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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Served very cold. Hazy golden colour, low head. The aroma has moderate notes of pilsener malts and floral hops. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has a distinct hoppy bitterness from start to finish. Bitter aftertaste. Not much in the flavour to balance the bitterness - but this is clearly a thirstquenching pilsener, and far better than most of its more industrial competitors.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, from Superbrugsen, Skødstrup. ABV is 1.8%. Ingredients include glucose syryp and colour (E 150c). Very dark brown to ruby colour, big and creamy tan head. Sweetish aroma of malts, caramel, brown bread and syrup. The flavour is very malty, very sweet, with loads of caramel and syrup - but amazingly pleasant to drink. Hardly any bitterness. A flavourful beer with minimal alcohol, in the Danish "mørkt hvidtøl" tradition - a nice "change of pace"-beer when you have to drive afterwards.

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

500 ml can, from Superbrugsen Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV is 5.2%. Brewed with hop extract. Hazy pale yellow colour, huge white head. Strong and typical hefeweizen aroma of cloves and ripe bananas, hints of candy. Moderate flavour with notes of cloves and banana, hints of citrus. Minimal hops. Light bodied and easy drinking.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. (A couple unpasteurised kegs will also be available at Cardinal.) ABV is 10%. Murky brown colour, big cream-coloured to beige head. Lovely aroma of American and New Zealand hops (Chinook, Simcoe, Centennial, Pacific Gem and Nelson Sauvin), fruity and resinous notes, hints of heather honey and orange marmalade. The flavour has of course loads of hops, but the bitterness is not too extreme. Piny, resinous and grapefruity notes. A pleasant malty sweetness balances the hoppiness. The high ABV is noticeable, but not really disturbing. A worthy brew to celebrate Nøgne Ø’s batch #500.

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

500 ml bottle, at Murphy’s 8541 Irish pub, Skødstrup. ABV is 5.2%. Pilsener with birch syrup added. Golden colour, slightly hazy, moderate head. Nice aroma of Saaz hops and birch syrup. Fresh pilsener flavour with moderate but noticeable hops, the birch syrup is present as an airy notion in the background. Well worth sampling.

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

330 ml bottle, at Murphy’s 8541 Irish pub, Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV is 5%. Beautiful mahogany coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of caramel malts and dark syrup. The flavour has also caramel and possibly biscuit malts, but not much else. Dull finish. Okay overall though.

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

700 ml bottle, at Murphy’s 8541 Irish pub, Skødstrup. ABV is 8.1%. Very dark ruby colour, moderate to low head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of dark malts, caramel and Saaz hops. The flavour has notes of caramel without being sweet, the Saaz hops are moderate but noticeable.

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

330 ml bottle, in Denmark. Sampled 05.07.10, "best before"-date was 04.09.09. ABV was 7.0%. Ingredients include maize and glucose syrup. Brown to copper colour, moderate to low white head. Somewhat "perfumed" aroma, notes of toffee. The flavour has also some caramel and toffee, but is otherwise fairly bland with very moderate hops.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Superbrugsen, Skødstrup. ABV is 4.9%. Ingredients include "burnt sugar". Amber to copper colour, moderate off-white head. Very moderate aroma, just a hint of caramel. Lagerish flavour, like a Danish Classic with a little extra caramel, but the beer is not very sweet. Quite okay to drink though.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Superbrugsen, Skødstrup. The dusty bottles on the shelf testified that this was not the store’s most popular beer. Sampled 06.07.10, bought just a couple days earlier - "best before"-date was 14.06.10. Organic beer, ABV is 6%. Dark brown colour, hazy. Moderate off-white to beige head. Nice aroma of fruity hops, also notes of caramel and nuts. The flavour was fruity and acidic, nearly lemony. Definitely past its prime.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. This was originally the winner beer of the Norwegian Home Brewing Championship 2010, and it has been reported that Russian River Pliny the Elder was the inspiration for the recipe. Cloudy brownish colour, big and lasting off-white head. Very nice aroma of piny and fruity American hops (Columbus, Centennial and Simcoe). The flavour is first fruity and refreshing, then a massive hoppy and nearly medicinal bitterness sets in (bordering on "overkill"), and lasts through the long aftertaste. One for the hardcore hopheads.

