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

Bottle, courtesy of Nøgne Ø representative at "Onsdag i Annen", Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Oak aged, a blend from several casks/barrels. Pitch black colour, brown creamy head. Strong aroma of whisky cask, dark chocolate, honey and coffee. Strong sweet flavour of honey and coffee, bitter finish, aftertaste of cocoa and dark bitter chocolate with some sourish and medicinal notes.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Crystal clear pale yellow colour, huge white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity and moderately spicy Belgian ale yeast, some Saaz notes of new-mown grass too. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has also a moderate fruitiness and subtle spiciness, moderate Saaz hops in the finish. Refreshing and highly drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as "Tamamura Honten Nøgne Ø Not So Mild Ale - Harvest Brew Fresh Hop" (the rest of the info on the label is in Japanese). Murky dark brown colour, moderate to low greyish beige head. Nice but moderate aroma of mild ale malts, chocolate malts and some fruity hops. The flavour is fairly fruity, but has also a moderate roastiness with mild coffee and chocolate notes. The finish has sufficient hops to make it "not so mild". No masterpiece perhaps, but highly drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. When the beer is poured the glass fills completely with a huge white foam, which slowly lets a deep golden hazy beer emerge. Typical hefeweizen aroma with strong notes of cloves, also ripe bananas and bubblegum. The mouthfeel is slightly fuller than the ordinary Erdinger Hefe-Weissbier. The flavour has again sweetish notes of ripe bananas, also moderate notes of cloves. The finish is rather bland with minimal hops.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.9%. Deep golden to orange colour, big and lasting off-white head. Lovely aroma of Cascade hops, with the typical grapefruity and piney notes. The flavour is again typical Cascade (in plentiful quantities) from start to finish, lots of grapefruit, pine needles and resin. A nearly Campari-like (wormwood) bitterness in the finish. Some malty sweetness does its best to balance some of the hoppiness. Has enough hops to satisfy hardcore hopheads - I would have been satisfied with less, even though I love Cascade.

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

Bottle, courtesy of Nøgne Ø representative at "Onsdag i Annen", Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely aroma of bourbon oak cask/barrel with notes of vanilla, coffee and dark chocolate. The flavour has strong notes of vanilla, coffee and dark chocolate. Overall brilliant!

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

355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 7%. Deep golden to amber colour, big white (or slightly off-white) head. Strong fruity and spicy aroma, notes of cloves, Belgian ale yeast and alcohol. Fairly rich mouthfeel. Drank it a bit too warm, but the flavour has a decent fruity and malty sweetness with some notes of mild spices and moderate hops in the finish. Pretty good stuff.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Lørenskog Brus-shop. ABV is 4.7%. Dark brown colour, big off-white to beige head. The aroma has very moderate fruity notes, followed by notes of brown bread, hints of caramel. The flavour also has a certain fruitiness, slightly acidic, followed by notes of münchener malts, bread and caramel. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish. Dry aftertaste. No masterpiece this one, but drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Lørenskog Brus-shop. ABV is 4.7%. Golden brown colour, slightly hazy when the yeast is poured in, moderate off-white head. Nice fruity aroma of yeasty esters and American hops (Admiral and Amarillo). Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is fresh and fruity, notes of citrus, hints of caramel malts. I did not have the beer with "rakfisk" (= half-fermented trout) like the brewers intended, but can imagine that this beer is well suited to accompany that traditional Norwegian dish. Also highly drinkable on its own.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by fellow homebrewer Even. ABV not mentioned on the label. Deep golden colour, big to moderate head. Pleasant aroma of fruity American hops. Fruity flavour with notes of Belgian yeast and American hops. Quite good.

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

500 ml brown bottle, as Pripps Jul, from Systembolaget post-Christmas 2009. ABV is 5.0%. Mahogany coloured beer, big off-white beige head. Sweetish fruity aroma, also notes of caramel malts, hints of Christmas spices. The flavour has notes of münchener and caramel malts, baked goods, sweet and slightly spicy, also with a certain fruitiness. Very moderate hops in the finish. Overall surprisingly decent for a beer from Pripps / Carlsberg Sweden.

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

500 ml screwcap bottle, a gift from my son Steinar, bought in Poland. ABV is 5.5%. Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, huge white head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of citrus, banana and cloves. The flavour is zesty and quite refreshing, with weak notes of banana and cloves. The mouthfeel is rather thin.

