Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

July 2017: Cask from the wood, halfpint, at the SPBW 1st National Woodfest, Castleford. Black colour, tan head. "Dusty" and dull aroma. Fairly light bodied. Mild roasty notes in the flavour, while a certain fruity acidity helps the drinkability.

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

330 ml bottle, at Murphy’s 8541 Irish pub, Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV is 5%. Beautiful mahogany coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of caramel malts and dark syrup. The flavour has also caramel and possibly biscuit malts, but not much else. Dull finish. Okay overall though.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2015-2016, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%. Very dark brown to black colour, large beige head. Vinous aroma, notes of farmhouse, oak and lightly roasted malts. Medium sour flavour, notes of brettanomyces, red wine vinegar, oak and roast malts.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Hazy deep golden colour, large white head, rapidly diminishing. Strong and complex funky aroma, brettanomyces galore, oaky and "farmhouse" / horseblanket notes. The flavour is sour / acidic and funky, notes of oak, stale hops and old apple cider.

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

375 ml corked & caged green bottle, vintage 2021-2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken ABV is 5.8%. Golden colour, minimal white head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, oak, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar. Sour flavour with the same elements.

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

375 ml corked & caged green bottle, vintage 2021-2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.8%. Clear pale golden colour, pours vigorously sparkling with a moderate but shortlived white head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, oak, crushed white grapes, white wine vinegar. Sour flavour with the same elements, also notes of lemons. Relatively light bodied.

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

750 ml corked & caged dark green bottle, vintage 2021-2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Orange to pink colour, large off-white head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse kitchen, oxidized apples, oak and lingonberries. Dry and sour flavour, notes of lingonberries, lemons, sour apples, brettanomyces and oak.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2020-2021, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%. Moderately hazy orange colour, minimal white head. Distinct aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse / barnyard, also notes of oak and oxidised apples. Sour and oaky flavour, distinct notes of brettanomyces, hints of scrumpy.

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

750 ml corked & caged dark green bottle, vintage 2021-2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%. Hazy golden to orange colour, minimal white head. Distinct aroma of brettanomyces, farmhouse, funk, rural kitchen, oxidized apples, lemons and oak. Very moderate carbonation. Sour flavour of brettanomyces, lemons, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and oak.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2021-2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.0%. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Lovely aroma of farmhouse / brettanomyces, rustic kitchen, oxidised apples, oak, hints of apple cider vinegar. Sour flavour of brettanomyces, salted lemons and oak.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2017-2018, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. 260 grams of blackberries / bramble per liter of lambic have been used for this vintage. Slightly hazy peach to red colour, small off-white to pink head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, lemons and oak, also unripe blackberries. Very sour flavour, notes of lemons, brettanomyces, oak and unripe blackberries again. Tart and moderately astringent finish.

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

Sample from 750 ml bottle at ASKO-messe. Cloudy golden colour, small white head. Aroma of lemons, sour plums, farmhouse and dust. VERY sour flavour, lemons, sour plumskins and brettanomyces galore.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2022-2023, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.8%. Golden colour, small white head, moderate carbonation. Lovely aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, rustic kitchen, salted lemons, oak and oxidised apples. Sour flavour, notes of brettanomyces, lemons, oak and sour apples.

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

375 ml corked & caged bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6%. This is now a blend of Guinness Special Export and Timmermans Oude Kriek only, Guinness West Indies Porter is no longer part of the blend. Mahogany colour, huge and creamy beige head. Distinct aroma of sour cherries, cherry kernels and marzipan, discrete notes of chocolate and roast malts. The fairly sweet and slightly sour flavour has the same elements, the roast malts are astonishingly subdued. A fun experiment, but I prefer the Guinness Special Export on its own.