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

500 ml bottle, as Schneider Weisse Tap 4 Mein Grünes (new name), courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with organic ingredients. ABV is 6.2%. Hazy brownish golden colour, big head, slightly off-white. Strong and lovely aroma of ripe bananas and cloves. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is reasonably malty for a hefeweizen, with distinct notes of cloves. Very moderate hops. The alcohol is well hidden. Good beer.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.7%. Very pale yellow colour, hazy, with a huge white head. Much paler than any other weizenbock I’ve had. Lovely typical sweetish hefeweizen aroma with notes of ripe bananas, cloves and bubblegum. The flavour is sweet and fruity, but still fairly light bodied for its strength. Moderate notes of cloves, very moderate hops. A very different character compared to e.g. Schneider Aventinus, but nice enough to drink.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Poiré / perry (pear cider) at 4.8% ABV from Comte Louis de Lauriston, 61700 Domfront, France - a cidery more famous for their calvados. Christian Drouin is not mentioned on the label, but I assume they are the distributors. 750 ml dark green "champagne" bottle, bought at Vinmonopolet, Norway. Very pale greenish yellow colour with just a slight haziness. Pours moderately fizzy, head disappears instantly. Some carbonation remains in the glass, maybe too much. Pleasant aroma of ripe pears, hints of wood and herbs, maybe also a hint of sulphur. Flavour of pears and herbs, fairly dry. Hints of wood and sulphites in the finish.

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

750 ml clear "champagne" bottle, made of Aroma apples, vintage 2008. Bottle No. 124, bought at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 11%. Golden colour, pours very fizzy with a huge white head that lasts longer than normal for a cider. Aroma of oxidised eating apples (which indeed the Aroma apple variety is), hints of sulphur. The flavour is more tart than I expected, especially in the finish. Oxidised apples again with hints of sulphur, medium sweetness.

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

500 ml bottle, as Westons Premium Organic Pear Cider, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6%. Contains sulphites. Pale yellow colour, small short-lived head. Aroma of ripe pears, hints of sulphur. Fairly fresh and sweet pear flavour with a hint of sulphur. A bit too far out on the sweet side, but nice enough to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 32%. Sold as "spirits / hard liquor" ( 4 cl shots) in Norway. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. No head nor carbonation. Strong aroma of fusel alcohols, oaky and roasty notes, hints of smoke. Intense flavour of smoke, tar and salt. Moderately bitter finish. To be honest, this was not very good.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 41%. Sold as "spirits / hard liquor" ( 4 cl shots) in Norway. Deep reddish orange to amber colour, No head, nor any carbonation. Aroma of piney and catty American hops, hints of fusel alcohols and red berries. The flavour is very sweet, very bitter and loaded with alcohol. Not good.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6%. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, huge and long lasting white head. Pleasant aroma of Belgian ale yeast with distinct spicy and some fruity notes. The flavour is fairly crisp and moderately spicy, yeasty notes, not very sweet. Moderate hops.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet (bestillingsutvalget). ABV is 5.6%, extract 12.2%. Golden colour, big head. Moderate aroma of pilsener malts and grassy and herbal hops. The flavour is fairly sweet and malty with hints of honey, moderate herbal hops.

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

11. 2 fl. oz. bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.0%. Very pale yellow colour, huge white head. Typical aroma of saison yeast, fruity and spicy notes. The flavour is fairly crisp and spicy, not too sweet. Distinct bitterness in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 18.2%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Strong aroma of oak, molasses, roasted malts, sweetened strong coffee, dark dried fruits and alcohol. The flavour is sweet, malty and roasty, notes of burnt caramel and molasses, the alcohol is very noticeable. A moderate hoppy bitterness in the finish. A bit too far out on the sweet side, I’m afraid - but definitely worth sampling.

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

Cask conditioned at Blackfriars, Glasgow, as Paradox Edition #2 Grain Whisky. Black colour, ruby in the highlights. Very nice aroma of woodwork. Roasty, fiery and alcoholic flavour with strong woody notes. Notes of vanilla too.

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

330 ml bottle, batch 016, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Black colour, big brown head. Moderately roasty and oaky aroma with strong notes of vanilla and freshly baked buns, also hints of liquorice, chocolate and dark died fruits. The flavour has strong roasty coffee notes, also distinct notes of peat smoke / malt whisky. Hints of English liquorice, bitter hops in the finish. Awesome beer!

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

500 ml bottle, thanks to my beerpal Olav who brought it home from the Orkneys. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, moderate white head, decent lacing. Moderate but nice aroma with fruity and malty notes, hints of nuts and toffee. Moderately malty and nutty flavour with "dusty" English hops throughout. Okay, but not remarkable.