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

355 ml, from Systembolaget, Sweden, thanks to OleR. ABV is 5.45%. Very dark brown colour, big and lasting beige head. Fairly moderate but pleasant aroma of heather honey, also notes of roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, fruity hops and mild coffee. The flavour is not as sweet as I feared, but the heather honey has a distinct presence throughout, nicely balanced by the hops. There is also a moderate roastiness, again with moderate notes of caramel, chocolate and mild coffee. Unlike the brewers I would not call this a "robust" porter, but it is certainly a good one all the same.

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

650 ml bottle, from Costco, Sacramento, ABV is 7.5%. This braggot appears to be more of a beer than a mead. Golden colour, small white head. Brewed with clover honey, orangeblossom honey and chamomile, with alfalfa honey added (probably after fermentation). Sweetish aroma of honey, orange blossom and chamomile, some alcohol. Fairly sweet flavour, but still rather light bodied for its strength. Honey and chamomile notes. A slight alcohol sting. Very moderate hops. Well worth sampling, but not really my cup of tea.

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

Sept. 2012: 355 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV is 6.0%. Beautiful crimson colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Pleasant and complex aroma of fruity hops and sweetish malts, hints of orange marmalade and ripe berries, The flavour is distinctly hoppy and fruity throughout, on a firm malty base. Even better than I expected!

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

Sample from bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Beautiful chestnut colour. No carbonation, and accordingly no head. INTENSE aroma of port wine, dark dried fruits and fusel alcohols. The latter unfortunately detracts from the aroma score. Intense, concentrated and sweet flavour of old madeira, raisins / rum-raisin and oak.

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

Febr. 2013: 355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Chestnut-coloured beer, moderate off-white head. The aroma has some caramel, dust and grass. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has plenty of caramel but is not too sweet, also notes of brown bread, the spice addition (cinnamon, ginger, orange peel) is fairly moderate and quite mild. The bitterness is low. Certainly drinkable, but not really great.

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

Keg at The 78, Glasgow. Black colour, mahogany in the highlights. Creamy head. Moderate aroma, roasty and a hint of vinegar. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Roasty flavour, slightly fruity. Better than Guinness.

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

A beer for extremists - if the brewers / maltsters had roasted the malt more, we'd be talking about cremation! An excellent after dinner beer, could stand in for a cup of espresso. Aftertaste lasts forever. One bottle is enough for the evening

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Kødmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is not mentioned on the label. Deep golden colour, big to moderate white head. Moderate aroma - malts, a little caramel, hints of orange marmalade. The flavour is moderately malty with hints of toffee and oranges, and is smooth and pleasant to drink - but the hoppiness is nowhere near an American IPA. Still, there are some hops in the finish, and the overall impression is a fairly well balanced premium bitter / ESB.

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

355 ml brown bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 5.0%. Chestnut coloured beer, large and lasting off-white head. Moderate aroma of hazelnuts, malts, caramel and chocolate. Malty flavour, moderately sweet with plenty of caramel, nutty finish with moderate hops. Nice enough, definitely better than Newcastle "Broon", but not really outstanding.

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

550 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Nearly black (= very dark brown with a reddish hue) colour, thick tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, notes of coffee and chocolate. Strong roasty flavour with coffee and bitter chocolate elements, dry roasty finish. Clearly a good beer.

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

Cask conditioned ("drawn from an oak cask") at The Golden Ball, Scarborough (a Samuel Smith's pub). Deep golden colour, creamy head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops. Tolerable hops in the flavour - smooth and easy drinking. Okay.

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

Sample from bottle at Copenhagen Beer Festival 2013. Clear golden brown colour, moderate white head. Moderate fruity and malty aroma, hints of ripe berries. Pleasant malty flavour, not very sweet, notes of toffee and nuts, decent hops in the finish, well balanced. Quite enjoyable.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark, as Samuel Smith's Organic Best Ale. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Lagerish aroma, notes of grassy, herbal and fruity hops. The flavour is rather sweet, fruity and grassy, with a moderate bitterness in the finish. Lagerish mouthfeel. Drinkable, but did not blow my socks off.