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

750 ml corked & caged dark bottle, as Timmermans 1702 - Oude Schaarbeekse Kriek Griotteke, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.7%. Deep red colour, off-white to pink head. Distinct aroma of sour cherries and almonds / marzipan, also notes of farmhouse kitchen. Sour flavour with sour cherries galore, brettanomyces and hints of lemons.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Timmermans Tradition Lambicus Blanche. ABV is 4.5%. Sweetened with sugar AND saccharine, hmmm... Ingredients also include artificial "aromas / flavourings" + antioxidant E300. Spontaneous fermentation, has the character of a sweetened lambic more than a witbier. Pale golden colour, big white head. Citrussy aroma with some sidenotes of milk products, also notes of farmhouse cider and barnyard, hints of banana and cloves. The flavour is saccharine sweetness with citrussy notes, and only a moderate acidity. No bitterness. Not very interesting.

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

250 ml bottle, bought at Borough Market, London. Beautiful dark ruby colour, very good thick head. Moderate barnyard aroma on a background of red wine vinegar, honey and raisins. Flavour is not nearly as sour as the other two Flemish Sour Ales I’ve had - more sweet than sour, actually. Too sweet for me - elements of syrup, caramel, honey, balsamico vinegar, blackcurrants and blackberries. A craft beer, no doubt - but definitely not a favourite of mine this one.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma and flavour much like sweetened ice tea with "peach" flavour - which means dominant notes of artificial "peach" candy. Not very sour. The cardamom notes are quite discrete. Many young people will probably like this beer more than I did.

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

250 ml bottle, as Timmermans Pêche Lambicus, from Bris Ølutsalg, Jørpeland. ABV is 4%. Clear golden colour, moderate white head. Sugary aroma of peach candy and ripe peaches. Medium sweet flavour of peaches and peach candy, very little acidity. Not much lambic character here.

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

Sampled RBESG 2006, bottle, as Timmermans Tradition Kriek Lambic. Beautiful red colour. Barnyard and cherry aroma. Funky cherry flavour. A decent kriek lambic, if cherries are the matter of the day.

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

500 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Clear deep golden colour, huge white head. Pleasant aroma of malts and toffee, hints of stewed fruits and earthy hops. The flavour is not very sweet, but has still some hints of toffee and caramel, followed by distinct and sharp-ish earthy hops. October 2016: Cask 1/3 pint, gravity dispense, at the 16th Twickenham Beer & Cider Festival. Copper colour. Sourish aroma, dodgy, not in perfect nick. Tolerably hoppy flavour, but not as good as I hoped.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black colour, roasted malty and ...err... MILD flavour. Smooth. Low on hops like expected from this style.

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

500 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Blonde / pale straw colour, moderate white head. Fresh aroma of citrus fruits and flowers, hints of honey. Citric and refreshing flavour, a hint of honey again, but not too sweet. Moderate herbal hops in the finish. A nice beer, particularly for the spring and summer months.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.1%. Clear and deep golden colour, huge white head. Aroma of malts and toffee, hints of herbal and earthy hops. The flavour has the same elements, with a hint of caramelized berries, the earthy hops are now quite distinct, leading to a bitter aftertaste. Original short and slightly exalted comment: "Excellent cask ale! Rule Britannia!" - which means that this is a well balanced and refreshing ale where sufficient malts are accompanied by a distinct hoppy bitterness, like you expect it from a good British bitter. Rerate, cask as guest ale at the Fuller's pub in Euston Street, London: Still solid hops and malts, but drinking experience partly ruined by the fact that the beer was served at room temperature (20-22 degrees C) - a beer like this should definitely be served at cellar temperature (10-12 degr. C). Well, most ales should be served at that temperature, actually. But the American waitress who served us was gorgeous!

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. A delightful little shop! All beers they stock are local and bottle conditioned. This beer pours with a low head and hazy amber (nearly orange) colour. Moderate but pleasant aroma of caramel / toffee, hops and yeast (I poured it all in). Flavour is slightly yeasty, rounded and well balanced with a moderate but delicious hoppiness that lasts through the aftertaste. Who said the English can’t bottle condition beers?