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

Sample from 500 ml can, Aass Brewery stand at Smak 09. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, low head. Minimal aroma, just a slight fruitiness. Bland flavour, a little pilsener malts and butterscotch, minimal bitterness. Are "the youth segment" of the Norwegian pale lager market happy now?

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, alcohol and grassy hops. The flavour is not as sweet and alcoholic as I feared, more "neutral" with a herbal bitterness in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle. Very pale golden colour, decent head. Relatively strong sweetish aroma of wort with some of the "boiled" notes of your typical n/a beer (over-boiled vegetables, grit), but I’ve smelled them worse - there are also some fruity notes. The flavour is slightly wheaty, light bodied of course, but there are also some hops in the finish. Not good, but I’ve had worse.

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

All Norwegian "summer beers" (very pale golden and bland pilsener varieties) are the work of the devil. Aass' version is one of the least miserable, but still bad. That is, it doesn't taste awful - it just doesn't taste much at all.

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

500 ml can, ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, decent head. Tolerable aroma with some fruity notes, also notes of malts (quite a surprise from a lite beer!), flowers and honey. The flavour has a certain sweetness and some grainy notes, quite boring but not as bad as I feared. Very modest hops. Not undrinkable.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

(Bottle). "Uten" is Norwegian for "without" - this is a beer without alcohol. Looks OK, golden colour, good thick head. Malty sweet aroma that becomes sickly as the beer warms up. Tastes as if it's made from a little malts, a little hops and lots of contaminated water from an industrial waste dump. Avoid!

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

330 ml can, from Coop Extra, Tau. Clear golden brown to reddish amber colour, large off-white head. Aroma of malts, wort and caramel. Medium sweet flavour of malts, grain, wort and some caramel, minimal hops.

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

750 ml corked bottle, from Vinmonopolet, nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Deep golden colour, no carbonation. Aroma of apple pie (apples, cinnamon and other spices). Very sweet flavour, too sweet for me, with the same elements as the aroma. A little fruity acidity would have helped. Probably intended to be drunk as a mulled cider.

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

750 ml corked & caged clear bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5%. Clear pink colour, pours moderately sparkling with a small and shortlived pink head. Aroma and flavour of apples, honey, raspberries, other wild berries and herbs. Won't buy again.

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

October 2017: 330 ml swingtop bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Netbutikken, as Abbaye Cistercienne Paix Dieu Triple, from September 2014. ABV is 10%. Hazy golden colour, small white head. Aroma of mild spices, yellow fruits (esp. plums) and white kandij sugar syrup. Moderately sweet flavour, yellow fruits again, also white kandij sugar and hints of mild spices. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, from HiperDino, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. ABV is 6%. Golden colour, white head. Lively carbonation. Fruity and mildly spicy aroma, notes of Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, again with notes of mild spices and Belgian ale yeast, some fruit. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, from HiperDino, Puerto de la Cruz. ABV is 6%. Hazy dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma, some malts, hints of caramel and brown sugar. Malty flavour but not too sweet, more distinct notes of caramel and brown sugar now, very moderate hops. Clearly a drinkable beer, but very far from trappist quality.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.3%. The label describes this beer as a "strong ale" and an "abbey beer". Ingredients include candi sugar. Clear golden colour, big white head. Nice fruity aroma, notes of cider apples, spices, farmhouse kitchen and Belgian ale yeast. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is fairly sweet (the kandi sugar is evident), notes of apples and mild spices. Not too bad.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.3%. Very dark brown colour, big beige head. The aroma has some unpleasant notes of stale chocolate and stale berries, also notes of anise. The flavour is moderately sweet and slightly fruity with notes of anise and malts. The anise seems entirely misplaced in a dubbel. This is not a beer for me.

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

330 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Very dark brown colour, huge beige head. Strong spicy aroma, particularly strong notes of anise, also notes of caramel malts and brown kandij sugar. The flavour has notes of brown kandij sugar, brown malts and spices, dominant anise again. Not too sweet. Minimal hops.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Deep golden colour, pours very fizzy with a huge white head. Moderate but pleasant aroma with spicy and fruity (orange peel) notes. The flavour is fairly sweet with some spicy notes, acceptable hops in the finish.

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

750 ml champagne style corked bottle, bought in Denmark. Pleasant fruity and yeasty aroma. Clear golden colour, good head. A light bodied (despite 6.5% ABV) blonde ale, aimed to please - and it does. Flavour is fruity sweet but not cloying, just a faint hint of spices. Easy drinking, some other raters seem to have expected a strong and dark Belgian to hit them in the head - forget that, this is a delicate French blonde to be savoured for what it is. I like it!

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

750 ml corked bottle, bought at Systembolaget, Sweden. ABV is 7.5%. Clear very pale golden colour (like a continental pilsener), big and lasting white head. Very moderate aroma, some spicy, fruity (banana) and yeasty notes. Fizzy and peppery mouthfeel. The flavour is distinctly spicy / peppery, on a background of fruity sweetness. The ABV is not particularly well hidden. Okay beer, but I hoped for something even better.

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

(750 ml corked bottle, champagne style. Bought in Denmark.). A Christmas beer in August, why not? Amber colour, large fizzy head that doesn’t last very long. Pleasant and complex aroma of oak, caramel, dried fruits and spices. I find the flavour less complex, maybe because of the beer’s fizzyness. Still it is reasonably malty and easily drinkable, fairly sweet. Aftertaste is OK but not impressive.

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

750 ml corked bottle, as Abbaye de Vaucelles Bière Blonde Artisanale, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. Front label says 7.5% ABV, rear label says 7% ABV. Golden colour, pours rather fizzy, large to moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts, hints of spices. The flavour is fairly malty with a moderate spiciness, which saves the beer from being really boring - but the hops are too moderate.

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

330 ml bottle, as Abbaye des Rocs Brune, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Murky brown colour with floaties, enormous lingering head. Strong fruity aroma (cherries, prunes) with notes of leather, caramel and oak, hints of barnyard. Flavour is intensely oaky and malty with notes of smoke, dried fruits and spices. Alcohol is evident. Moderate sweetness, bitter and oaky aftertaste. Not for beginners this one.

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

1.5 liter magnum bottle, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. ABV was 10%. Intense oaky and malty aroma. Flavour is also intensely oaky and moderately sweet. I probably drank it too warm, will need to rerate when available at cellar temperature. As it was, it’s not my definite favourite, but obviously a well crafted beer.

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

Sampled RBESG 2006, bottle. Hazy amber colour. Lovely vinous aroma with notes of barnyard. Funky and moderately oaky flavour. This is a very good beer.

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

(330 ml capped bottle, bought at Borough Market, London.) Pours with a collossal head, beer is clear reddish brown but with an enormous amount of lumpy yeast floaties which are not dissolved in the beer when pouring, thus making the beer in the glass look rather unappetizing - you may actually feel the lumps when drinking. I normally prefer to pour the yeast in with most bottle conditioned beers (enhances the flavour IMO), even when the brewers tell me not to - but in this case it is definitely not to be recommended! Aroma is initially surprisingly mild and one-dimensional malty sweet, improves as the beer warms up - vinous notes with some toffee and oak appear. Flavour is caramelly, oaky and spicy, with a nice alcoholic warmth. Decent enough, if disregarding the lumps.

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

440 ml can, shared with my son, from Bier Huis, Ossett. ABV is 7.4%. Hazy yellow to orange colour, small white head. Aroma of citrus / grapefruit. Distinct flavour of citrus zest and grapefruit juice, with a fairly bitter resinous and grapefruity finish and aftertaste.