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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 5.9%. Black colour, dark brown to ruby in the highlights. Creamy tan head. Very nice aroma of dark fruits, chocolate, liquorice and roast malts. The flavour has chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Moderate sweetness. A decent stout in my book.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London. Copper to chestnut colour, low head. Moderate aroma, a little malts. Malty flavour, surprisingly bland, minimal hops. Boring.

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

Cask conditioned (hand pump) at Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby, at their Heavyweight Beer Festival February 2005 (but this one is possibly one of their regular beers). Dark ruby colour, low head. Fruity, chocolate sweet aroma and flavour, moderate roastiness. Very nice.

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

Wiibroe Årgangsøl (= "Vintage Beer") has (like all other Wiibroe beers) been brewed by Carlsberg in Copenhagen since 1998. They have had a tradition of brewing each vintage 0.1% stronger than the previous year, but the basic recipe seems to be the same. Sampled 330 ml bottle, vintage 2002, in Denmark. When brewers (in general) try to make a pilsener-style lager with more than 10% ABV, the result is normally disastrous. Not so in this case. Golden coloured beer. Pleasant aroma, alcohol presence in the flavour but fairly well balanced. Not a great beer, but not bad either.

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

At last - the elusive Wiibroe Porter Imperial Stout is mine. 330 ml bottle, at Plan B, Copenhagen. Black colour, moderate creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, caramel, coffee, chocolate and liquorice, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. Roasty flavour, dark malts and coffee, hints of liquorice and dark chocolate. Lovely!

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

750 ml green waxed bottle, as Wild Beer After Oak BA Wild Belgian Ale, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.2%. Slightly hazy golden to orange colour, small white head. Aroma of funk, farmhouse / brettanomyces, honey melons, flowers and honey. The flavour is moderately sour, notes of melons and honey again, but the beer is not very sweet. Hints of oranges and tangerines, also discrete hints of oak, dry finish, low bitterness.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Hinna - Stadionparken. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy and deep reddish brown colour, moderate to small off-white to beige head. Aroma of dark dried fruits, particularly prunes and raisins, also hints of molasses and brown sugar. Very fruity flavour, notes of apricot and raisins, a moderate acidity, not too sweet, moderate hops. Unusual and nice to drink.

