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

Forced draught at the GBBF 2008. Cloudy golden brown colour, big head. Cloves, banana and citrus in both aroma and flavour, some more acidity than in many other hefeweizens.

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

Forced draught at the GBBF 2008, as Trunk Weisse. ABV was 5.5%. Cloudy golden colour, big head. Typical hefeweizen with notes of cloves and banana both in the aroma and the flavour. Nice.

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

On tap at the GBBF 2008. Dark brown colour, low head. Nice aroma of caramel and butterscotch. "Dusty" flavour, malty with a noticeable hoppy finish.

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

Cask conditioned at the Great British Beer Festival 2008, gravity dispense. Copper coloured beer, minimal head. Nice hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of blackcurrants.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Golden colour, low head. Very moderate aroma, just a hint of fruity hops. The flavour has also some moderate fruity hops, leading to a moderate "dusty" bitterness in the finish, but is otherwise relatively bland. The mouthfeel is fairly thin.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Copper coloured beer, decent off-white head. The aroma has a nice blend of malts and fruity hops, notes of prunes, toffee and some chocolate. The flavour has earthy notes, some malts and fruit, hints of caramel, but the finish is "dusty" and dry with noticeable hops. A very nice bitter.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Nearly black colour (very dark reddish brown). Intense and lovely aroma of various subtropical woods, winey notes. The mouthfeel has lots of alcoholic warmth as expected. The flavour has notes of oak and fortified wine. Very good.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Black colour, no head. Alcoholic but interesting aroma and flavour, notes of "oak" (actually palo santo wood), coffee and fortified wine. At 12% ABV this is powerful stuff. Good, but not easy drinking.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Cloudy golden colour, moderate head. Nice fruity / berries aroma. Berries in the flavour too (blackcurrants, boysenberries) with a moderate but nice hoppy finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 3.8%. Clear deep golden to orange colour, decent white head. Interesting aroma of fresh coriander, spicy and herbal notes, some fruit too. The flavour has loads of fresh coriander, a slight fruitiness, hints of toffee, decent hops (and more coriander) in the finish and aftertaste. Not too sweet. An interesting beer with a moderate ABV, but probably not my choice for a whole "session".

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

Served from the oak barrel in which it had been aged, at the GBBF 2008. Room temperature, gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, minimal head. Intense aroma of tar, woodwork, coffee, liquorice and alcohol. Intensely roasty flavour with coffee, alcohol, tar, liquorice and dark bitter chocolate. Pretty impressive, but certainly not easy drinking.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 9.5%. Pitch black colour, minimal head. Complex roasted aroma with notes of oak, dark chocolate, liquorice and tar. Intense flavour of cocoa / chocolate, figs(?) and coffee(?) - I have some difficulties reading my own handwriting here .... Warming mouthfeel, oaky and alcoholic notes. A great sipping beer.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, minimal head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of liquorice. "Dead" mouthfeel. Fairly bland flavour. Very moderate roasted notes and a very moderate fruitiness.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Golden colour, low head. Very nice hoppy aroma with notes of tropical fruits. Nice hoppy flavour, notes of grapefruit, hints of spruce / resin.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Golden colour, low head. Lovely hoppy aroma with strong notes of tropical fruits. The flavour is a hoppy explosion of citrus and tropical fruits, on a distinctly sweet base. Long hoppy aftertaste. Very good.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Vintage 2006, bottled March 2008, BB March 2010. (This beer is also imported to USA by Shelton Brothers.) Cloudy dark reddish brown colour, big tan head. Intense aroma of red wine vinegar and oak. The flavour is VERY sour (too sour), with oaky notes and a sharp and lemony finish. Some hops in the finish, but overall the malts and hops are very subdued - this is really all about acidity and oak. Still an interesting beer, and definitely something out of the ordinary. The alcohol is well hidden. If the average pale lager drinker Joe would sample this beer, he would probably be killed by the shock.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights, moderate creamy head. Moderate roasty aroma with a certain fruitiness, notes of woodwork too. The flavour is also moderately roasty with a slight fruitiness. "Dusty" finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.0%. Chestnut coloured beer, big light tan head. Aroma of berries and malts, hints of toffee. The flavour is brimming with fruit/berries, caramel and malts, but is not too sweet, with a pleasant hoppy bitterness and some chocolate notes in the finish. Excellent beer, and quite amazing that it is only 4%.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Norway. A new beer from Adnams, developed from their long gone Champion Pale Ale. Amber colour, big off-white head. Biscuits, some malts and a moderate fruitiness in the aroma. The flavour has fruity hops on a decent malty base, and the mouthfeel is very good for a 3.4% beer.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Pitch black colour, no head. Intensely roasty aroma, some undefined perfumed notes too. The flavour is sweet, winey and roasty. Good beer.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Cloudy golden colour, low head. Lovely aroma of yeast,fruits, spices and honey. The flavour is yeasty and spicy / peppery, fairly dry, slightly medicinal in the finish.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, dark brown in the highlights, low head. Moderately roasty aroma with some winey notes. The flavour is smooth and moderately roasty, with a moderate bitterness in the finish. Easy drinking, quite nice.

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

330 ml bottle, at the GBBF 2008. ABV was 7.5%. Served too cold. Pitch black colour, moderate head. Roasty aroma, notes of rubber, malts and coffee. The flavour is heavily roasted / burnt with grainy and rubbery notes - quite strange. I hate it and love it - simultaneously.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, minimal head. Nice roasted aroma, notes of coffee. The flavour is also roasty with notes of coffee, but the mouthfeel is a bit thin. Fairly dry. Some hints of liquorice and dark bitter chocolate, but not really impressive. Rather "dead" finish with a moderate bitterness.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Yellow colour, minimal head. Moderate aroma with hints of honey and flowery hops. Reasonably hoppy flavour, hints of citrus, "dusty" hops in the finish. OK, but not really that impressive. Nice hoppy aftertaste though.