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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Possibly filtered, but probably not pasteurised. ABV is 5.3%. As a cask ale it was voted "Champion Winter Beer of Britain 1998". Chestnut coloured beer, rich off-white to beige head. Very nice malty aroma with oaky and vinous notes, also caramel and dark fruits. Malty flavour with caramel, some raisiny and vinous notes, moderate hops. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. A pleasant beer to drink.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 5.0%. Bottle conditioned. Pitch black colour, large tan head. Lovely aroma of bramble (blackberries) with vinous notes, also notes of chocolate and a mild roastiness. The flavour has a roasty and hoppy (Challenger) bitterness throughout, notes of coffee and berries (the latter are fairly subdued). Bitter aftertaste. Good beer!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Dent t'Owd Tup was voted Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 1999, a fact that is still proudly displayed on the label. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights. Decent creamy tan head, does not last forever. Moderate but very nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee, hints of chocolate, leather and plums. Concerning the flavour, for once I find it appropriate to quote the commercial description / tasting notes: "The dominant roast character is balanced by a warming sweetness and a raisiny, fruit-cake taste which lingers on into the long aftertaste, making this a very satisfying drink." Pretty much spot on, if you ask me. A combination of maltiness and fruitiness carries the beer through, and Northdown hops are used for both aroma and flavour. Good stuff!

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

330 ml green bottle. Very dark reddish brown colour (not entirely black), fine tan head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and wood. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. The roastiness in the flavour is very moderate for a stout, some coffee notes, there is also a noticeable fruitiness with a light acidity. Easy drinking. Not the greatest stout in the world, but a nice try from Aass.

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

330 ml green bottle. Copper coloured beer, large off-white head with an orange hue. Moderate aroma of malts, caramel and some "dusty" hops. Hints of artificial candy and cooked vegetables. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. The flavour has some fruitiness and a considerable sweetness, notes of caramel, grit and cooked vegetables. Very moderate hops in the finish. Nice try, but not impressive.

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

330 ml green bottle. Clear golden colour, large white head. Grainy aroma with notes of over-boiled vegetables, nearly like a n/a beer. The flavour is somewhat better, some wheaty and lemony notes. Very moderate hops. Drinkable, but not impressive at all - a "gourmet" would ask for something better than this.

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

330 ml slimline can. "To be served at 0 degrees C" = on the verge of freezing, which says a lot about Hansa’s ambitions with this beer. Defiantly I drank the beer at normal fridge temperature - and it was somewhat better than I feared! Pale golden colour, head goes from huge to none. Moderate fruity aroma. Fairly clean pilsener flavour, slightly lemony, hints of alcohol, very moderate hops. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. I’ve had worse beers - at least this one is drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle. Very pale golden colour, decent head. Relatively strong sweetish aroma of wort with some of the "boiled" notes of your typical n/a beer (over-boiled vegetables, grit), but I’ve smelled them worse - there are also some fruity notes. The flavour is slightly wheaty, light bodied of course, but there are also some hops in the finish. Not good, but I’ve had worse.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 4.0%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Aroma of cocoa and coffee, hints of tar, wood and leather. Creamy mouthfeel. The flavour is dominated by cocoa / chocolate, also notes of coffee, brown bread and burnt caramel, a little fruit too. Pretty good.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.0%. Brewed by "Wells & Young’s Brewing Co. Ltd., Bedford, UK for and under license from Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan". Website www.kirineurope.com . Crystal clear very pale golden colour, large and lingering head. Fairly strong sweetish fruity and flowery aroma, notes of artificial candy, hints of grass and honey. Fairly bland and dry flavour but not offensive, very moderate hops. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. Not very interesting.

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

500 ml brown silk print bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. Beautiful copper colour, large tan head. Malty sweetish aroma, notes of caramel and bakery. Malty sweet flavour, loads of caramel, sweeter than I appreciate. Very moderate hops in the finish.

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

Cask conditioned at The Buck Inn, Whitby, North Yorkhire. ABV was 4.1%. Golden colour, creamy head. Fruity aroma. Extremely smooth flavour, low bitterness.

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

Cask conditioned at the Aidensfield Arms, Goathland. Copper coloured. Fruity (blackcurrants) and relatively malty aroma and flavour. Smooth mouthfeel. Nice.

