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

Bottle served at the BC Beer Café in Helsinki. Beer is pitch black (okay, VERY dark brown), low to no head. There's some irritating carbonation that pricks on the tongue - if given the choice, I would most likely prefer some nitrogen in a beer of this style (I know that many of you will disagree with me on that!) Moderate roast aroma, the rounded flavour has some coffee notes with a strong oatmeal presence, hardly any bitterness to match the sweetness. Porridge aftertaste. Very filling - I had it 1 hour after a solid breakfast, and it was like having another full meal ("liquid oatmeal porridge"). Of course it's not a bad beer, but as my expectations were sky high, you'll have to forgive me for being a bit disappointed.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.2%. Brewed at the Ram brewery, shortly before closing, BB date 20. Sep. 2007 (will probably be good much longer than that). Code L6263 07:57 Y. Hazy deep brown colour, large and lasting tan head. Nice aroma of malts and hops (no surprise), hints of vanilla, chocolate, raisins and leather. The flavour is perfectly balanced between the malts and hops, both elements being present in generous amounts. Notes of caramel, toffee and oak. Sweet, but not too much. I drank it colder than the recommended room temperature, and don’t regret that. A hoppy bitterness + oak in the aftertaste. A very nice beer - I hope "Wells and Young’s" will keep it in their portfolio.

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

275 ml bottle, unfortunately served far too cold at The Marquess of Anglesey, London. Amber colour, moderate head. Sweet alcoholic (despite ABV only 5%) candylike aroma. Flavour is a bit sweet with hints of nuts and cherries. Not my favourite this one.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Deep amber coloured, slightly hazy, large and lingering head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops on a moderately malty background, hints of toffee and leather. Flavour is fairly malty with some caramel and a dominant hoppy bitterness, too bitter in the finish. A bit overdone on the hops in my book, but obviously a well-above-average beer.

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

Cask conditioned at The Pickerel, Cambridge. Deep golden colour. Very nice honey and flowery aroma. Flavour is moderately honey sweet, minimal bitterness. Some malts too. A bit thin mouthfeel, though. Not my favourite this one.

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

(Bottle). Extremely sweet low ABV (2%) Scottish stout, traditionally recommended for nursing mothers and convalescents to regain their strength. Scotsmen drink it mixed half & half with Guinness. Might be a good idea. I had it on its own at room temperature, and found it way too sweet, nearly undrinkable. Would probably be better at cellar temperature.

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

One of my favourite English session bitters (had it from cask in London).

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

Cask conditioned at The Marquess of Anglesey, Covent Garden, London. Served at cellar temperature. Amber colour, low head, moderate malty aroma with some oak, mellow rounded flavour, moderate but decent bitterness. A good pint!

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

Shared can at local tasting. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, white head. Dusty and "chemical" aroma. "Dusty", dry and bland flavour. No good.

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

500 ml bottle, kindly shared by gunnar, as Žatec Premium Tmavé. ABV is 4.3%. Ruby colour, low off-white head. Nice aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Easy drinking. The flavour has notes of brown bread, some caramel but not too sweet. Okay, but not very exciting.

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

500 ml can, as Žatecký 0,0% Nealko. Brewed by Carlsberg Polska. Okocim is not mentioned on the can. Purchased at EKO Market, Stavanger. Clear golden colour, large white head. Strong aroma of newmown grass, also some floral notes. Dry flavour, moderate malts, hints of boiled vegetables, very moderate hops.

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

(500 ml bottle, in Sweden). Allegedly a combination of lager and altbier (50/50?). The lager is the winner. Light golden brown colour. Malty aroma with hints of new-mown hay. Malty flavour with a not-too-pleasant bitterness. Drinkable, not outstanding. I'd prefer a pure altbier!

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

(500 ml bottle, in Sweden). Pale golden colour, decent head. This is a fairly "neutral" lager, a bit sweet, low bitterness. Drinkable, but certainly not remarkable.

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

330 ml green bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget). Pale golden colour, decent head. Fruity sweet aroma, notes of grass too. Flavour is unremarkable, but there’s a distinct bitterness of not-too-good hops in the finish and aftertaste.

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

330 ml green bottle, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Brought home from Turkey by my wife. ABV was 7.0%. Golden colour, moderate head. Aroma of grass, herbs and alcohol. Sweetish but fairly "clean" flavour, grassy notes.

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

Sample from 330 ml bottle, simply called "Zipfer", at the Brewery International stand, Smak 09. ABV is 5.4%. Golden colour, low head. Fairly clean pilsener aroma and flavour, notes of German hops. Reasonably bitter aftertaste.

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

500 ml green bottle, as "Golden Pheasant Premium", bought in Riga, Latvia. ABV is 5% - or that’s what the rear label reads. There is also a small white sticker in Latvian on the bottle-neck, reading a.o.: "Alkohola saturs 4%". Is the latter alchohol by weight? - or is one of the labels wrong? Anyway, the beer pours with a golden colour and a large white head. The aroma is very Heineken-like, but somewhat better: Fresh aromatic hops with flowery and fruity notes (most BMC drinkers would probably call it "skunky"). Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has moderate but acceptable hops on a background of mellow and sweet pilsener malts. There’s a hint of honey. I’ve had worse pilseners than this one.

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

Sep. 2016: 330 ml can, in Rhodos. ABV is 5%. Clear pale golden colour, large white head. Moderate sweetish aroma, hints of grass. Slightly sweet flavour, fairly bland, with far too little hops, but not offensive - just boring.

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

500 ml can, bought in Denmark. ABV was 4.1%. Golden colour, moderate head. Pleasant aroma with notes of flowers, honey and rhubarb. Flavour is clean tasting with moderate hops, not remarkable but drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Dark brown colour, large beige head. Aroma of malts, brown kandij sugar, dark dried fruits incl. raisins, oak, hints of mild spices. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, very distinct kandij sugar. Very moderate hops.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8%. Copper colour, more like a Dubbel than a Tripel. Large white head. Pleasant aroma of Belgian ale yeast, mild spices, ripe yellow fruits and dark dried fruits. Medium sweet flavour with some caramel and brown kandij sugar, hints of mild spices and dark dried fruits, moderate hops.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Zywiec Original Beer. ABV is 5.6%. Yellow/golden colour, decent head. Strong sweetish aroma, notes of candy, pilsener malts and a certain fruitiness. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma makes me fear. There is a noticeable maltiness, with very discrete hops in the finish. OKish, easy drinking. Original rating: Draught in Krakow. I think it was called Zywiec Pils on the (English) drinks list, but I presume this is the same beer. Golden colour, moderate head, moderate carbonation. A fairly decent standard pils in my book.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

500 ml can, from EKO Market, Stavanger. Clear golden colour, large white head. Not very nice aroma of grain and malts, hints of sweat and broth. The flavour is fairly sweet with lots of strange off-flavours. The worst Polish n/a beer I've had so far.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml bottle, from EKO Market, Stavanger. Hazy pale straw colour, moderate white head, nice lacing. Aroma of malts, grit, grain, baby porridge, just a hint of wheaty notes and citrus. The flavour is better, with more distinct citrus and wheaty notes, also hints of coriander and very moderate hops.

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

500 ml bottle. Very dark ruby colour, large thick tan head. Malty aroma with smoked notes, elements of espresso coffee, tar and old woodwork. Flavour is initially a tad sweeter than I appreciate, roasted malts with tar, coffee and prunes. A distinct bitterness from the hops and roasted malts takes over, and lasts through the long aftertaste. The high ABV is well hidden. A solid Baltic porter, but not as good as Sinebrychoff.