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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, ABV 8.3%, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger: Copper colour, big to moderate cream-coloured head. Malty aroma with strong notes of raisins and other dark fruits, brown candi sugar and treacle. Warming mouthfeel. Flavour of dark dried fruits, brown sugar, malts and alcohol. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish. Original rating: On tap at Cardinal’s Juleølsymposium. Matured with raisins. Dark brown colour, moderate head. Aroma of brown malts, brown sugar and raisins. The flavour has the same elements, but is not too sweet. Moderate hops, very drinkable.

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

1 pt. 9.4 fl. oz. corked bottle, vintage 2009, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Reddish colour, big off-white head. Aroma of slightly stale berry jam, also some "horseblanket" notes of brettanomyces. The flavour is very sweet with berry fruit and some vinous notes, moderately spicy, noticeable alcohol, distinct hoppy and spicy bitterness in the finish. Warming mouthfeel.

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Lovely vinous aroma, notes of port wine, caramel and nuts, hints of marzipan. The flavour is definitely on the sweet side, but not cloying. Vinous and very fruity notes (fresh and rum-drenched fruits), the sweetness is to some extent balanced by decent hops in the finish. An unusual and very nice Christmas beer, better suited to accompany fruits and nuts, rather than the robust traditional Nordic Christmas dinners. Might go well with turkey and cranberry sauce, though.

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

12.7 fl.oz. corked bottle, as Port Brewing Older Viscosity, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 12.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Intense aroma of sweet malts, bourbon whiskey, vanilla and oak, also moderate roasty notes, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Very sweet (too sweet?) and intense flavour, sweet malts galore, notes of bourbon, oak and vanilla again, also notes of mild coffee, dark chocolate and liquorice. Moderate hops.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Brown colour, decent head. The aroma is caramel, caramel and some butterscotch - and caramel again. The flavour is caramel first, and caramel in the finish - and, if you you are in doubt: also caramel (and butterscotch) in the middle. For good measure, you get caramel in the aftertaste too. If this leads you to think that the beer is cloyingly sweet, it is not - it just has this caramel flavour throughout. Lucky me - I happen to like caramel ...

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

330 ml bottle, brewed by Eschweger, ABV in Norway is 4.7%. Bought at MENY Stadionparken. Crystal clear extremely pale yellow colour, big white head. Grainy aroma of unhopped pilsener wort and boiled vegetables, not good. Sweet and sugary flavour, hardly any bitterness. What a stupid idea - brewing a purposely shitty American Standard pale lager in Europe, just because Homer Simpson would have liked it ... Taste is nothing, marketing is everything.

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. The aroma has notes of moderately roasted malts and mild coffee, hints of wood and smoke. The flavour is very dry and the beer is light bodied, notes of mild coffee, wood and hints of smoke again.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of brown candi sugar, leather and spices. The flavour has notes of (Belgian?) ale yeast, brown malts, brown candi sugar (without being very sweet), spices and alcohol. Moderate hops in the finish, fairly bitter aftertaste.

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

1 pt. 6 fl.oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.2%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, with a big white (or slightly off-white) head. Lovely aroma of Belgian ale yeast, white candi sugar and various spices (incl cloves), hints of leather. The flavour is spicy and zesty with a solid hoppy punch throughout, but I’d never have guessed that the IBU was as high as 101. Mixing Belgian and American ale styles is not always successful, but I think Le Freak is a very good try.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.6%. Brownish orange colour, big off-white head. Aroma of fruity, piney and floral hops, also sweetish marmelade notes. The flavour is sweet (too sweet?) with loads of bitter hops. Could use some more complexity.

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Copper coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Lovely aroma of fruity and piney American hops, some sweetish malty notes too, but not too much. Rich flavour of copious amounts of American hops and sweet malts, nicely balanced. Some vinous notes, also resin, caramel, oak and dark dried fruits. Definitely one of the better barleywines I’ve had.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Very dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of caramel and toasted brown bread, hints of dark dried fruits. Decent flavour, caramel and toasted brown bread again, a hint of fruit, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced and pleasant to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, No. 1753 out of a batch of 1895, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 15.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Malty and vinous aroma, notes of dark dried fruits, hints of leather, chocolate, oak and alcohol. Intense warming mouthfeel with an obvious presence of alcohol. The flavour is rich and very malty, some roasty notes but not really stoutish, vinous and oaky notes too, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, even a touch of tar and smoke. Possibly some herbs and spices are added here too? An impressive beer as it is, might still benefit from a couple years in a cool cellar.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Copper coloured beer, big beige head. Moderate aroma, hints of Christmas spices and caramel, maybe also a touch of lemon peel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, notes of caramel and Christmas spices again, some fruit, moderate hops and peppery notes in the finish. There is also a faint touch of liquorice root, but I’d hardly be able to identify it if I did not know that it was supposed to be there. Not a bad beer.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing Old Viscosity, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Black colour (dark ruby when held to the light), huge tan head. Lovely aroma of moderately roasted malts, mild coffee, chocolate, oak and leather. Full and rich flavour, malty predominance with much the same elements as the aroma, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced, immensely pleasant to drink. Warming mouthfeel, but the alcohol is otherwise well hidden in the flavour.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Green Flash Stout (Double Stout), courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.8%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. Rich malty flavour with roasty notes, strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate, maybe a hint of liquorice too. Bitter aftertaste. The alcohol is well hidden.

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

Bottle, at Cardinal’s Ølsymposium. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely and well rounded aroma and flavour with all the typical robust porter porter qualities, but the roastiness is not overdone. Smooth and nicely balanced. Will give a more detailed review on the next occasion.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV is 4.2%. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts and toffee, hints of berries. The flavour has moderate malts, toffee, biscuits and nuts. Decent Challenger hops in the finish.

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

Bottle from Traditional Scottish Ales, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV is 4.5%. Beautiful deep brown colour, moderate beige head. Very nice malty aroma with vinous notes, caramel and dark dried fruits, hints of oak. Malty flavour, preserved fruits, hints of oak, moderate bitterness.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Ivar. ABV is 7%. Cloudy brown colour, big beige head with an orangey hue. Malty and slightly stale aroma (stale dark fruits). Malty rich flavour, spicy and oaky notes, moderate hops in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, batch 174, a gift from gunnar, thanks! ABV is 9.5%. Cloudy orangey brown colour, big head, slightly off-white. Intense aroma of fruity and resinous American hops (tropical fruits, citrus, pine). The flavour is intensely hoppy (pine, resin, grapefruit) on a malty sweet (caramellized orange marmalade) background. Bitter finish of course, but not too extreme.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Interesting fruity and hoppy aroma, hints of marmalade and oak, some vinous notes too. Hoppy flavour, good bitterness, moderate malty sweetness, hints of oak.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Hoppy aroma and flavour (Columbus hops), the flavour also has spicy notes with hints of Belgian ale yeast, otherwise this is a fairly standard American IPA (which is not a bad thing).

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Very nice hoppy aroma, fruity and herbal notes. Intense hoppy flavour, but not too bitter. Fruity and spicy notes, well balanced.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Brown colour, big off-white head. Aroma of Belgian ale yeast, brown sugar and spices, hints of camphorwood. The flavour has more fruity acidity than I expect from a dubbel, some spicy and woody notes too.