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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured, large and lingering creamy light tan head, leaves a nice lacing. Very nice aroma of toast, roasted malts, burnt caramel, orange marmalade and aromatic hops. Powerful flavour of roasted malts, burnt toast, caramel, brown bread and nuts. A distinct hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Not a beer of the "easy drinking" kind, but has definitely character. I might have liked a tad more sweetness to balance the bitterness, but this is still an excellent beer. As the beer warms up, the malts come even more in front, and the bitterness is somewhat less dominant.

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

Cask conditioned at The Lord Rosebery, Scarborough. Served at correct cellar temperature. Golden colour, low head. Moderate aroma, nothing stands out. Thin, sourish and watery initial mouthfeel. Tolerably hoppy flavour. Pleasant hoppy aftertaste.

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

November 2013: Cask half pint at JDW Victoria Station, London. ABV was 4.3%. Deep golden colour, low white head. Moderate citrussy aroma. Pleasant lemony and zesty flavour, refreshing, with decent NZ hops throughout. A beer I could drink a lot of.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the Bree Louise, London. Chestnut colour, no head, minimal carbonation. Nice aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of toffee, caramel and butterscotch, but the beer is not very sweet. Hints of malt vinegar, without being sour.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.0%. Bottle conditioned. Mahogany coloured beer, large and lasting tan head which leaves a nice lacing. Excellent aroma with vinous notes, there’s oak, malts, rhum-raisins, treacle, some perfume too. The mouthfeel is (relatively) thinner than what the aroma makes you expect. The flavour is oaky and spicy with notes of dark fruits and caramel, but not exceedingly sweet. Dry finish. Good beer - recommended!

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

Cask at the the GBBF 2008. Amber colour. Very nice aroma of dark fruits, butterscotch and oak. The flavour is fairly well balanced between the malts (with some caramel) and decent hops.

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

Rerate, cask at the Station Hotel, Ipswich: Aroma of English malt vinegar, hints of dishwasher liquid. Smooth flavour without too much character. Low on hops. Original rating, 3.1: (Draught). I remember this one as a decent standard bitter, nothing remarkable.

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

Rerate, cask at the Station Hotel, Ipswich: Some of the same English malt vinegar aroma as Courage Best, but the flavour is fuller and richer with more pronounced hops. Original rating, 4.1: (Cask conditioned). One of my favourite English Bitters. Perhaps not so very special, but always drinkable.

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

Cask conditioned at the Prince of Wales, Wimbledon, London, Christmas 2004. This winter seasonal is very different from the ordinary Directors bitter. Mahogany brown colour, low head. Aroma has malts, dark fruits, sherry and oak. Sweetish flavour, notes of sherry, dried fruits and Christmas cake. Reminds me of a Scottish "heavy" with Christmas elements added. Low bitterness. At 5.5% ABV, alcohol is evident but not overwhelmingly so. Interesting.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I think fellow rater chris_o is spot on in his comment (no surprise, as we sampled this beer from the same glass): "The colour was pale amber, but somewhat cloudy. There was certainly a noticeable resinous hop blast in the aroma but, not for the first time at this festival, there was a distinct whiff of sulphur too. I can only assume that was unintentional as the combination was not too appealing. The mouthfeel was zippy, but the initial hop aroma just didn’t carry through onto the palate and the flavours were not well defined. Finished soft and not very hoppy. I get the feeling that this could be a much more impressive beer, but wasn’t in tip top condition here." This is an OKish strong pale ale, alcohol is well hidden but the flavour is not very exciting.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Another dark mild. Fruit and cigarbox aroma. Soft coffee and burnt malts flavour. A decent beer.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Brownish colour. Moderate caramel and nuts aroma. Fairly malty premium bitter with a tolerable dusty hoppiness.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Pitch black colour. Aroma of coffee and plums. Flavour is roasted malts, coffee and bitter dark chocolate. Very well balanced, just the right bitterness. Nearly a stout - in a blind test I’d probably say it was. "Addictive" indeed. This was "Beer of the Festival" for me - delightful!

