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

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.9%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Very nice aroma of Nelson Sauvin hops, fruity notes (gooseberries, tropical fruits), hints of pine. Refreshing flavour, medium dry, with a distinct hoppy bitterness throughout, sharpish in the aftertaste. Not very complex.

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

500 ml dark green oval bottle, as St. Peter’s The Saints Whisky Beer, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Deep golden colour, low white head. Strong aroma of peat smoke / peated whisky. Medium dry flavour, strong notes of peat smoke / peated whisky and ashes. Too peaty for my taste - if they wanted to add English single malt whisky to the beer (which indeed they did), they should have reduced the amount of peat smoked malts. "Superb balance"? Not at all! The flavour is pretty close to licking an ashtray.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo, quadruple bottle at least 3 y.o. Dark brown colour. Minimal carbonation, oxidised, but still drinkable. Loads of malty sweetness in both aroma and flavour.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Excellent aroma and flavour, roasty but refined, dry. Hints of coffee and spices, but the spices do not dominate. "Beer of the tasting" for me.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Black colour, no head. Intense aroma of dark malts, molasses and raisins.The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, with loads of alcohol.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Why are always the best beers served near the end of the tasting? Golden to amber colour, this is a Belgian-style golden strong ale, with lovely spicy and fruity notes in both aroma and flavour. Well balanced and not too sweet. Very good.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Reddish colour. Aroma and flavour of red berries, hints of oak. A decent beer - not your "typical" barleywine, but that is probably still the closest style.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Bronze colour. I was getting slightly inebriated when this beer finally came up in the tasting, but had still the capacity to recognize the qualities of a fine barleywine. Well balanced and pleasant aroma and flavour, malty and sweet but not too extreme. Strong, but not too alcoholic - smooth to drink for its strength. Very good.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren, Oslo. Pale golden colour, moderate white head, nice lacing. Very moderate aroma, some fruit, hints of honey. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant smooth flavour of fruity hops, a moderate grapefruity bitterness in the finish. Easy drinking and refreshing.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren. ABV was said to be 5.5%. Mahogany colour, creamy beige head. Very malty aroma and flavour, strong notes of caramel and toffee, hints of over-ripe berries, a whiff of malt vinegar. The finish has something undefined "not quite perfect" about it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Bottle, as Whole Milk Mild, at Schouskjelleren, Oslo. ABV 3.5%. Brewed for Alex Liberati at Brouwerij de Molen. OG 1037, FG 1011, IBU 22.1. Hops are Premiant and Sladek. Unfiltered. "Each label scratched by a genuine cat." Dark brown colour, large beige head. Intense aroma of pine wood, stale sea water and ashes, possibly infected? The flavour is lactic and smooth, a slight roastiness, just a hint of wood and sea water.

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

500 ml bottle, as Saku Rock Alternative Premium, from a potential importer. ABV is 5.3%. Pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Moderate sweetish aroma, some pilsener malts. The flavour is not too sweet, but very bland, and the hops are very moderate. However, there are no offensive off-flavours, and I can see that this beer may "go home" with its apparent target group, young people who are really not into beer yet. Tolerably refreshing when cold.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ølfestivalen Nærbø 2011. Bottle No. 0270 out of 2000. Still available at Vaaland, Bryne. Hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Strong aroma of catty and citrussy hops, notes of blackcurrant leaves and pine needles. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, quite dry and very refreshing. Notes of pine needles with a strong grapefruity bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, from a potential importer. ABV is 6.7%. Chestnut to mahogany colour, large beige head. Fairly ordinary aroma of lightly toasted malts, brown bread and caramel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, notes of caramel and brown bread, hints of burnt sugar. Not bad.

