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

750 ml stubby bottle, non-pasteurised, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Very pale yellow colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of flowery, herbal and fruity hops. The flavour is crisp and fresh with a moderate sweetness, herbal and floral hops throughout. Fine bitterness in the finish. One of the best pilseners I’ve had.

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

750 ml corked and capped bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Vintage 2007, ABV is 5%. 300 gram of Schaerbeek cherries are added per liter beer. Aged in oak barrels. Deep red colour, huge pink head. Intense aroma of ripe cherries, hints of red wine vinegar. Equally intense flavour of sour cherries, not as lemony as the Lou Pepe Framboise. Drank it a bit too cold, still refreshing and pleasant to drink.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Cloudy dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Lovely aroma of American hops, fruity, piney and resinous notes. The flavour is extremely hoppy from start to finish, but has also a substantial malty sweetness. A bit too much of both sweetness and hops, IMHO. Still, clearly a craft brew well worth samling.

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

750 ml corked and capped bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Made with 300 g of raspberries per liter beer. Clear signal red colour, moderate pink head. Intense aroma of raspberries (no surprise). The flavour is very sour with notes of lemons and raspberries, fairly dry and crisp.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, big off-white head with an orangey hue. Strong aroma of American hops, fruity notes, hints of pine and marmalade. The flavour has also loads of hops, but they are fairly well balanced with the malts. There is a substantial bitterness in the finish and long aftertaste, with piney and grapefruity notes.

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

600 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7,0%. Dark brown to chestnut colour, big beige head. Fruity aroma, notes of red wine vinegar and hops, hints of berries. Fairly clean and malty flavour with hints of caramel, but the beer has not much residual sweetness. Hints of berries again. Moderate hops. Nice enough.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, moderate cream-coloured head. Aroma and flavour of lightly toasted malts, brown bread and nuts. Notes of burnt bread crumbs in the finish. Fairly dry beer.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, huge tan head. Pleasant roasty aroma, notes of coffee and dark chocolate, some fruity hops, hints of wood. The flavour is moderately roasty with notes of dark malts, coffee and dark chocolate. A moderate but distinct roasty and hoppy bitterness in the finish, balanced by a moderate but sufficient malty sweetness. Good stuff.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

400 ml clear bottle, thanks to my son Steinar. Bought in Poland. ABV is 0.5%. Very dark brown coffee-like colour, big and lasting beige head. Strong sweetish aroma of coffee, vanilla and chocolate. The flavour is very sweet with strong notes of chocolate and vanilla, the coffee is more subdued here. Tastes like a chocolate drink, blindfolded I would never have guessed that this was a beer. Weird, but not totally undrinkable.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Amber colour, big off-white head with an orangey hue. Excellent complex aroma of American hops, notes of pine, oranges, grapefruit, tropical fruits. The flavour has loads of American hops from start to finish, with fruity (grapefruity), piney and resinous notes, but it is not too bitter (despite respectable 85 IBUs), as the hoppiness is nicely balanced by a sweetness of malts and orange marmalade. Resinous bitter aftertaste.

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

180 ml waxed bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also sampled at Olympen, Oslo. ABV is 11%. Bitterness 92,9 EBU. Pitch black colour, no head, hardly any carbonation. Lovely vinous and roasty aroma, dark dried fruits, oak. Roasty flavour with oaky and vinous notes, distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish. Good stuff!

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

Bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also sampled at Olympen, Oslo. ABV is 10%. Orange colour, moderate white head. The aroma has notes of Belgian ale yeast, some fruity and spicy notes, hints of brettanomyces / farmhouse. The flavour is sweet and spicy, noticeable hops in the finish. Quite good.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.9%. Black colour, moderate beige head. Interesting aroma of roasted and smoked malts, blending seamlessly together with notes of chocolate, hints of dark fruits. The flavour is first fruity, then chocolatey and smoky, but the smoke is not overdone. Some hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish. This is an excellent and well balanced beer!

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

500 ml bottle, from Systembolaget. ABV is 6.0%. Mahogany coloured beer, big cream-coloured long-lasting head with an orangey hue. Nice malty aroma, notes of caramel, brown bread and other baked goods, some moderate fruity notes too. The flavour is fairly rich and malty with notes of caramel. Dry hops, some spice and burnt caramel in the finish. Some resinous hops and distinct "burnt" notes in the long aftertaste. Quite good.