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

500 ml bottle, ABV 4.0%, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. Also sampled on numerous occasions previously. I still think this "beer" should be unrateable, but apparently it is. Best served over ice, this alcoholic soda has a nice ginger flavour and "burn" throughout. Golden colour, pours sparkling with a large white head. Sugar, fruit soda esters and ginger - a lot of it. A nice drink when I want something else than a beer.

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

330 ml shared bottle, kindly provided by our beerpal Jan Magnus. ABV 5%. Very dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Mildly roasty aroma, notes of chocolate and mild coffee. Fairly dry flavour, medium roasty, notes of mild coffee, hints of dark bitter chocolate. Tolerable hops in the finish.

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

330 ml shared bottle, provided by our beerpal Jan Magnus. ABV is 4.5%. Beautiful ruby colour, moderate off-white head. Pleasant vinous aroma, hints of caramel. Nice medium sweet flavour, notes of red berries and toffee, moderate hops.

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

500 ml shared bottle, as Craft Weiss Beer, thanks to our beerpal Jan Magnus who brought it from Greece. ABV is 5.0%. Cloudy orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma with notes of malt and wort, overshadows the typical h.w. notes of cloves and banana. Also notes of over-ripe berries. Wheaty flavour, refreshing, with a more pronounced hoppy bitterness than in many other hefeweizens.

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

500 ml bottle, as Strathaven / Craigmill Aleberry Fruit Beer, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.6%. Damsons are not specifically mentioned on the label, only "Clyde Valley berries". Golden colour with a faint peachy hue, moderate head, slightly off-white. Fairly strong aroma of over-ripe fruits / berries, also strong notes of toffee and grain. The flavour has distinct fruity / berry notes, but is fortunately not sweet and sugary, nor sour. Hints of toffee, distinct hops in the finish and aftertaste. Fairly decent beer.

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

Cask conditioned at Blackfriars, Glasgow, as Craigmill Strathaven Avondale. My half pint was near the end of the barrel. Deep golden colour, low head. Aroma of malts and butterscotch, some caramel. The flavour has also malts, butterscotch and caramel, but there is also a noticeable hoppy bitterness throughout. Okay.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Amber / reddish colour. I drank this one too warm, but the beer still had a nice malty and caramel aroma and flavour.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 3.8%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate but nice aroma of butterscotch and toffee. Refreshing flavour, some malts, nutty and toffee notes, hints of butterscotch, very moderate hops in the finish, not too sweet. Certainly not an IPA by any stretch of the mind, but definitely drinkable.,

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 3.5%. Black colour, large to moderate greyish-brown head. Dryish roasty aroma with notes of ashes, woodwork, cold coffee and unsweetened cocoa, a hint of fruity hops. Too much carbonation in the mouth. Dry roasty flavour, notes of wood and cold coffee, moderate and slightly resinous hops in the finish. Will try again if I can find it on cask, but the bottle (overpriced in Norway) does not inspire me to buy another.

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

Cask conditioned at The Three Judges, Glasgow, as "Craigmill Brewery Strathaven Ales Duchess Anne Light Ale". Golden colour, moderate head. Surprisingly malty aroma with notes of butterscotch, and some unusual notes of dishwater and sweat. Smooth and malty flavour, butterscotch again, noticeable hops in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of ginger, malts, toffee and citrus marmalade. Light bodied, too much carbonation in the mouth. The flavour has distinct notes of ginger with a citrussy finish, and is otherwise quite dry. A moderate ginger burn in the aftertaste. Okay as a refreshment, but really not much to write home about.

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

Cask conditioned at The Standing Order, Edinburgh (a JDW pub), as "Strathaven The Standing Order Red Ale" (allegedly brewed specially for this pub). ABV was 5.1%. Amber colour, low head. Very moderate aroma, nothing really stands out, maybe a hint of blackcurrant leaves. Fruity flavour, notes of red berries, decent hops. Quite nice.