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

375 ml green bottle (corked and wired), red foil top / partly red label, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 13.1%. Pitch black colour, low brown head. Lovely roasty, oaky and vinous aroma, also hints of leather and cigarbox. Very roasty flavour (a distinct roasty and hoppy bitterness throughout), medium sweet with distinct oaky notes.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 4.0%. Pale golden colour, low head. Nice citrussy aroma. Distinctly bitter hoppy flavour, but has too weak body to support the bitterness. Still props to Durham for daring to brew hoppy ales, while so many other English breweries are "playing safe" with boring beers.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 3.9%. Pale golden colour, low head. The aroma is moderate with some citrus. "Dusty" and unpleasant flavour, a little citrussy hop is not enough to save this beer. Fail.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 6.0%. Brown to copper colour, low head. Malty aroma, some caramel, nuts and dust. Dry flavour, tolerably hopped, but not as much as expected. Some fruit in the finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, low brown head. Lovely aroma of oak, roasted malts, dark chocolate and coffee, hints of leather. Roasty flavour, dark malts, coffee, oak, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Nice bitterness in the finish.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Bree Louise, London. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Low creamy tan head. Nice aroma of fruity New World hops. Lovely hoppy flavour with fruity and piney notes, on a background of moderately roasted malts, with notes of chocolate and mild coffee.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the Bree Louise, London. Chestnut colour, no head, minimal carbonation. Nice aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of toffee, caramel and butterscotch, but the beer is not very sweet. Hints of malt vinegar, without being sour.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the Bree Louise, London. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights, low beige head. Minimal aroma detected, some weak roasty notes. Roasty flavour, notes of coffee, quite dry.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Bree Louise, London. Copper colour, low off-white head. No aroma detected. Soft and smooth mouthfeel and flavour, nutty malts. Low bitterness.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Copper colour, low white head. Moderate aroma of malts and toffee. Smooth moderately malty flavour, not sweet though, hints of nuts in the finish, low bitterness.

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

375 ml green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. Cloudy amber to orange colour, huge off-white head. Lovely aroma of farmhouse / brettanomyces, also a fruity and spicy character with hints of Gewürztraminer. The flavour has a pretty strong brettanomyces character, spicy and oaky notes, and a distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish. The alcohol is noticeable, but not dominant. Good stuff.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.4%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Strong aroma of roasted barley, notes of coffee, hints of ashes and woodwork, a touch of smoke. Rich mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour with strong roasty notes, coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Bitter and dry finish, roasty aftertaste. Excellent beer.

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

Cask at The Old Explorer (a GK pub), London, as Greene King London Glory. Beautiful mahogany colour, coarse small off-white head. No aroma detectable. Thin mouthfeel. Dry flavour, moderate hops. Drinkable, but not exciting. You’d think GK should be able to come up with something better than this.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Deep brown colour, big off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon whiskey, vanilla and oak. The flavour is malty and medium sweet, balanced by decent hops. Again notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon and oak. Good bitterness in the aftertaste. Another excellent beer from Lervig’s head brewer Mike Murphy.

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

Cask at The Harp, London, as The Fat Cat Honey Ale (has also been known as Honey Cat). Deep golden to amber colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of honey, hints of toffee. The flavour has moderate notes of honey, but is not too sweet. Smooth to drink, with a decent hoppy bitterness in the finish.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Very dark reddish brown colour, low beige head. Moderate aroma, notes of lightly roasted malts, hints of mild coffee, some vinous notes. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of moderately roasted malts and mild coffee, not very sweet.

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

330 ml stubby bottle, as Waterloo Double 8 Dark, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Deep brown colour, huge and lasting beige head. Pleasant aroma of dark ripe fruits, spices, brown kandi sugar and caramel. Malty flavour with notes of brown kandi sugar and caramel, also notes of spices and dark dried fruits. Moderate hops.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London. Copper to chestnut colour, low head. Moderate aroma, a little malts. Malty flavour, surprisingly bland, minimal hops. Boring.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London. Copper colour, low head. Aroma of ripe fruits and malt vinegar. Rather thin mouthfeel. The flavour has some fruit, malt vinegar and moderate hops in the finish. Not impressive.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London. Pale golden colour, low head. Moderate aroma, a hint of fruit. Moderately hoppy flavour, some bitterness in the finish. Okay, but not very impressive.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London, as Slaters Premium Bitter. Amber colour, low head. Moderate aroma, some fruit and toffee. Smooth flavour, tolerably well balanced between the malts and hops. A decent bitter, "typically English".

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

Cask conditioned at the Lord Moon of the Mall, London. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, moderate creamy tan head. Moderate aroma, notes of dark chocolate and mild coffee. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The flavour is moderately roasty with notes of coffee and dark chocolate, medium dry. Nice one.