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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, February 2019. Dark brown colour, hazy. Minimal head. Aroma and flavour of rum cask, brown sugar, mild spices and Belgian ale yeast. Decent beer.

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

30. October 2020: 330 ml bottle, batch #125, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Very dark brown colour, off-white to beige head. Moderate malty aroma, hints of caramel and roasted nuts. The flavour has the same elements, also notes of coffee, brittle and bittering hops. Not too sweet. Hardly a bock with its 4.7%, but decent enough to drink.

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

330 ml can, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma of maize, newmown grass and a hint of citrus. Bland flavour, a little citrus, low bitterness. Forgettable.

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

330 ml can, batch #166, from Vinmonopolet Ølen. ABV is 5.5%. Opaque "dirty orange" colour, moderate white head. Aroma of mango and guava, no surprises there. Fruity and sour flavour, mango and guava again, notes of lactic acid, hints of lemons, a pinch of salt. Okay to drink, but not much here to remind you that this is a beer.

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

330 ml can, bought in Spain. Brewed in the European Union for EMD Internationale Handelsgesells, Hans Martin Scheleyer Str. 2, D-77656 Offenburg, Germany, and European Marketing Distribution, CH-8808 Pfäffikon, Switzerland. Ingredients include maize and stabilizer E-405. ABV is 4.5%. Pale yellow colour, big and lasting white head. Sweetish and grassy pale lager aroma, not interesting but not awful either. Moderate carbonation in the glass. The flavour is also sweetish but not cloying, with just enough hops to make this an easy drinking beer. Good for quaffing, better for forgetting.

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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops (citrus, tropical fruits), also roasted malts and mild coffee. The medium dry flavour has also a mix of fruity hops and roasted malts, smooth first, then a pronounced hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish. Good stuff, very drinkable for its strength.

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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.5%. Black colour, ruby in the highlights, large to moderate tan head. Roasty aroma with strong notes of espresso coffee, hints of dark chocolate. The flavour is very roasty and seems first quite dry, intense notes of espresso coffee, maybe too much. I’d like a little more sweetness, to balance the roastiness and the bittering hops in the finish. Still a fine beer as it is, but requires that you don’t hate coffee.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by abemorsten. ABV is 11.5%. Beautiful ruby colour, moderate off-white head. Nice malty aroma, caramel and vinous notes, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. Warming mouthfeel. Oak, malts and caramel in the flavour. The alcohol is noticeable. Bitter finish.

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

April 2012: 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%. Pitch black colour, low tan head. Lovely roasty and malty aroma, notes of coffee, liquorice, tar and oak. Low carbonation. Very roasty flavour, notes of strong coffee, English liquorice and malt sugar. Bitter finish, long bitter aftertaste. Not for the faint of heart.

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

April 2013: 330 ml bottle, as Emelisse Oertype, kindly shared by abemorsten. ABV is 5%, EBU 28. Pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Grassy aroma, some less pleasant "chemical" notes too. The flavour is fairly dry and crisp, and a pronounced hoppy bitterness saves the day.

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

330 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%, EBC 31.7, EBU 29.2. Stamwortgehalte 16 degrees. Cloudy brown colour, moderate to low off.white head. Strong aroma of smoked meat, with some faint sweetish malty notes in the background. The flavour has strong notes of smoke, with just the right maltiness and decent hops. Bitter finish. I am not a big fan of smoked beers, but this one was quite drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, as Emelisse TIPA, kindly shared by abemorsten. Hazy dark orange-brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Strong and "typically American" DIPA/TIPA aroma of orange marmalade, apricots and loads of fruity and piney hops. The flavour has first a smooth malty and fruity sweetness, then the hops really set in, and last through the bitter finish and long aftertaste. Powerful stuff, but not too extreme after all.

