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

250 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Golden colour, minimal head. Weak aroma of citrus, avocado, boiled vegetables and cheap white wine. Flavour is very bland and un-fresh (dirt, dust), metallic finish. Avoid.

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

500 ml brown bottle, "thrice hopped", courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Golden colour, with a slight haziness (due to cold temperature?), moderate head. Nice hoppy / grapefruity aroma. Pleasant hoppy / grapefruity flavour too, spritzy mouthfeel. Distinctly bitter finish / long aftertaste. Not bad!

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Brewed with American Chinook and Columbus hops. Golden colour, large foamy head. Pleasant hoppy aroma and flavour, both with notes of citrus and dry white wine. Bitter finish. Okay beer, but I’d like the malts to come through too.

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

500 ml can. Another beer from Mack for the target group teenagers+ (who are presumed not to be able to drink beers with traceable hops), but this time they have decided to make a beer that (at least) LOOKS like a normal Christmas beer. And unlike their "smrprty" beer, this one even has a bit of aroma and flavour (but not much hops, of course ...). Amber colour, huge head which lasts a while. Weak aroma, some caramel sweetness and Christmas cookies. Soft and thin/watery mouthfeel, some malty sweetness with hints of caramel and Christmas cookies. Hardly any bitterness at all. Not offensive, but very boring!

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

330 ml brown bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget). ABV is 7%. Hazy brown colour, huge head. Okay fruity aroma (orange peel and dark fruits) with notes of spices and oak. Flavour is moderately spicy and fruity with a fairly soft mouthfeel. Not the most complex Belgian I’ve had, but decent enough. Over-priced in Norway, though.

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

330 ml green bottle. Amber coloured, large off-white head. Weak aroma with hints of berries (incl. juniper berries?) and boiled vegetables. Flavour has very moderate malts and hops (and possibly bog myrtle), notes of caramel but not very sweet. Thin and faintly sourish mouthfeel. A very boring beer, but not offensive.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

330 ml brown bottle, bought at ICA Middelthon. The first top-fermented beer from Aass in years (they had a brief and unsuccessful try with Aass Hveteøl in 1986). Reddish amber colour. Large and lingering off-white head. Aroma is fruity and moderately spicy, quite nice. Flavour is fruity sweet & sour, with notes of caramel malts. Thin and watery mouthfeel. Not much hops around, weak notes of "dusty" hops and some spice in the finish. Props to Aass for taking a few steps down the Ale Road, but they have a long way to go!

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

600 ml brown bottle, a gift from Tom, thanks! Redddish brown colour, relatively pale, slightly hazy. Large and creamy lingering head. Pleasant aroma with notes of red fruits, malts and oak, hints of leather and caramel. Flavour is reasonably malty with some sourish fruity notes, mouthfeel is maybe a tad too thin, moderate hops in the finish / aftertaste.

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

660 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Served with original Brakspear pint glass, nice! "Double dropped", ABV is 3.4%. Brewed with Maris Otter malts, Goldings and Fuggles hops. Copper coloured, low head. Aroma of "dusty" Goldings hops + rusty iron in stale water + hospital flesh wound dressings(!) Flavour is very tasty for a 3.4% pasteurised beer, nicely balanced between the malts and hops, nutty and toffee elements, not sweet. Moderate carbonation. A nice Fuggles finish.

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

500 ml capped brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.9%. "Ungespundet - hefetrüb". Deep golden to amber colour, large and creamy lingering head. Lovely aroma of hops, caramel and bakery. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. Mellow flavour with a delicate balance between malts and hops, notes of rye bread, hints of butterscotch. I’d like a tad more bittering hops for the aftertaste, though. Definitely a recommendable beer.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, decent head. Unusual aroma for a German pils: butterscotch, boiled vegetables, rotting grass, some malts. Where are the aromatic hops? Aroma gets slightly better as the beer warms up a little, and the butterscotch dominates. Flavour is somewhat better than the aroma, there’s a certain hoppy bitterness on a moderate and slightly sweet malty base, hints of butterscotch in the background. Drinkable, but Kraus Lager is better!

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. This "Indian" beer is a gimmick brew of Trio Bryggeri (50% Mack owned), Skien, Norway. The beer is brewed with "the purest Norwegian water", but claims to be a "Product of India - Chakra Brewery". There is no evidence on the internet to suggest that the "Chakra Brewery" actually exists. And even if it did exist, it would hardly brew with "Norwegian water", would it? The beer is extremely pale yellow coloured, with a low head that disappears rapidly. The "skunky" / fruity / lemony whiff in the aroma is actually the best thing about this beer. Flavour is very bland and dull with just a hint of lemons, hardly any bitterness. Fizzy mouthfeel. Ice cold it may serve as a thirstquencher, or to wash down a hot curry, but for people looking for tasty beers, this is one to pass.

