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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Black colour. Intense aroma of sweet malts, roasted barley, leather, liquorice and oak. Very sweet, alcoholic and roasty flavour with notes of molasses. Interesting, but overdone.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of citrus / orange marmalade and piney hops. Fizzy and citric mouthfeel. Distinctly bitter flavour of piney / resinous hops, also notes of bitter oranges and grapefruit. A good West Coast IPA.

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

330 ml bottle, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. American IPA. ABV is 6.3%. Hops are Citra, Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe. British malts. Golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of pineapple and other tropical fruits, also citrus, hints of pine. Citric and piney / resinous hops, hints of tropical fruits, good bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 8.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of lightly roasted malts and chocolate. Smooth flavour, roast malts, chocolate and a hint of liquorice, not too sweet.

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

440 ml can, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 6.0%. Kveik IPA. Hops are Eldorado, Vic Secret and Citra. Hazy yellow colour, large white head. Aroma of kveik and ripe yellow plums, a hint of pine. Piney and grapefruity flavour, hints of orange peel, medium dry, okay.

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

330 ml bottle, from a SPAR store in Funchal. American amber ale. ABV is 5.6%. Brown colour, small off-white to beige head. Malty aroma, hints of caramel. Malty flavour too, slightly nutty, not very sweet, but lacks hops.

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

330 ml bottle, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 5.0%. Pale golden colour, large white head. Sweetish aroma of malts and newmown grass, hints of honey and herbal hops. Fizzy mouthfeel. Flavour of malts and moderate herbal hops, the bitterness could with advantage be firmer.

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

440 ml can, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 6.0%. Hops are Talus, Simcoe and Citra. Hazy yellow to orange colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of citrus and pine. Citrus and moderate pine in the flavour too, hints of yellow stonefruits.

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

440 ml can, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy yellow colour, moderate to small white head. Moderate aroma of citrus, grain and tropical fruits. Pleasant fruity flavour, citrus and various tropical fruits again. Low bitterness.

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

Sampled RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. The second Gose of my life. Website of this beer is www.leipziger-gose.com . Cloudy pale golden colour. Hefeweizen and saltwater aroma. Moderately sour, milky and slightly salty flavour. A nice Gose.

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

(On tap in Amsterdam). A decent and refreshing pilsener, better than its competitors Heineken, Amstel and Grolsch.

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

Cask (hand pump / beer engine) at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 4.4%. Copper coloured beer, minimal head. Malty aroma with decent notes of fruity hops (dark fruits). Malty flavour, notes of caramel but not really sweet, moderate "dusty" hops in the finish.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.0%. Moderately hazy pale golden colour, large white head. Aroma of over-ripe yellow plums, also citrus and over-ripe pineapple. Fizzy mouthfeel. Flavour of citrus, hints of pineapple, with a fairly distinct piney / resinous bitterness.

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

500 ml can, as Donzoko Super King Smoked Helles, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 4.8%. Slightly hazy and very pale straw colour, huge white head. Aroma of smoked malts and floral hops. A little citrus, smoked malts and weak herbal hops in the flavour.

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

Brewed in CCC's brewery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Just slightly darker than Dorada Pilsen, this is still a warm weather beer. Probably the best of the four CCC beers I had in the Canarias, quite nice on tap.

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

Best from tap (well, which beer isn't?) this Canary Island thirstquencher is just another agreeable pils for warm weather. Not outstanding in any way. Brewed in CCCs brewery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml can, at Tenerife. Pale yellow colour with big bubbles, and a moderate and short-lived coarse head. The usual n/a beer aroma of unhopped wort, grain, maize and over-cooked vegetables. The flavour has some malts and is fairly sweet, a hint of hops in the finish. Not good, but not the worst n/a beer I’ve had.

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

500 ml clear swingtop & silk print bottle, bought in France. Deep golden to amber colour, decent head and lacing. Unusual sweetish fruity and candy aroma, notes of cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, herbs and boiled vegetables too. Sweetish and sugary flavour, notes of vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. Lagerish mouthfeel. I don’t quite know what to make of this beer - it’s something out of the ordinary, but in the end it’s just too sugary and weird for my taste.

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

Cask halfpint at The George (JDW), Croydon. 4.5%. Black colour, tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, notes of exotic woodwork. Dry flavour, notes of roast malts, liquorice and wood, a hint of smoke.

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

375 ml dark green bottle, at local tasting, as Hof ten Doormal Wit Goud Witloofbier. ABV is 8%. Cloudy orange colour, moderate head. Wheaty aroma with notes of spices, nice. Medium sweet wheaty and spicy flavour, the alcohol is noticeable.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Labeled a "Tradtional Pilsner". ABV is 4.1%. Brewed with lager malt and Caragold malt. The hops are Sovereign and Lubelski. Golden colour, decent white head. Very nice and strong aroma of honey, flowers and butterscotch. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, but there is also a substantial malty sweetness. Bitter finish and aftertaste. Has the character of a well-made pilsener, but is apparently top fermented?

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. This is an "organic" beer. Clear golden colour, large and lingering head. Moderate but okay aromatic hops with notes of honey. Flavor is instantly "dusty" hops (First Gold and Hallertau), then some hints of honey and caramel, while a distinct but not overdone hoppy bitterness carries you through, and stays with you in the aftertaste. Not bad, but I am not convinced that Hallertau is the best hop for a golden ale.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper to amber colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma, some fruit, grass and caramel. The flavour is at least more malty than the Especial, a little fruit and caramel again, but is otherwise rather bland and boring, with minimal hops.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Rerate, 330 ml green bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. The aroma has maize and some fruit, not unpleasant. The flavour is (well, what flavour?) not offensive, at least when the beer is ice cold. Some "freshness" made it quite drinkable with pizza, and if that is your only ambition, it should work well. The beer enthusiast will of course look for more flavourful beers.

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

A decent pale ale, not outstanding in any way. Rerate 500 ml bottle: Moderate malty aroma, golden brown colour, good head. Pleasant, malty, well rounded flavour. Decent. A bit alcoholic, in a blind test I would guess it was stronger than it actually is.