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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of blueberries, chocolate, vanilla, mild coffee and moderately roasted malts. Pleasant flavour of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate and blueberries, a slight fruity acidity, dry finish with moderate hops. Very enjoyable.

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

Nov. 2016: 330 ml can, as Dark Star APA, from Ales by Mail. ABV is 4.7%. Overcarbonated, slightly gushing can, the glass fills completely by white foam. When the beer appears underneath, it is pale golden. The huge head lasts "forever". Strong and pleasant aroma of fruity and piney American hops. Distinctly hoppy flavour on a moderately sweet base, tropical fruits, grapefruit, pine needles and resin. Bitter finish.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Correct ABV is 4.2%. Black colour. Coffee, old leather and cigarbox aroma, hints of prunes. Distinct espresso coffee flavour throughout, hints of prunes, quite dry. 500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Black colour, decent brown head. Distinct aroma of fresh coffee, hints of liquorice and dark chocolate, maybe some prunes, old leather and cigarbox too (but not as noticeable as in the cask version). Coffee in the flavour too (as expected), but not overdone, the beer is quite balanced and fairly smooth to drink. A moderate sweetness carries notes of dark chocolate, with a hint of prunes. Bitter finish and aftertaste, both from the roasted malts, the espresso coffee and Challenger hops. The cask version was maybe a tad better, but the bottled version is still excellent!

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Served a bit too warm. Pale golden colour, low white head. Moderate hoppy and slightly citrussy aroma. Distinctly hoppy flavour with a nice bitterness throughout.

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

April 2017: 330 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. Vintage 2014. ABV is 10.5%. Pitch black colour, minimal tan head. Aroma of roast malts, leather, horse stable, coffee, dark chocolate, hints of molasses and oak. Very moderate but sufficient carbonation. The rich and medium sweet flavour has roast malts, vinous notes, dark dried fruits, coffee, dark chocolate, hints of oak. Warming mouthfeel. Excellent beer.

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

Cask at The Harp, London, as Dark Star Partridge Best Bitter. Amber to copper colour, low white head. Minimal aroma, some malts and nuts. The flavour is malty but not very sweet, with a fruity and slightly acidic finish, some bitterness.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Golden colour, like a pils, some chill haze. Decent white head, nice lacing. Aroma has first strong notes of tropical fruits (aromatic hops), then the aroma subsides and I get moderate notes of honey and flowers. Moderate carbonation, soft moutheel. Flavour has first some moderate fruity notes, then a gentle hoppy bitterness takes you by the hand and leads you through the finish and aftertaste. The beer is light bodied, and is indeed one for those hot summer days - but I quite enjoyed it in the dead of December too. I imagine this would be a good "introduction ale" for lager louts - the first step into the world of better ales, so to speak.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Very dark colour, nearly black, reddish in the highlights. Low tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is roasty with coffee notes, medium dry. Decent enough.

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

April 2015: Cask pint at the Fountain Inn, Gloucester. Reddish brown colour, small off-white head, nice lacing. Nice malty and fruity aroma and flavour, hints of blackcurrants and other dark berries. Low bitterness. Good beer.

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

500 ml bottle, from The Cheese & Wine Shop, Darlington. ABV is 8.3%. Amber colour, large to moderate off-white head. Aroma of "dusty" malts, toffee and caramel, also dark dried fruits and some vinous notes. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour has malts, caramel and dark dried fruits, also vinous hints with oak. Moderate hops. Easy drinking for its strength. Would buy again.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lambton Worm (JDW), Sunderland. Golden colour, no head, little lacing. Moderate citrussy aroma. Light bodied. Pineapple and grapefruit in the flavour. Quite nice, but unfortunately a bit too sweet to be a definite favourite of mine.

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle, from Superbrugsen, Denmark, ABV is 7.5%. Amber to brown colour, moderate white (or slightly off-white) head. Fairly strong aroma of caramel malts and brown bread, a hint of liquorice. The flavour is malty with plenty of caramel, some spicy hops in the finish, a hint of liquorice again. More hops would be desirable, but for a Harboe product this is not too bad.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Superbrugsen, Skødstrup. ABV is 4.9%. Ingredients include "burnt sugar". Amber to copper colour, moderate off-white head. Very moderate aroma, just a hint of caramel. Lagerish flavour, like a Danish Classic with a little extra caramel, but the beer is not very sweet. Quite okay to drink though.