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

500 ml bottle, from Systembolaget. ABV is 5.9%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee and dark chocolate, hints of cigarbox and leather as the beer warms up.. The flavour is distinctly roasty, notes of coffee and dark chocolate again. Not much sweetness. Burnt notes in the bitter finish. Pretty good beer.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Systembolaget. ABV is 7.5%. Some sediment in the bottle. Pours with an enormous white head, which slowly gives way to a cloudy pale yellow beer. Nice fruity and spicy aroma, notes of citrus and coriander, hints of farmhouse kitchen, fermenting apples and white wine vinegar. The flavour is sweet, zesty and very fruity, spicy notes too (coriander). Noticeable hops in the aftertaste. An interesting beer, pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, thanks to OleR. Contract brewed by Krönleins Bryggeri, Sweden, for Hønefoss Brygghus, Norway. ABV is 4.7%. Mahogany coloured beer, moderate beige head. Malty aroma, like a Münchener dunkel, notes of brown bread and caramel. The flavour is also malty and bready, sweet first with distinct notes of caramel, while the finish is fairly dry but not very bitter. OKish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml bottle, bought in Sweden. ABV is 2.2%. Ingredients include saccharin. Deep copper to mahogany colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Moderate aroma of bakery and toast, fairly nice. The flavour is very malty with loads of caramel and saccharin sweetness, too sweet maybe (I think they should have skipped or reduced the saccharin), minimal hops, hints of Christmas spices. However, it is rather nice to drink a low alcohol beer that is not flavourless and watery.

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

500 ml green bottle, a gift from my son Steinar, bought in Poland. ABV is 5.3%. Dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Rather boring aroma of malts and brown bread with some "boiled" notes, hints of caramel. Fairly nice flavour of malts with notes of rye bread and lots of caramel, but the beer is not too sweet. A hint of burnt malts and burnt sugar in the finish, with very moderate but noticeable hops. A pleasant dunkel to drink.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 3

330 ml clear pale green bottle, a gift from my son Steinar (bought at Bremen Airport). ABV is 2.5%. Crystal clear greenish yellow (or yellowish green) colour, moderate off-white head with a greenish hue. Fruity weak aroma, notes of lime and lemons. The sweetish flavour has notes of lime and sugar, refreshing in its own peculiar way, hardly any bitterness. Blindfolded I would probably not have guessed that this was a beer at all. Not undrinkable though, at least when cold.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 7.8%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, with a big white head. Lovely aroma of Belgian ale yeast, banana, coriander and mild spices. In the flavour, American hops dominate with a substantial bitterness from start to finish, on a more subtle background of "Belgian" sweetness with some citrussy and spicy notes. This cross between a Belgian triple and an American IPA is a reminder that Italy is one of the most interesting "new" craft beer countries in Europe.

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

500 ml bottle, from Systembolaget. ABV is 5.2%. Cloudy pale brownish yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Lovely typical hefeweizen aroma, notes of banana, cloves and bubblegum. The flavour is crisp and tasty with fruity and spicy notes, particularly banana and cloves, moderate hops in the finish. A very nice and well balanced hefeweizen from Gotland.

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

33 cl "cool" bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Also available at Vinmonopolet. Deep orange to brown colour, big off-white head. Some floaties from the sediment in the bottle. Lovely aroma of fruity American hops, notes of citrus. The flavour is distinctly hoppy with grapefruity notes, resin the finish. Some caramel malts too, fairly well balanced. Bitter aftertaste.

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

Stylish bottle, at Håndverkerstuene, Oslo. ABV was 8.8%. Amber colour, hazy, big white head. Very nice aroma of Belgian yeast, notes of coriander, cloves and other undefined spices. The flavour is sweet and sour (? - can’t read my own handwriting) with notes of coriander, orange peel and undefined spices. Good beer.

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

Bottle, at HaandBryggeriet. Reddish brown colour, moderate head. The aroma has notes of wild forest cranberries (= lingonberries), redcurrants and red wine vinegar. The flavour is very crisp and dry, with some acidity. Nice enough, but I’d like a little more sweetness for a fuller mouthfeel.

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

On tap at Olympen ("Lompa"), as "Lompas Vinter", renamed after Christmas. Black colour, moderate tan head. Nice aroma of mild coffee and dark malts, hints of chocolate and liquorice. The flavour is moderately roasty with a moderate malty sweetness, hints of dark chocolate. Quite good.

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

50 cl bottle, as Eriksberg III, in a cafeteria in Charlottenberg, Sweden. ABV is 5.3%. Golden colour, big fluffy head. Fairly malty sweetish aroma, some flowery hops. The flavour has notes of alcohol, sweet malts and noticeable hops. Not too bad for a Swedish lager..