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

500 ml bottle, thanks to Ole_R. Like all Haandbryggeriet beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4.5%. Malts include wheat malt and Münchener malt. Batch No. 102. Brewed Oct. 2007, BB date March 2009. Mahogany coloured beer, hazy when the sediment is poured. Moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of malts, bakery and chocolate, hints of spices. The flavour is fruity and slightly acidic, with distinct notes of Münchener malts. The finish is spicy with a sharp bitterness. Not a bad beer, but it somehow seems a bit unbalanced - the flavour elements don’t blend together very well. I am not sure if this is a recipe worth repeating next year.

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

330 ml stubby bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. BB 0608. ABV is 6.5%. Refermented in the bottle. Copper coloured beer (clear first, cloudy when the yeast is poured in the end), large tan head with an orangey hue. Very nice aroma of spices, candi sugar, yeast and raisins. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is moderately spicy with some caramel and toffee, lacks hops. The finish is kind of "empty", relatively light bodied for its strength. Still a nice and drinkable dubbel, but could have been better.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

250 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Black colour, creamy brown head. Strong and sweet aroma of treacle / caramel, roasted malts, molasses, bakery and chocolate. Nice! Very sweet flavour, largely the same elements as in the aroma, but far too sugary and overwhelmingly sweet for me.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.0%. Reddish amber colour, slightly hazy, huge and rocky off-white head, lasts "forever". Nice fruity and spicy aroma. Spicy flavour too, notes of oak, some caramel and fruit. Good stuff. By Satan, I think I’ll have another one!

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Clear reddish amber colour, decent off-white head. Moderate aroma, some malts and caramel. The flavour has quite a bit of caramel with moderate hops, some grain and fruit. Hints of alcohol. Not too bad, but Palm Dobbel was more to my liking.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Dark brown colour, huge tan head. Nice aroma - some fruit, notes of malts, caramel and bakery, hints of spices. The flavour is malty sweet with plenty of caramel, also raisins (a certain fruitiness) and chocolate. Some hops in the finish. A good beer, but slightly too much on the sweet side.

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

330 ml bottle, daft label replete with bikini-clad girl to rub. ABV is 5.0%. Courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pale golden colour, large to moderate lasting head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Sweetish aroma, notes of candy. Sweetish pale lager flavour with some lemony notes. Very moderate hops, but there’s a slightly metallic bitterness in the aftertaste. You may think the label is sexy, but the beer is not.

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

500 ml bottle, at Internasjonalen, Oslo. ABV was 8.0%. Organic, unfiltered, unpasteurised. Dark amber colour, cloudy when the sediment is poured, moderate head. Unusual sweetish fruity aroma and flavour, notes of ripe raspberries and blackcurrants. Nice beer.

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

500 ml bottle, at Internasjonalen, Oslo. ABV was 4.8%. Organic, unfiltered, unpasteurised. Golden colour, moderate head. Cloudy when the sediment is poured. Moderate hops in the aroma, some flowery and honey notes. Refreshing hoppy flavour, well above average for a pilsener.

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

On tap at the brewpub, ABV was 5.2%. "Orange brown" colour, low head. Lovely hoppy aroma (American hops), fruity / citrus / blackcurrants. The flavour has also a decent amount of American hops, decent malts too. A very nice and drinkable beer.

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

On tap at the brewpub. ABV was said to be 4.7%. Black colour, dark ruby in the highlights, low head. Moderate roasty aroma, notes of chocolate. Roasty flavour, nice but fairly mellow, notes of chocolate but fairly dry. Good, but too "modest" in its touch.

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

On tap at the brewpub. ABV was said to be 4.7%. Pale golden colour, low head. Pleasant aroma of butterscotch, honey and some fruit. Tolerable pilsener flavour, slightly above average, but some more hops would have been nice.

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

On tap at the brewpub, the ABV was said to be 4.3%. Is this really supposed to be a kölsch, or is it a pale lager? A "summer beer" ? - well, we had it on the 4th of January! Very pale golden colour, low head. Pleasant aroma of butterscotch (diacetyl). Notes of butterscotch in the flavour too, but very (too) light bodied, without sufficient hops. I had most of the beer with my burger and sweet chili sauce - the beer was definitely no match for the meal.