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

500 ml clear bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, moderate white head. First a fairly nice aroma of Fuggles and Goldings hops, and, as our American friends would point out: some "skunk" due to the clear bottle. Hints of toffee too, but ending "artificial" and weird. The flavour is fairly dry, and the mouthfeel is not particularly rich. Some toffee again, and tolerable hops - but really not a beer to blow my socks off. Won’t buy again.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV 19%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Just a little tan foam on top, not what you would call a "head". Malty and roasty aroma, hints of salty liquorice, old rope and oak. The flavour is intensely malty and roasty, with loads of sweetness and salty liquorice. The alcohol is clearly present. Interesting beer, but a bit too far out on the weird side. 15% ABV (2010 version) was strong enough ... Original rating: Sample at Ølfestivalen Nærbø. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Strong and intensely malty aroma and flavour, moderate roasty notes. Also notes of fortified wine. Decent hoppy bitterness too. Warming mouthfeel, of course - but the beer feels surprisingly balanced, and not extremely alcoholic for its 19% ABV. Will rerate as soon as I get a whole bottle.

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

500 ml bottle, simply named Saku Porter, from a potential importer. ABV is 6.9%. New bottle and label design, quite stylish. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Large tan head. Malty aroma, notes of brown bread and caramel, okay but not very exciting. The flavour is also very malty with caramel and bready notes, also some burnt sugar and burnt breadcrumbs. Minimal hops. Nice enough to drink.

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

330 ml clear bottle, from a potential importer. ABV is 5.0%. Golden colour, pours fizzy with a short-lived white head. Fairly nice aroma of sweet eating apples and oxidised cider apples. Moderate carbonation in the mouth. Flavour of sweet eating apples, not really dry, but not as sugary and "artificial" as I feared either. Very drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, as Santa Margarida Cerveza Artesanal de Trigo, from Carrefour, Cartagena. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, hazy in the end, huge white head. Wheaty aroma, notes of cloves, hints of citrus, banana and dust. The flavour is citrussy and somewhat acidic, minimal hops. Refreshing, but not very interesting.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Spain. ABV is 5.0%. Very pale yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of "dusty" malts and grassy and slightly herbal hops. Light bodied and refreshing, soft mouthfeel. The flavour has a subtle presence of pilsener malts and German noble hops - nothing spectacular, but nice enough to drink. No offensive off-flavours.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Lade Gaards Juleøl Sterk Type. ABV is 6.5%. (No, this won’t be part of the pub’s regular selection, thank God - it’s just in for the Grand Christmas Beer Tasting.) Very dark brown colour, large beige head. Sourish metallic aroma, some malts and caramel. Thin body. Sourish metallic flavour too, like sucking 5" galvanized nails. The most miserable strong ("Vinmonopolet strength") Christmas /Yule beer you can get in Norway.

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

330 ml bottle, from my local grocery store. ABV 4.7%. This is a completely new recipe this year, from Lervig’s head brewer Mike Murphy. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate malty aroma, some caramel. Easy drinking Münchener dunkel flavour, some caramel but not too sweet, some mild roasty notes, hints of brown bread. Has not the body of stronger Yule beers, of course, but should satisfy the average Norwegian’s need for a beer to go with his traditional pork rib dinner, especially with a dram of aquavit at the side.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Copper to brown colour, large off-white head. Spicy aroma, notes of star anise, ginger and brown kandij sugar. A hint of vomit. Fairly light bodied for its strength. The flavour is rather sweet with notes of caramel, brown kandij sugar, anise and ginger. Too moderate hops. As I hate star anise in beer (if not used with the utmost moderation), this beer starts with a real handicap in my book. And if you use ginger, a slight ginger burn in the finish would be nice. But hey, Lervigs Jul is drinkable - just not Mike Murphy’s best.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #671. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy brownish-golden colour, huge white head. Attractive fruity aroma, notes of citrus, gooseberries and tropical fruits, some piney hints too. The flavour is medium sweet and fruity, notes of saison yeast, distinct hops in the finish. Bitter, peppery and dry aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #677. ABV is 6%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Aroma of smoked malts, a hint of roasted malts / coffee in the background. The flavour is fairly smooth, with some mild roasty notes and hints of coffee and chocolate - and plenty of smoke, of course. I am no fan of extremely smoked lagers, but this one is not too extreme. Fairly drinkable, but probably not a beer I’ll buy very often.