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

355 ml bottle, ABV 5.1%, at Robert Raikes’ House (a Samuel Smith pub), Gloucester. Served ice cold. Golden colour, moderate white head. Distinct aroma of apricots. The flavour is medium sweet, not cloying, with distinct apricots throughout. Low bitterness.

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

550 ml bottle, at the Robert Raike’s House (a Samuel Smith pub), Gloucester. Served ice cold. ABV is 5%. Nearly black colour, ruby in the highlights. Moderate beige head. Lovely aroma of chocolate, cocoa and vanilla, hints of marshmallows. Fairly light bodied. Medium sweet flavour of chocolate, cocoa and vanilla again. Low bitterness.

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

550 ml bottle, at Café Luna, Aalborg. ABV was 5%. Golden colour, big to moderate white head. Moderate aroma of flowery and grassy hops. Allegedly "a touch hoppier than many lagers", I still find the flavour rather bland and boring. More malts than hops though. At least there are no offensive side flavours.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.1%. Deep red colour, large pink head. Strong aroma of ripe raspberries and raspberry jam. The sweet and sour flavour has loads of raspberry extract / concentrate throughout, slightly astringent finish, with a hint of hops. Certainly not my everyday beer, but drinkable on a day you’re in for "something completely different".

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

On tap at Top1 Forever restaurant, Royal Victoria Dock, London. Pale golden color, low white head. Aroma and flavour are more malty than hoppy, this is more of a Bavarian Helles than a Pilsener. Moderate diacetyl comes through as the beer warms up a little.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

The saltiness in the finish / aftertaste ruins the pleasure of drinking this beer. I may like salty food with a beer, not salt IN the beer itself!

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

550 ml brown bottle, winter 2007-2008, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). BB end of August 08. ABV is 6.0%. Clear amber colour, huge off-white head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel, toffee and biscuits. The flavour is also moderately malty and quite sweet, with notes of treacle, toffee and hints of oak. Moderate hops in the finish. Nothing wrong with it, but not really outstanding. It is quite obvious that this beer is not bottle conditioned.

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

330 ml bottle, at The Chandos (a Samuel Smith’s pub), London. ABV is 5.1%. Red colour, moderate pale pink head. Strong aroma of preserved cherries / cherry liqueur / cherry chocolates with marzipan. Medium sweet flavour of cherries and almond essence / marzipan. A nice change-of-pace beer, when you are tired of the usual English bitters.

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

550 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Ingredients are water, organic apple concentrate, organic cane sugar, malic acid, yeast, carbon dioxide. Hm. So much for "fresh apples straight from the tree". Extremely pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big to moderate head that actually lasts for a while. Moderate aroma of cider apples, eating apples and dust. The flavour is bland and watery, medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like), notes of bland eating apples without much character. Not much to write home about.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.1%. The colour is more brown than red, with a moderate off-white head. Strong aroma of strawberry jam and artificial "strawberry" candy, not fresh strawberries. The flavour has also notes of strawberry jam, but is not quite as sweet as I feared, and there are actually some hints of malts and hops to remind you that this is a beer. Refreshing when cold.

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

550 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. 2009 brew, BB June 2012. ABV is 9%. Copper to chestnut coloured beer, large off-white head. Strong sweetish malty and vinous aroma, notes of raisins, caramel and oak. The flavour is also malty, oaky and vinous, with notes of old sherry, treacle and raisins, tolerable hops in the finish. Harmonious, elegant and very enjoyable.

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

330 ml can, as San Mig Light, brewed under licence by PT Delta, Indonesia. ABV is 4.9%. Clear pale yellow colour, low white head. Sweetish "industrial" aroma, notes of artificial candy. Thin and fizzy mouthfeel. Nearly void of flavour, quite dry, only a touch of sweetness in the background. One to forget.