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

750 ml lilac waxed bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, funk, lemons and sour white grapes. Very sour flavour, notes of brett, lemons and white wine vinegar, hints of oak. Too sour for me.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger ABV is 4.2%. Chestnut coloured beer, big to moderate creamy beige head. Moderate aroma of malts, nuts and biscuits, hints of caramel and chocolate. Distinctly malty flavour, probably some caramel malts and chocolate malts have been used here, but the beer is not very sweet. Some fruit and moderate hops in the finish. Definitely a "Scottish Ale" rather than a "Bitter" - you won’t find many English bitters with this character these days, methinks.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.3%. Hops are Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo. Very pale yellow colour, moderate head. Vegetal aroma, notes of grass, elderflowers and citrus. The flavour is citrussy and refreshing, moderate notes of elderflowers, hints of white grapes and green gooseberries. Moderate bitterness. Light bodied. A decent summer ale.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. ABV is 4.2%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Large and lasting tan head. Very nice aroma of roast malts, coffee and dark chocolate, hints of blackcurrants and liquorice. The flavour is first fairly fruity and slightly acidic, then a moderate roastiness and pronounced coffee notes take over. Moderate hops and chocolate in the finish. Relatively light bodied for its style, but definitely an enjoyable beer.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.1%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. As the beer is hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo, Styrian and Cascade, I expected the aroma to be something special, but it isn’t - just grassy notes on a background of malt sugar. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is clean, medium sweet and tolerably well hopped for a pale lager - yes, this is a lager, and not much of a "hybrid". At 33 IBU it is hardly an IPA by any stretch of the mind. Grassy finish. Drinkable, but won’t buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Pale yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Sweetish aroma, notes of flowers, some fruit and candy. The flavour is too sweet for a pale lager, notes of candy and malt sugar, hints of honey. Not "crisp" at all, and not very citrussy. A very moderate bitterness in the finish, where the sweetness is still present. Williams Brothers make many interesting beers, this is not one of them.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.3%. Reddish brown colour, moderate white (or slightly off-white) head. Malty aroma (munich and dark crystal are noticeable), also fruity notes (red fruits jam). The flavour has noticeable munich malts, but is not very sweet. Notes of brown bread toast. Also fruity notes and decent hops throughout. I like it - might well buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 3.8%. Brewed without any hops at all, but with substantial amounts of root ginger. Golden colour, pours quite fizzy, moderate to low head. Aroma of ginger and citrus. The flavour has a distinct ginger burn from start to finish. Definitely not your usual beer, but nice for a change of pace. Feels much stronger than its moderate ABV.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 3.9%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Nice hoppy aroma, notes of fruits, berries and pine forest. The flavour is zesty and fruity with a nice hop character, some citrus notes, a piney bitterness in the finish. I’ve said it before: I’m a sucker for golden ales like this one, with their moderate ABV and refreshingly hoppy character.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 3.9%. Pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops, notes of tropical fruits, hints of honey. The flavour is zesty with fruity hops again, notes of citrus. Not very sweet. Nice bitterness in the finish. I’m a sucker for beers like this, esp. in summer.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Joker IPA, green label. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, big white head. Nice aroma of fruity hops, citrussy and grassy notes, hints of mild spices and herbs. The flavour is fruity with an initial sweetness and noticeable hops throughout, moderate bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Not quite what Americans would think of as an IPA, but a fairly well hopped premium bitter / golden ale all the same. Nice one. Would buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, a gift. ABV is 4.9%. Black colour, large to moderate brown head, nice lacing. The aroma has moderate roasty notes (mild coffee, chocolate and liquorice), also strong fruity and acidic notes (hops, lemons and orange peel), hints of coriander. The aroma seems a bit misplaced, but that might just be due to old habit. Smooth flavour, very pleasant to drink, mild roasty notes. Not much acidity in the flavour, just a hint of orange peel in the background. Moderate hops. Not sure if I could identify the coriander, if I did not know that it should be there. Don’t know if March of the Penguins will be imported to Norway (most other WB beers are, so it is likely that it will) - I would buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.6%. Black colour, big to moderate tan head. Nice roasted aroma, notes of dark chocolate and coffee. The flavour is distinctly roasty throughout, notes of coffee, hints of dark bitter chocolate. The finish is fairly bitter, both from the hops and the roasted barley. The finish also has a slight spicy "burn", but I am not sure I would identify it as ginger, if I hadn't read it on the label. Hints of resin in the aftertaste. All in all a very enjoyable beer.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Very nice aroma, first fruity hops with notes of various berries, then caramel, bakery and malts (some of them lightly roasted). The flavour is first malty, with notes of caramel and brown bread, then some moderate fruity hops. Not too sweet. The finish has a moderate bitterness, mixed with notes of slightly burnt malts.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Real Foods, Edinburgh (an organic food store, but there’s no mentioning on the label that this beer is organic). ABV is 4.2%. The basis of this beer is Williams Gold, with added tayberries and left to mature for a few weeks. Williams Bros Róisin Tayberry Beer pours with a clear pinkish red colour and a decent pale pink head. Strong aroma of ripe tayberries (which appears to be a crossbreed between raspberry and blackberry, much like boysenberries). The flavour is also dominated by tayberries, but the beer is not very sweet, nor very sour, and there are noticeable hops in the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thin though. Still a nice change-of-pace beer.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

250 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Black colour, creamy brown head. Strong and sweet aroma of treacle / caramel, roasted malts, molasses, bakery and chocolate. Nice! Very sweet flavour, largely the same elements as in the aroma, but far too sugary and overwhelmingly sweet for me.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Bree Louise, London. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Low creamy tan head. Nice aroma of fruity New World hops. Lovely hoppy flavour with fruity and piney notes, on a background of moderately roasted malts, with notes of chocolate and mild coffee.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV is 7.4%. Black colour, moderate beige head. Lovely hoppy aroma (Cascade and Pacific Jade), fruity and vinous notes, also mild roasty notes. Equally pleasant flavour, with the same elements as the aroma. Well balanced and very enjoyable.