Beer Reviews by SIGMUND

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# Beer Origin Style Score Date
6201 Pelforth Brune France Dunkel / Dark Lager 3.6

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

330 ml bottle, in France. Deep brown colour, decent tan head. Flavour is malty with some caramel, fairly sweet. Smooth and nice to drink. Hardly any bitterness at all.

Mar 5, 2006
07:44:05 AM
6202 Affligem Blonde Belgium Belgian Ale 3.7

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Pale yellow colour, huge white head.Sweetish aroma, floral, spicy / herbal and grassy notes. The flavour is crisp and not too sweet, spicy and herbal notes again, decent hops in the finish. Original rating: Draught in Nice, France. Listed simply as "Affligem" on the menu, but I presume it was the Blond. Served in appropriate glass. Golden colour, low head, moderate carbonation. Very pleasant and spicy aroma and flavour, notes of oak and yeast too. Good beer!

Mar 5, 2006
07:41:05 AM
6203 Karlsberg Karlsbrau Germany Bohemian / Czech Pilsener 2.9

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

Draught in Nice, France. Golden colour, decent head. Moderate aroma. Tolerable hoppy bitterness in the flavour and aftertaste. Not a "big" beer, but a decent and drinkable pils, as far as I'm concerned. Some more aromatic hops would have been nice, though.

Mar 5, 2006
07:38:05 AM
6204 Blanche de Bruxelles Manneken Pis Belgium Witbier 3.5

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

Draught in Nice, France, as "Bière Blanche de Floreffe". Served with a quarter slice of lemon, which I instantly pulled out of the glass. Hazy pale colour. Pleasant lemony aroma, some spice too. Moderate citrussy flavour, faint notes of coriander. Drinkable and refreshing, but not a "big" beer

Mar 5, 2006
07:32:05 AM
6205 Kronenbourg Kro France Pale Lager 2.4

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

330 ml can, in France. ABV was 4.2%. This seems to be the "kiosk version" of the ordinary 4.7% Kronenbourg. An average pale lager, if I’m being kind - but some tolerable hops makes it drinkable. Far from a great beer, though.

Mar 5, 2006
07:29:05 AM
6206 Yanjing Beer China Pale Lager 2.7

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

330 ml green bottle with a green label, simply called "Yanjing Beer", in France. ABV was 4.5%. I presume this is the same beer. Pale golden colour, large fluffy head. Grassy aroma, not unlike Tsingtao and Heineken. Relatively dry pale lager flavour, not offensive.

Mar 5, 2006
07:23:05 AM
6207 Chang Lager Thailand Strong Lager 2.6

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

This beer seems to need a split in the BeerPal database - my 330 ml bottle (in France), simply named "Chang Beer", was a typical standard pale lager at 5.0% ABV, and can’t possibly be "the same beer" as a 6.4% "strong lager"??!! Anyhow, my beer pours with a golden colour and a large head. "Neutral" lager flavour, not offensive, moderate sweetness. Okay with a spicy Thai meal.

Mar 4, 2006
06:10:04 PM
6208 Saigon Export Vietnam Pale Lager 2.6

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

330 ml bottle, in France. ABV is 4.9%. Golden colour, low head. Moderate corn and rice aroma, not unpleasant. Flavour has some alcoholic notes despite the moderate ABV, acceptable hops. Better than I feared.

Mar 4, 2006
06:06:04 PM
6209 Neumarkter Lammsbräu Urstoff Germany Helles / Dortmunder 3.3

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway in MENY stores. Clear golden colour, decent white head. Filtered without adjuncts. Nice grainy / malty / bready aroma with tolerable aromatic hops. Notes of alcohol, despite only 4.7% ABV. Grainy flavour with a certain malty sweetness, very moderate and "dusty" hops. A drinkable helles, but the style rarely makes me ecstatic.

Feb 25, 2006
12:39:25 PM
6210 Neumarkter Lammsbrau Dunkel Germany Dunkel / Dark Lager 4.0

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

(Bottle, trade with joss in Germany). Organic! Reddish brown colour, very good head. Roasted malts, toast, caramel, oak and pine wood in the aroma, some smokiness. Flavour is all malts + a slight smokiness, nice bitterness, well balanced. This is a good dunkel!

Feb 25, 2006
12:35:25 PM
6211 Vestfyen Willemoes Stout Denmark Stout 3.1

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 6

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV was 6.0%). Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate tan head. Moderate coffee aroma. Flavour and aftertaste is lightly roasted coffee and wet cardboard with a hint of damp basement and catpiss. I’m not particularly fond of wet cardboard and catpiss. I’d probably still prefer this beer to Vestfyen’s Pilsner, but that doesn’t take much. As far as stout goes, there are better alternatives.

Feb 20, 2006
04:51:20 PM
6212 Vestfyen Pilsner Denmark Pale Lager 2.5

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

Typical Danish discount "pilsner" / pale lager. I don't know what sets it apart from the Krudtugle Pilsner, but they appear to be different beers. I really can't remember anything special about this one. That probably says it all. Typical run-of-the-mill industrial pale lager, but not remarkably offensive either.

Feb 20, 2006
04:42:20 PM
6213 Vestfyen Nat Expressen Denmark Vienna / Amber Lager 2.3

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

Amber colour, moderate head. Corn and hops aroma. Light bodied, but a distinct unpleasant bitterness. Funny name = 'The Night Express Train' probably suggests that this beer is a fine night cap and will put you to sleep nicely. For sure, the flavour is no reason to keep you up. You might as well go to sleep. Good night!