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

Cask conditioned at the Aidensfield Arms, Goathland. This is a standard English bitter, not what you would think of as a well-hopped "IPA". Deep golden brown colour, low creamy head. Nice hoppy / fruity aroma. Smooth mouthfeel and flavour. Not very bitter at all.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

On tap at Flamingoland amusement park, Yorkshire. Pale golden colour, low head. Slightly yeasty and fruity aroma. Very fizzy mouthfeel, bad. The flavour is also slightly yeasty with some undefined sickly notes, and some unpleasant dry hops in the finish. Not good.

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

Cask conditioned at The Lord Rosebery, Scarborough. ABV was 5.0%. Golden colour, like the name says crystal clear. Low creamy head. Very moderate aroma, nothing stands out. Very dry and "dusty" mouthfeel, a slight acidity in the moderate flavour. Not impressive.

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

Cask conditoned at The Lord Rosebery, Scarborough. ABV was 4.6%. The barman asked me: "Are you SURE you want this beer? - it’s GREEN!" - even though I ordered merely a half pint. He also offered me a free sample of a few centiliters first, to see if I liked it. Of course I insisted on trying it, and asked if he by "green" meant that the cask was too "young" and shouldn’t have been put on yet. But no, green was indeed the actual colour of the beer - poisonous green, you might say. Creamy white head with a greenish hue. Moderate aroma where nothing stood out. Moderately fruity flavour with a dry finish. Drinkable, but the green colour is just a gimmick - I would rather have a beer with a more pronounced aroma and richer flavour.

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

Cask conditioned at The Last Drop Inn, York Brewery’s first pub. Deep golden / amber colour, creamy head. Pleasant malty aroma with some fruity hops. Flavourwise this is a decent standard bitter with a smooth mouthfeel and decent hops in the finish. Okay.

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

Cask conditioned at the North Riding Hotel, Scarborough. The ABV was 3.8%. Copper coloured beer, creamy light tan head. Malty aroma, notes of toffee. Malty flavour, smooth mouthfeel, some caramel, dry hops in the finish. Okay. I suppose the name of the beer suggests that this is a mild, but to me it’s a typical Northern English malty bitter.

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

Cask conditioned at the North Riding Hotel, Scarborough. ABV was 4.2%. Golden colour, creamy head, nice lacing. Fruity aroma, pineapple, a hint of sulphur. The flavour is reasonably hoppy but not very complex, still okay.

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

Cask conditioned at The Golden Lion, York. ABV was 4.2%. Golden brown colour, creamy head. Fruity hops in the aroma. Nicely hopped flavour. A pleasant drink.

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

Cask conditioned at The Golden Lion, York. Served at correct temperature. Golden colour. Creamy head, nice lacing. Moderate wheaty and citrussy aroma. Pleasant wheaty and lemony / grapefruity flavour, soft mouthfeel, refreshing. Rerate, 500 ml bottle, bought at ICA Middelthon, Stavanger (also available at Vaaland, Bryne). ABV is 4.4%. Crystal clear pale golden colour (like a pilsener), big to moderate white head. The aroma is hoppy with grassy and citric notes. Refreshing hoppy flavour, ending in a grapefruity and slightly resinous bitterness, there is some malty sweetness but it is quite subdued. I thought the cask version had more of a wheaty character than the bottle. Well, the bottles are pasteurised, so that probably explains it. More of a "well hopped pilsener" character here. Not bad though.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. Amber colour, huge off-white head. Moderate spicy aroma. The flavour is malts and spices with some caramel and moderate hops. The alcohol is well hidden. Quite tasty.

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

330 ml green bottle, as "Classic Gingers Beer / Piwo Imbirowe". Courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Original gravity 11.8%, ABV is 4.1%. Admixtures: E300 anti-oxidant, caramel E150c-colour, apple acid E296 acidity regulator. Contains barley malt, sugar and sweetening substances: glucose syrup, E950, E951. Contains a source of phenylalanine. In other words: not quite "Reinheitsgebot" .... Good grief! Crystal clear pale golden colour, with relatively big bubbles. Fizzy and foamy head that dies out completely after a while. Strong sweetish aroma of ginger, glucose syrup and disgusting chemical stuff. The flavour is also very sweet, but not really disgusting - it has a lot in common with the softdrink / mixer ginger "ale". There’s just a weak notion that the basis of this drink is actually a beer. People who really like "ginger ale" might like this beer too. I’ll pass, thank you.

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

Cask conditioned at The Golden Lion, York. Served at correct temperature. ABV was 5.5%. Deep golden colour, creamy head. Pleasant malty aroma, hints of malt vinegar and fruity hops. Fairly rich and smooth flavour, well balanced between the malts and hops.