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

330 ml bottle, as La Trappe Witte Trappist, bought at Systembolaget, Sweden. ABV is 5.5%. Looks crystal clear in the bottle, but there is some sediment. Pours crystal clear pale yellow with a huge head. Slightly hazy when the yeast is poured in the end. Fresh and attractive aroma with notes of mild spices (coriander, cloves), hints of citrus. Light bodied (verging on "thin"). Mildly spicy flavour (coriander and cloves again), refreshing.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

330 ml green bottle, bought in Sweden. Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Typical n/a beer aroma of over-boiled vegetables and baby maize porridge. Thin and watery mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of over-boiled vegetables and wet cardboard, hardly any bitterness. Terrible.

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

500 ml can, as Tatra Jasne Pelne, thanks to my son Steinar (bought in Krakow). ABV is 6.0%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, big to moderate white head. Strong sweetish aroma, notes of "banana" candy, hints of flowers and new-mown grass. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Medium sweet flavour of malt sugar and candy, decent hops in the finish. Not a beer I’d buy again, but drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 8%. Mahogany coloured beer, huge beige head. Moderate aroma, notes of caramel, brown malts, brown bread and dust, hints of marzipan. The flavour has notes of brown bread with hints of caramel, but this is probably the driest dubbel I have ever had. Dust in the finish, very moderate hops. The alcohol is well hidden - I would have guessed that this was a 5.5- 6% beer, not 8%. Definitely drinkable, but far from exciting.

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

550 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Ingredients are water, organic apple concentrate, organic cane sugar, malic acid, yeast, carbon dioxide. Hm. So much for "fresh apples straight from the tree". Extremely pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big to moderate head that actually lasts for a while. Moderate aroma of cider apples, eating apples and dust. The flavour is bland and watery, medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like), notes of bland eating apples without much character. Not much to write home about.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Very dark brown colour, big pale brown head. Moderate sourish fruity and dusty aroma, hints of lightly roasted malts, wet cardboard and damp basement - certainly not impressive. The flavour is very sweet, fruity and vinous, notes of raisins and dark dried fruits, brown candi sugar, some oak. Noticeable hops and dust in the finish.

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

750 ml corked, wired and waxed bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 28 out of a batch of 429 bottles. Brewed 7. Oct. 2009. ABV is 15.2%. OG 1150, FG 1041. Nugget and Saaz hops, 53.9 EBU. Pours reddish brown without any visible carbonation and no head. Intense and attractive aroma with vinous and oaky notes, also notes of dark dried fruits, curacao liqueur and tangerine. The flavour has an overwhelming sugary and malty sweetness, with some fruity and vinous notes. The absence of carbonation makes the mouthfeel oily and cloying, and the alcohol is noticeable. The relatively high EBU kind of disappears behind all the sweetness. Declared fit for 25 years of cool and dark cellaring - sounds like a really good idea, if you are of the patient kind, and have faith in your own life expectancy.

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

1 pint 9.4 fl. oz.. corked bottle, 2009 version, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Pours first crystal pale yellow with fine bubbles, moderate white head, some sediment in the bottle. Aroma of damp basement, some fruit (cider apples) and hints of horse stable in the background, but has not the fine aroma balance of a good Belgian ale. The flavour has distinct notes of brettanomyces, some spiciness, and fairly bitter American hops in the finish - but again without the flavour harmony of a real Belgian. Not a bad beer, but I expected something far better than this.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Slightly hazy very pale yellow colour, huge white head. Nice spicy aroma, notes of Belgian ale yeast, hops and citrus, hints of farmhouse. Refreshing flavour, mildly spicy, some citrussy fruitiness, moderate hops. Best served relatively cold.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 0058 out of 318 from this batch. ABV is 10.4%. This is a blend from B.A. Rasputin and B.A. Amarillo. Recommended drinking temperature 10 degrees C. Cloudy dark brown colour, big beige head. Excellent complex aroma, fruity American and European hops, vinous notes, hints of oak, red wine vinegar and leather. The flavour has notes of over-ripe and decaying fruits, a substantial malty sweetness, hints of chocolate and coffee in the background, moderate and "dry" hops in the finish.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.2%. On pouring the glass is filled completely with off-white foam, which only very slowly lets a hazy orange coloured beer appear. A huge rocky head remains, making the beer hard to drink. Lovely fruity / citrussy aroma of Amarillo hops. The flavour is a bitter and fruity hoppy explosion from start to finish, also resinous notes, some sweetness. A bit too much of the good stuff, methinks. Overkill. Gets better as the beer warms up a little.