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

Shared 500 ml bottle. Orange colour, low white head. Strong fruity aroma, hints of toffee and caramel. High level of carbonation in the mouth. Herbal flavour, a hint of toffee, tolerably well hopped. A little better than I feared.

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

Nov. 2015: Shared 500 ml bottle, probably from Fakta, Denmark. Chestnut colour, moderate off-white head. Very malty aroma, caramel, brown bread and Danish pastry. Malty flavour, a typical dunkel, caramel and brown bread again, but not as sweet as expected. Fairly decent for something out of Harboe.

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

September 2020: 500 ml bottle, from Superbrugsen Hirtshals. ABV is 6.0%. Hazy orange colour, large white head. Moderate aroma of citrussy hops, hints of spruce. Fairly well balanced flavour, first a slightly sweet fruitiness, followed by a distinct bitterness, quite sharp in the finish.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, as De Brabandere 1894 Oak & Hops, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.0%. Moderately hazy golden colour, enormous white head, lasts "forever". Pleasant aroma of mild spices, hoppy notes of citrus and tropical fruits, also notes of oak. Moderately sour flavour, notes of brettanomyces and oak, spicy notes, some fruitiness, medium bitter finish.

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

660 ml paper wrapped bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Olav, as De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Belgian Ale Special Edition Matured on Whisky Barrels. ABV is 9%. OG 1085, FG 1015. Bottle No. 15323. Ruby colour, large beige head. Spicy and vinous aroma. Distinct spicy and vinous flavour, notes of oak, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Good stuff.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, and HaandBryggeriet who imports it to Norway. Deep golden colour, big to moderate head. Distinct hoppy aroma with floral notes. ABV is 8%. Alcohol is well hidden. The flavour has the characteristic sharp bitterness of Nugget hops from start to finish. After a few beers of the "well rounded" and "fruity and acidic" kind, this was just what I needed. More "American" than Belgian, perhaps.

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

330 ml bottle, as DDB Boskeun Speciaal Paasbier, from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen. ABV is 10%. The glass fills completely by white foam, and the golden beer underneath appears only very slowly. Strong aroma of Belgian ale yeast, with fruity and spicy notes, also notes of white kandij sugar syrup and alcohol. Sweet flavour, with spicy, fruity and yeasty notes. The alcohol is noticeable, but not dominant. Peppery aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Cloudy golden colour, huge and lasting head. Spicy aroma with notes of leather and oak. Flavour is again spicy with yeasty notes, leather and oak, fairly dry. Very good.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. The glass fills completely by a huge beige head, and the brown beer appears only slowly. Intense fruity aroma with berry notes, also some oaky, spicy and vinous notes. The flavour has a powerful malty sweetness and intense vinous notes, warming mouthfeel. Notes of oak and berries again. Awesome beer.

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

330 ml bottle, vintage 2007, kindly shared by Ole_R. ABV is 13%. Deep red colour, low tan head. Vinous aroma, notes of claret, red wine vinegar and barnyard. The flavour is (more or less) "typical Flemish Red", notes of red wine vinegar, some lemony notes, astringent finish. Moderate hops. The high ABV is extremely well hidden, I might have guessed that the beer was half as strong as it actually is.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle, as De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout, kindly shared by my beerpal Jan Magnus. ABV is 9%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. First a fairly moderate but very nice roasty aroma (gets even better as the beer warms up a little) with some vinous notes, hints of dark dried fruits and leather. The flavour is also vinous, oaky and roasty, hints of raisins, coffee and liquorice. Overall brilliant.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen. ABV is 12%. Deep golden colour, some floaties. Huge white head. Strong and complex aroma of spices, Belgian ale yeast, brown kandij sugar, caramel, oak and alcohol. Very sweet flavour, but still with a refreshing character. Strong and complex fruity and spicy notes, hints of oak, decent hops in the finish. Very enjoyable.