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

On tap at the brewpub. The ABV (2007 batch) was said to be 5.0%. Beautiful dark ruby colour, low head. The aroma has dark fruits, moderate malts and hints of spices. The flavour has some burnt caramel and is fairly malty, with some smokiness and hints of tar, dry finish. Nice.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget). Imported to Europe by Hamana Ltd. Herts, England. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 5.2%. Golden colour, nearly clear (just a faint haziness), rich head. Lovely hoppy aroma, notes of citrus and tropical fruits. The flavour is distinctly hoppy but not too bitter, citrus again, on a base of moderate but nice malty sweetness. A very nice pale ale!

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

(330 ml can, bought in Finland). Golden lager, low head, some hops in the aroma but not much, slightly sweet, at least some malts are detectable in "the best Finnish ground water". Drinkable (not offensive), but far from great.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.3%. Colour somewhere between mahogany and black, large and lasting beige head. Moderate but nice aroma of roasted malts and bakery, hints of oak and leather. Very malty and well rounded flavour, medium sweet, notes of mild coffee and black bread. Moderate but sufficient hops, fairly smooth and easy to drink for a 7.3% beer. Nice one!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Deep golden brown to amber colour, large off-white head. Moderately spicy aroma, quite nice, with some notes of bakery, also a certain fruitiness. The flavour is quite fruity but also distinctly malty, notes of toffee and mild spices, decent hops in the finish. A lager well above average! A bit too much carbonation for my taste though.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Mahogany coloured beer, large beige head. INTENSE and pretty extreme aroma of smoked meat and burnt-out ruins of wooden houses, hints of tar. The flavour is also intensely smoky, but there is also a malty sweetness to back it up. Moderate hops in the finish. You have to be impressed (one way or another) by this beer - but I have trouble deciding if I really LIKE the overwhelming smokiness. I know a lot of people LOVE it - I’ll just say: Give it a try!

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

375 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Also bought at Vaaland Ølutsalg, Bryne. Bottle conditioned, sediment in bottle. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, large head. Very nice and fruity aroma, moderately spicy. The flavour has also spicy and fruity notes, slightly more rounded than their Sparkling Ale. Inspired by English (Burton-on-Trent) pale ales, but there seems also to be a "Belgian" touch here. Very nice and drinkable.

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

375 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, sediment in bottle. In the first pour the beer is crystal clear golden, hazy in the final pour. Sparkling indeed, but when the initial huge head subsides a little, the carbonation in the glass is not too bad. Fruity aroma with notes of spices. The flavour is also fruity and moderately spicy. Alcohol is noticeable but not disturbing, the beer is fairly light bodied and easy drinking.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml green bottle. Like all Grans beers, it is available only in REMA 1000 stores. Bronze coloured beer, large off-white head. The aroma has notes of malts, caramel and cooked vegetables, hints of spices. Fairly thin mouthfeel, as expected from a 2.4% beer, but the flavour actually has SOME malts and hops, with a slightly sourish finish - so the beer is a little "better" than I feared.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Brewed in Denmark while Dalane Brygghus are setting up their own facilities. Chestnut coloured beer, moderate tan head. Despite being "inspired by German bocks", it has the strength and flavour of a Münchener dunkel, with Christmas spices added. Nice aroma of caramel malts and Christmas spices. The mouthfeel is somewhat "flat" or even "dead". The flavour is malty with very modest hops, and rather moderate spices. Okay, but lacks the full and rich flavour of the stronger Juleøl that we REALLY want for the Yuletide.

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

330 ml clear bottle, thanks to yngwie! ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, large head. Aroma of pilsener malts and boiled vegetables. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has, unlike most Norwegian "Sommerøl", actually traces of both malts and hops, with a moderate sweetness. Not a great beer, but better than I feared.

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

568 ml bottle, as Magners Original Irish Cider / Vintage Cider. Produced by Wm. Magner, Clonmel, Ireland. ABV is 4.5%. Contains sulphites. Pale and clear golden colour with a pinkish hue. Short-lived head. Fairly strong apple aroma, notes of candy too. Thin and watery mouthfeel. The medium sweet flavour has very moderate apples and makes me wonder how much really is fermented apple juice and how much is water in this product. Not offensive though.