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

Bottle conditioned. 500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Beautiful amber colour, huge and fluffy head lasts "forever". Lovely hoppy aroma, also notes of red wine vinegar, oak and barnyard. Interesting flavour with a substantial hoppy bitterness, oaky and vinous notes. Relatively dry. Notes of balsamic vinegar too, but the beer is neither sour nor sweet (does that make sense?). A very good beer in my book.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.2%. Deep golden colour, moderate head, leaves a nice lacing. Pleasant nutty and moderately hoppy aroma with notes of toffee and caramel. Flavour has decent hops throughout, hints of burnt caramel but the beer is not sweet (fairly dry, actually). Not a bad beer this one.

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

660 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Deep golden colour, large to moderate lasting head. Moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma (Styrian Goldings), hints of toffee. Decent hops, toffee, walnuts and some fruity sweetness in the flavour. Moderate hops in the finish, I’d like some more "bite" there. Mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin? A drinkable beer, but not "big" enough in any way to deserve the name "Goliath".

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

500 ml brown bottle, Vinmonopolet. Batch #46. Bottle conditioned. Dark brown colour. Huge and creamy long-lasting tan head. Pleasant aroma of roast malts, dried fruits, mild coffee and chocolate. Flavour has also plenty of roast malts, moderately sweet, with coffee and dark bitter chocolate in the long aftertaste. Good beer, but Nissefar is even better

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

330 ml bottle (BB 13/09/09). Now also available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Copper coloured, huge light tan creamy and lingering head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of dark fruits, spices and oak, hints of claret. Flavour has plenty of malts, caramel, Christmas spices, Christmas fruitcake and oak, hints of sherry. Not too sweet. Nice mouthfeel, pleasant to drink. Definitely a treat for "Julemanden" (Father Christmas / Santa Claus).

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). The European version is 5.3% ABV, while the US version is 6.1% (the two versions need a split). Clear deep golden colour, moderate head. Very nice hoppy aroma (Cascade and Challenger), hints of toffee too. The flavour has a distinct hoppy bitterness throughout, but the moderate malty base has a tad too much sweetness for my taste, and I also get some "alcoholic" notes, despite only 5.3% ABV. Not very complex, but not bad either. Bitterness lingers in the long aftertaste.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

250 ml bottle (2006), ABV is now 6%. Previous vintages seem to have been up to 7.5% ABV. Now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Deep chestnut hazy colour, huge and creamy tan head. Pleasant aroma of dried fruits, candy sugar and oak, vinous notes. Flavour is slightly less complex, moderately spicy and herbal with some oaky and vinous notes, definitely acceptable but not quite as good as top notch Belgians. Mouthfeel could have been fuller.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml green bottle. Golden to amber colour, large and lingering head, slightly off-white. Aroma has more of the usual Munkholm "boiledness" (over-boiled vegetables or porridge) than the "Til julens kjøttretter"-variety has. Some fruity hints too. Flavour is relatively dry, notes of over-boiled vegetables, a tolerable bitterness in the finish. Not a drainpour, but not good either.

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

330 ml green bottle. Looks rather good, brown colour, large and lingering off-white head. Tolerable malty aroma with hints of bakery and caramel, the usual Munkholm "boiledness" is subdued in the background. Acceptable (for a n/a beer, that is) flavour of malts with some burnt caramel notes, metallic hops in the finish. The "best" (= least miserable) of the Munkholm varieties so far.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

A new "klasse D" (grocery store strength) beer, introduced Christmas 2006. 330 ml green bottle. Copper coloured, large and creamy light tan head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of bakery, caramel, juniper berries and wild cranberries. Flavour has a noticeable malts and caramel sweetness with some bready notes, faint hints of spices, minimal hops, short and slightly dusty finish. Minimal and boring afteraste. Too thin mouthfeel for a "juleøl", despite the initial sweetness. Won’t be my choice for "the meat dishes of Christmas" this one.

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

500 ml can. Pale golden colour, decent head. Weak aroma of rotting grass and cabbage + boiled vegetables. Some malts in the flavour, otherwise this a boring and uninteresting pale lager. Boiled vegetables in the finish. Minimal hops.

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

330 ml clear bottle. Deep golden colour. A little münchener malt added does not keep this 'special beer' from being just another bland and uninteresting brew on the Gran's list. Foul aftertaste like the rest of them.

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

330 ml bottle. Norway's cheapest 'summer beer' (they are all very pale, thin and boring beers). Very pale colour, moderate head. Weak grassy aroma. Little or no taste. Forget it!