scale. Dried fruits, brown sugar, tobacco, oak.

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

(330 ml bottle). This superb Trappist ale pours with an enormous thick head, colour is cloudy dark brown. It has a lovely aroma of oak, leather, dried fruits and a hint of cigar tobacco. Flavour is malty and spicy with a warming mouthfeel, otherwise alcohol is well hidden. Dangerously drinkable! Moderate bitterness, rounded aftertaste. This ale truly belongs in the Premier League of Beers

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Hoppy aroma and flavour (Columbus hops), the flavour also has spicy notes with hints of Belgian ale yeast, otherwise this is a fairly standard American IPA (which is not a bad thing).

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival (2005), gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4.2%. Golden colour. Aroma of spices and fruits of the forest (no surprise). Flavour is slightly spicy and "forest fruity" (of course), blackberries and blackcurrants come through. Not bad at all.

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

Shared 750 ml bottle at local tasting, many thanks to gunnar. ABV is 5.6%. Red colour, slightly peachy head. Lovely vinous aroma and flavour, notes of red wine vinegar and berries, marzipan and cherries. Very complex and enjoyable.

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

750 ml "champagne" bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Red colour, large pink head. Strong sourish-fruity aroma of ripe red berries (= cherries, raspberries and cranberries), also notes of oak and farmhouse. Lovely clean sour & fruity flavour with a strong presence of said berries, some sweetness but not too much. Refined and interesting, but still refreshing and easy drinking for its strength and age.

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

250 ml bottle, simply labeled "Rodenbach", courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Nice aroma of red wine vinegar, sour cherries and farmhouse kitchen. The flavour is moderately sweet and sour, notes of musty fruit, funk and red wine vinegar. Some oak in the finish, minimal hops. Not nearly as complex, powerful and interesting as the Grand Cru, but okay.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Deep reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Interesting aroma, notes of dark fruits, red wine, oak and balsamic vinegar. Medium sour flavour with the same elements. Hardly any bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, ABV 6%. Drank it out of a plastic "glass" (sacrilege, I know!) at cellar temperature. Cherry-like aroma with hints of cowshed and ensilage. Flavour is sour/acidic/red wine vinegar-like, with strong barnyard and ensilage elements (not that I normally eat ensilage, but still...). This was my first Flemish red ale, an exciting experience! It will not be my last beer of this style.

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

Shared bottle at Bryne tasting. Reddish brown colour, off-white to beige head. Dull malty aroma. Malty flavour, not very sour. Not bad, but unexpectedly boring.

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

Nov. 2012: Shared 750 ml bottle, 2010 Vintage, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Deep ruby colour, moderate cream-coloured head, Lovely sweet & sour aroma, vinous notes with oak galore, red wine vinegar, silage and farmhouse kitchen. Sweet and sour flavour too, oaky, vinous, well rounded and harmonious.