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

(500 ml bottle conditioned). Deep golden / amber colour, large & lingering fluffy head. Lovely flowery and grapefruity aroma, all from the hops, no doubt. Flavour is dominated by the grapefruity and resiny hoppy bitterness, which is a tad too rough for me in the finish. Long lasting aftertaste. A beer well above average.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. ABV was 4.8%.) Gushes out of the bottle, pours with an enormous light tan head. Aroma is malts, caramel and overwhelmingly fermenting fruits (apples, pears, plums). Flavour is overwhelmingly acidic and fruity, bordering on vinegar. This acidity masks all other flavours, just a hint of hop bitterness on the back of my tongue. Some metallic sidenotes. My beer was still drinkable (2 months left till expiry date), but had clearly set sails for a voyage to the promised land of Vinegaria.

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

(500 ml bottle). Pours with a large to moderate frothy head. Very dark brown colour. Moderate but pleasant aroma of cherry chocolates and coffee. Decent sweetish flavour of roasted malts, oats, coffee and dark chocolates, some fruityness too. Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin for an oatmeal stout. A bit too carbonated for my taste. Acceptable bitterness from the hops and roasted malts in the aftertaste.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Pours with an enormous fluffy lingering head. Cloudy brown colour. Aroma is alcohol, red fruits, leather, caramel and sherry. Flavour is malty with English fruitcake and Christmas pudding elements, but a substantial hoppy bitterness (nearly too much?) takes over and dominates through the long finish. Some alcoholic warmth. Good strong ale, but somehow the hop varieties used seem not to be perfectly balanced with the initial comforting sweetness.

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

(500 ml bottle). Nearly gushes out of the bottle, pours with an enormous long lasting fluffy head. Colour is hazy golden. Pleasant hoppy aroma, heather, herbal, hints of cedarwood. Initially some notes of dirty socks too, notes which fortunately soon disappears in the glass. Lovely crisp hoppy flavour on a subtle malty background, hop character reminiscent of a very good golden ale. This is not a sweet beer, but the little sweetness there is reminds me of heather honey. Notes of rambutan and grapefruit too. Excellent mouthfeel, not fizzy. Long lasting hops aftertaste. This is a very good beer, regardless of style - and of course MUCH better than any industrial pilsener.

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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV 6.5%. Pale yellow colour, high level of carbonation, large white head. Lovely and "typically Belgian" aroma with complex spicy notes, hints of fruit. The refreshing flavour has mild spicy notes, and is not too sweet. Moderate hops in the finish. I'm quite ready for another one.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Deep red-brown colour, large light tan head. Surprisingly moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel and oak. Improves as the beer warms up, some vinous qualities. Flavour is malty with some caramel and brown bread notes, moderate hops. Easy drinking, refreshing for its strength. Okay.

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

Bottle, at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Honey coloured. Honey and spices in the aroma, quite nice. Flavour is rather sweet, some mild spices, but lacks "bite". Alcohol is evident.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml screwcap bottle. Bought at Otto Duborg, Flensburg, Germany. ABV is 5.3% (label), brewery website says 5.2%. Unpasteurised but filtered. This is their ordinary Dunkel, not to be confused with their unfiltered Engel Kellerbier Dunkel. Beautiful clear chestnut colour, large and lasting off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with strong notes of bakery, chocolate and caramel. Moderate carbonation. Malty sweet flavour with a moderate roastiness, notes of Danish pastry, hints of over-ripe berries. Some hops in the finish.

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

500 ml screwcap bottle, a gift from my son Steinar, bought in Poland. ABV is 5.5%. Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, huge white head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of citrus, banana and cloves. The flavour is zesty and quite refreshing, with weak notes of banana and cloves. The mouthfeel is rather thin.

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

500 ml screwcap bottle, bought at Otto Duborg, Flensburg, Germany. Unpasteurised. Clear (filtered???) golden colour, large and lasting white head. Fruity and flowery aroma, hints of honey. Moderate carbonation, soft moutheel. Moderate malty flavour, very moderate hops. Easy drinking, but not remarkable.

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

500 ml bottle with screwcap, RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. ABV is 6.0%. Amber colour, low head. Moderately malty aroma with hints of caramel and oak. Fairly traditional lager flavour with some caramel malts added, but not sweet. OKish, but no masterpiece.

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

May 2019: 330 ml bottle, at Cafe Chic Oldschool, Hjørring. Served in Rochefort glass. Nearly red colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of ripe yellow fruits, some spicy yeast. Malty, spicy and fruity flavour, moderate hops. Good beer.