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

440 ml can, at Cardinal Pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.2%. Brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malts, caramel, heather flowers and heather honey, fruity hints of dark berries, raisins and prunes, minimal hops, extremely drinkable.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.8%, IBU 18. Slightly hazy golden colour, huge white head, takes a long time to settle. Aroma of lychee, pineapple and other tropical fruits. Somewhat thin mouthfeel. Flavour of said fruits, some citrus too, with a papery finish. The bitterness is too low.

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

375 ml clear bottle with gold foil and plastic "champagne" cork, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Golden colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. Aroma of apples, a hint of sulphites. Decent flavour of apples, slightly oxidised, medium dry, again a hint of sulphites.

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

375 ml corked & caged clear bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Clear and very pale straw colour, pours vigorously sparkling with a large but shortlived white head. Moderate aroma of apples. Fizzy mouthfeel. Dry flavour, moderate notes of apples.

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

Sampled 65 cl bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad, as Flag Spéciale (Côte d'Ivoire / Ivory coast). ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour. Industrial sickly aroma. Bland and utterly boring flavour.

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

On tap at the brewpub. A hazy brown ale, not very different from the Herning Ale (same restaurant / brewpub chain). Malty aroma and flavour, fairly well balanced. Nice enough.

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

Draught at the brewpub. Copper coloured. Aroma and flavour of pinewood smoke and black Finnish tar. Interesting "Finnish style" smoked lager. Fairly light bodied.

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

Draught at the brewpub, Beer of the Month for August 2005. Brewed with malurt (wormwood). Pale straw coloured. Aroma and flavour reminds me of the dark meat of Norwegian crabs. Very strange, a bit sickly. Not good.

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

Draught at the brewpub. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy. There’s a considerable bitterness around, but not much else. A drinkable pilsener, but rather boring.

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

Draught at U Fleku. Served too cold. Very dark brown, nearly black colour - impenetrable for light. Moderate creamy tan head. Lovely aroma of leather and oak, dark chocolate and liquorice. Flavour is malty and moderately roasty, notes of dark chocolate and coffee. Never mind the inflated prices (by Czech standards), this beer is a must (at least once). And the liqueur we were forced to buy (which I drank AFTER the beer) actually tasted not-too-bad.

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

330 ml fliptop bottle, in Flensburg. Reddish brown colour, good and lasting creamy off-white head. Quite nice flowery and malty aroma. Caramel malts flavour. Minimal bitterness.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, in Flensburg. Very pale golden colour, large and lasting head. Watery of course, but has a decent hoppiness in aroma and flavour, without the "boiled" character of most other n/a beers. One of the (relatively) "best" n/a beers I’ve had so far.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Golden colour, moderate white head. Fresh and pleasant aroma, notes of herbal and slightly spicy hops, on a background of pale malts. The flavour is very fresh and fruity for a lager beer, also herbal and spicy notes. Easy drinking and fairly dry, but not thin - there are sufficient malts around. Has a nice alcoholic punch, but the alcohol does not dominate the flavour. More refined than other Maibocks / heller bocks I’ve had. Pleasant to drink, with food or on its own.

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

330 ml brown swingtop bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger - for the target group who otherwise would drink Amstel Pulse, Corona or Budweiser. ABV is 4.8%. Very pale yellow colour, large white head. Fairly strong sweetish aroma with grassy notes, hints of artificial candy. Soft and bland flavour, a little malty sweetness, hardly any bitterness at all. No offensive side flavours though, if that can make anyone happy.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, bought at a border shop near Flensburg. ABV is 4.8%. Hazy brownish golden to amber colour, large white head. Moderate aroma of malts (including a hint of mild roastiness) and woodwork, hints of herbs. The flavour is malty without being very sweet, again with mild roasty and woody notes, herbal hops and some fruit in the finish. Not bad.

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

It's been a while since I had this - a Northern German pilsener with a substantial hoppy bitterness that lasts through the aftertaste. Together with Jever pilsener it has defined the "Northern German Pilsener style". Also available in the classic fliptop/swingtop bottle.

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

330 ml fliptop bottle, bought in Germany. Hefeweissbiers have had quite a renaissance in Germany, so why not one from the Bundesrepublik’s northernmost commercial brewery too? Hazy golden colour, large white head. Lovely strong aroma of cloves and banana, some aromatic hops too. Flavour like an average hefe with a little more hops. Nice.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Germany. Golden colour, fizzy, large head. Fairly strong sweet and alcoholic aroma, notes of molasses and ammonium, hints of oak and fermenting fruits, not very pleasant. Flavour is malty, too alcoholic and sweet, low bitterness. Pale strong lagers rarely make me happy, and this one is no exception to the rule. Still drinkable - I’ve had worse.

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

440 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.6%. Opaque pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Lovely aroma of mango, passionfruit, cantaloupe melons and other tropical fruits, also citrus fruits. The flavour is not too sweet, but has distinct notes of said fruits. Low bitterness. A well balanced and delightful beer!

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.8%, hops are Citra, Centennial and Simcoe. Gusher can. Moderately hazy golden to orange colour, small white head. Aroma of citric and piney American hops. Citric mouthfeel and flavour, resinous finish, medium bitterness. Okay.

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

Cask conditioned at the Aidensfield Arms, Goathland. This is a standard English bitter, not what you would think of as a well-hopped "IPA". Deep golden brown colour, low creamy head. Nice hoppy / fruity aroma. Smooth mouthfeel and flavour. Not very bitter at all.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Herbarium. ABV is 6%. Hazy yellow colour, large white head. Distinct aroma of guava, papaya and honeydew melon. Smooth flavour of citrus and said fruits, low bitterness. Easy drinking.

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

Small sample from tap at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal, Stavanger. Black colour, tan head. Aroma and flavour of roast malts, black rye bread, coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Enjoyable.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, bought at the GBBF 2008 for takeaway. ABV is 5.5%, IBU 35. Deep amber to orange colour, decent off-white head with an orangey hue. Very nice aroma of Cascade hops, notes of citrus and honey. The flavour is also dominated by Cascade hops, but there is a sufficient malty base to balance the hops. Moderately bitter aftertaste. American Pale Ale is an underrated style IMO, this is an example. Great balance is more interesting for me than "hop monsters". Good beer!

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

Bottle, at Plain Kitchen, Göteborg. Black colour, moderate creamy tan head. Overwhelming malty sweet aroma, roastiness, molasses and bakery / Danish pastry. Flavour is VERY sweet (too sweet) - molasses, sweetened coffee, sweet pastry, chocolate. There’s just too much of the good stuff. Unbalanced.