Feb 20, 2006
04:32:20 PM
6214 Vestfyen Julebryg Denmark Lager 2.3

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

Take an American standard with its corn sweetness, add a little more hops + alcohol and just a touch of spicyness (nutmeg?) - and you have this "Yule/Christmas brew". Not nearly as bad as I expected, this is still far from the quality of a Norwegian "klasse F" Christmas beer. I have no idea why they imported this stuff to Norway - in Denmark at least it's cheap, here it's expensive.

Feb 20, 2006
03:23:20 PM
6215 Vestfyen Classic Denmark Pale Lager 2.9

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

Bottle, in Denmark. An unremarkable 'Classic' (=slightly darker) pilsener, but not Classic enough to be brewed without maize (corn)! Still, the flavour is not unpleasant - just uninteresting.

Feb 20, 2006
03:16:20 PM
6216 Nøgne Ø Saison Norway Saison 3.7

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. This beer has just been released for sale in some pubs, will be for sale in Vinmonopolet stores in May. I might rerate in May, if there is any significant development of the flavour profile by then. Pours (or rather: gushes out of the bottle) with a large white head, beer is hazy pale golden. Very nice fruity (citrus, green apples) and yeasty aroma, hints of spices, oak, leather and barnyard. Flavour is moderately sweet with a distinct spiciness and decent hops. Shouldn’t a saison have slightly more acidity? After a light and refreshing start there is a solid wormwood-like bitterness in the finish, not unlike Saison Dupont.

Feb 8, 2006
04:05:08 PM
6217 Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout Norway Imperial Stout 4.4

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. Pitch black colour, impenetrable for light. Large and thick brown head. Lovely aroma with vinous qualities, also notes of Colombian coffee, liquorice, chocolate and dark dried fruits. Flavour is dominated by strong notes of bitter coffee, mixed with a substantial malty sweetness, hints of molasses. Also some acidic notes, I’m not sure if they are wanted or not. Strong "coffee" bitterness in the long aftertaste.

Feb 8, 2006
04:00:08 PM
6218 Ringnes Nunavut Norway Vienna / Amber Lager 2.9

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

440 ml can. Amber colour, moderate off-white head, poor retention. Weak aroma, faint notes of caramel and hops. Flavour has some toffee notes and acceptable hops. Drinkable beer, but no masterpiece. Allegedly inspired by Ringnes’ sponsoring of Norwegian polar expeditions 1890s - 1920s, but the members of those expeditions drank proper Ringnes dark bock, not this swill!

Feb 7, 2006
07:20:07 AM
6219 Ringnes Weiss Norway Hefeweizen 3.3

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

330 ml bottle. Cloudy brownish golden colour, large head. Typical hefeweizen aroma with notes of cloves and ripe bananas. Flavour is also typical hefeweizen, but lacks some of the "freshness" of the best beers of this style. Mouthfeel is a bit watery and bland, probably due to a lower ABV. A hefeweizen should have an ABV around 5.4! - which, however, would have excluded it from the Norwegian grocery store market. Still, this is a drinkable and fairly refreshing beer, not a bad try from Ringnes.

Feb 7, 2006
07:17:07 AM
6220 Ringnes Akairyu Norway Light / Lite Lager 1.2

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

440 ml can. A new pale lager from Ringnes (again developed by the marketing department, rather than by a brewer with any self esteem). Allegedly inspired by Asian / Japanese dry lagers. Very pale clear golden colour, large head that soon subsides. Weak sweetish aroma with a faint hint of hops. Bland, watery and extremely boring flavour. A glass of sparkling water would be better. But then, sparkling water has no alcohol ... If you LIKE beer, avoid!

Feb 6, 2006
05:37:06 PM
6221 Ringnes Cerveza Guajiro Lime & Mynte Norway Fruit Beer 1.1

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

440 ml can. Guajiro is a very pale golden new lager from Ringnes, artificial (?) lime and mint flavouring, probably developed by the marketing department rather than by any brewer with some self esteem. Initially decent head that rapidly disappears completely and leaves no lacing. Sweetish artificial aroma of lime and mint candy. Nasty and watery flavour with repulsive notes of "lime and mint" chemicals. Minimal hops. A remarkably bad beer! Avoid!

Feb 6, 2006
05:32:06 PM
6222 Grans Vinterøl Norway Vienna / Amber Lager 2.5

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml clear bottle. This winter lager is slightly darker than your average pils, like a Danish "Classic" or maybe a Vienna. Deep golden to amber colour, decent lingering head. Fairly pleasant but very moderate aroma of hops and some toffee. Flavour is bland and boring, some dusty hops and hints of caramel and wet cardboard. Another weak product from Grans!

Jan 31, 2006
03:41:31 PM
6223 Ushers Ruby Ale United Kingdom English Strong Ale 3.9

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

(500 ml bottle, in Sweden). Ruby (rather: reddish brown) colour, very low head. Vinous aroma, full malty flavour, slightly alcoholic, good bitterness. Despite it being called a "table beer" (with robust foods) by the brewers, I would rather call it a typical "sipping beer". Recommended.

Jan 30, 2006
06:13:30 PM
6224 Ushers Autumn Frenzy United Kingdom Rye Beer 3.8

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

Cask conditioned at Mannings, Ipswich. Deep amber colour, pleasant aroma of red fruits. Flavour is malty and fruity with pronounced blackcurrants and blackberries. Dusty finish. Interesting beer!

Jan 30, 2006
06:05:30 PM
6225 Hartwall Dark Lager IV A Finland Dunkel / Dark Lager 3.1

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

(500 ml bottle, in Helsinki). Dark brown colour, good head, moderate but decent aroma - and then: Bland, boring flavour when you expect the richness of a good dunkel. Short aftertaste. Disappointing. All Norwegian dunkels are better than this Finnish stuff.

Jan 30, 2006
05:54:30 PM