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

500 ml bottle, as Strathaven / Craigmill Lord Kelvin Centennial, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Deep copper coloured beer, moderate head, slightly off-white. Pleasant aroma of caramel and ripe red fruits. The flavour has notes of caramel, brown bread baked with dark syrup, and lightly toasted malts, balanced by a moderate fruitiness and decent hops in the finish. Just the slightest touch of ginger and chocolate. A very enjoyable brew. Even though Lord Kelvin himself miscalculated the age of the earth by some billion years, he probably still deserves a toast in his honour.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.2%. Beautiful chestnut colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Very moderate aroma, some malts, a hint of caramel and dark fruits. Malty flavour, some roasty notes, hints of burnt caramel and dark fruits again, but the beer is not sweet. Decent hops in the finish. Fairly nice to drink.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting, as Craigmill Strathaven Trumpeter Dark Ale. Dark ruby colour, creamy tan head. Very nice aroma of wood, tar, roasted malts and liquorice. Roasty flavour, quite dry, hints of wood.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Pale golden colour. Moderately hoppy aroma. A fairly malty pilsener with some "boiled" notes in the flavour. Drank it too warm though.

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

330 ml bottle, from Edeka Sophienhof, Kiel. ABV is 8.3%. Hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Distinct aroma of American hops, notes of grapefruit and pine, hints of caramel in the background. Citrussy flavour, grapefruit notes, some malty sweetness, some spicy and herbal notes, with resinous bittering hops in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, from Edeka Sophienhof, Kiel. ABV is 9.2%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Pleasant aroma of chocolate, roast malts and coffee. Roasty flavour, moderately sweet, notes of strong coffee, chocolate and cocoa.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. ABV was 5.5%. Golden brown colour, no head. Fruity mild aroma and flavour, notes of blackcurrant and raspberry leaves. Low bitterness.

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

Shared bottle at local tasting, thanks to Holmen2. ABV is 6.7%. Orange to reddish amber colour, moderate white head. The hoppy aroma has notes of pine / resin, salt of hartshorn and furniture polish. The flavour is medium dry and hoppy with resinous notes, with hardly enough malts to support it. Still quite drinkable.

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

Cask halfpint at The Grill, Aberdeen. Deep golden colour, white head. Moderate aroma of citrussy hops. The flavour has a slight malty sweetness with hints of toffee and caramel, but also decent citrussy hops. Enjoyable.

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

New comments (I am keeping the original numerical rating), cask halfpint at The Grill, Aberdeen. Deep golden to copper colour, white head. Aroma of citrussy hops. Flavour of lemon peel and bittering hops, the malts are rather dull. Original rating: Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, thanks to Holmen2. ABV is 4.6%. Clear orange colour, moderate white had. Nice aroma of fruity American hops, piney hints too. Hoppy flavour, medium dry, nice enough, but not as much depth as desirable. Still decent enough to buy again.

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

330 ml bottle, from Oddbins Aberdeen City. ABV is 8.8%. BB 19.08.17. Hazy orange colour, large white head. Fresh aroma of piney and spicy hops, also citrus. Slightly sweet flavour, with distinct piney and citrussy hops, bitter finish.

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

Cask halfpint at The Grill, Aberdeen. Pale golden colour, white head. Aroma of citrussy hops. Citrussy flavour too, some tropical fruits. The bitterness could be firmer.

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

On tap at Copenhagen Beer Festival. Pale yellow colour. Distinct aroma of American hops. Very dry and light bodied. The hopping may not be extreme per se, but with such a light body, it seems pretty extreme. A "lawnmower beer" should be light bodied, but this one would probably be more refreshing with a more subtle hopping. Still, way above the tasteless swill most people choose as "lawnmover beers".

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

330 ml slimline can, as Crooked Moon Internal Pils, from Vaaland, Bryne. Brewed in Sweden. ABV is 4.7%. Very pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Can't comment on the aroma, due to a cold. Soft mouthfeel. Crisp pilsener flavour, very bitter aftertaste.

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

June 2019: 375 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.2%. Against the Grain is not mentioned on the label. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Small beige head. Sourish aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, lactic acid, red wine vinegar and oak, hints of bourbon and vanilla. Very sour flavour (too sour?) with distinct notes of red wine vinegar and lactic acid.

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

Oct. 2020: 750 ml corked & caged bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 9.666%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of ripe and over-ripe raspberries. Sour flavour of raspberries, lemons and lactic acid. Only a hint of oak and whiskey.

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

November 2015: Sample on tap at What’s Brewing Beer Festival, Stavanger. Lemony / citrussy and very refreshing, but not extreme. Refreshing. I liked this one.

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

Feb. 2015: 375 ml bottle, as Crooked Stave Surette Provision Saison Artisan Ale Aged in Oak Barrels, 2014 batch 13. ABV is 6.2%. At Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Slightly hazy golden colour, low white head of poor retention. Sourish aroma, strong notes of farmhouse, lemons, white wine vinegar and oak. Very sour and lemony flavour, medium dry, nearly like an unblended lambic, some oaky notes. Not a saison by any stretch of the mind.

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

March 2015: 375 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. 2014 / Batch 11. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, low white head. Pleasant brettanomyces aroma, notes of farmhouse kitchen and mild spices, hints of oaked cider. The flavour has a moderate acidity, slightly tart, with fruity (esp. lemons) and spicy notes. Easy drinking and refreshing.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 4.2%. Bottle conditioned. Black colour, huge tan head. Moderate aroma with some fruitiness and notes of mild coffee, hints of chocolate. Acidic / sour flavour, very strange for a stout, some coffee roastiness in the background. Did not do much for me this one. Disappointing.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Colour is black / very dark ruby. Aroma is roast malts on an initially unpleasant background of vomit, gets better as the beer warms up. Flavour is much better, again: roast malts and coffee. Bitterness seems just right. Easy drinking.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The hops are what it’s all about with this light and refreshing golden ale. Would benefit from being served at a slightly cooler temperature than was the case at the IBF. Lovely hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Recommended!

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

Cask conditioned at The Three Judges, Glasgow. Golden colour, low head. Very nice floral and citrussy aroma. Distinctly hoppy flavour with notes of tropical fruits / citrus, but not too bitter. An excellent beer!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Crouch Vale’s attempt at a red Irish style ale - not a bad try IMO. Reddish colour, malty / toffee / caramel aroma, hints of oak. Malty caramel flavour with a surprisingly hoppy bitterness. Very good. A great combo with burger & chips.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

330 ml clear bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Clear golden colour, shortlived white head. Unpleasant aroma of artificial "apple" essence and sulphur. The sugary flavour is mid between dry and sweet, certainly not "extra dry". Again unpleasant artificial "apple" and sulphur notes. This is an insult to real ciders. Drainpour, crap-o-lainen.