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

Shared 500 ml bottle, vintage 2014, at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 14%. Dark brown colour, no head, low carbonation. Intense oaky aroma, notes of molasses too. Extremely sweet and rich flavour, notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, raisins and dark dried fruits.

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.8%. Pale yellow colour, slightly hazy. Small white head of poor retention. Aroma of spicy saison yeast, also citrus rind and various spices. Citric mouthfeel, light bodied. The flavour has citrus and various spices. Nice to drink. A slight spicy burn in the aftertaste. Original rating: 750 ml corked and waxed bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Probably 2 y.o. when consumed. ABV is 5.8%. Golden colour, lightly hazy. White head goes rapidly from moderate to none. Aroma of saison yeast, but also less pleasant notes of over-ripe and decaying fruits, moldy wet grain, compost and solvent. Fairly refreshing flavour, medium dry, a little fruit, not very complex but nice enough to drink. Less spicy than expected. Might sample again from a fresher bottle, hopefully the aroma will be better then.

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

500 ml corked and waxed bottle in cardboard cylinder, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 12.0%. Hazy very dark reddish brown colour, hardly any head, nor any carbonation in my bottle. I think there was somewhat more carbonation in the bottles opened at the Teo Musso / Cardinal tasting. Strong aroma of oak / red wine barrel and raisins, hints of fusel alcohols that are softened after a while in the glass. In the mouth the beer is completely flat / lifeless. Oaky flavour / dominant red wine barrel, medium sweet. Moderate hops. Will rerate if I get a new bottle with carbonation.

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

Baladin Super Bitter. 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Hazy orange to brown colour, large white (or slightly off-white) head. Pleasant aroma of mild spices, brown sugar and malts, hints of dark fruits. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, with the same elements as the aroma. Moderate bittering hops in the finish. Nice beer.

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

250 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 8%. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Moderate aroma of malts, yeast and banana. The flavour is very sweet (too sweet), with notes of brown malts, caramel and squashed bananas, minimal bitterness. Drinkable if you have a sweet tooth, but not a beer I’ll buy again.

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

330 ml bottle, as Baladin Rock'n'Roll, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Interesting and pleasant aroma of spices / pepper and yuzu fruit. The flavour is medium sweet with spices / pepper, citrus and herbal and earthy bittering hops. The alcohol is noticeable.

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

750 ml corked and waxed bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Hazy deep golden to amber cour, large white head. Very interesting spicy and exotic aroma, notes of incense, does indeed fulfill the brewer’s intentions of bringing some the smells of the Middle East. Also notes of yeast. Interesting flavour too, complex spicy notes, fairly refreshing. The spiciness is never sharp nor burning. Intentionally lightly hopped to bring the spicy notes up front, but a little more hops would not hurt. The finish is too perfumed and "soapy", and ruins much of the pleasure for me.

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

750 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, huge white head. Very yeasty and very spicy aroma, strong notes of coriander and cloves. Very dry flavour, very yeasty and very spicy again. As I am not Italian, Teo Musso & Co. will have to forgive me for not being emotional about all ingredients being Italian home grown. A drinkable beer of course, just not Baladin’s best.

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

Shared 750 ml bottle, imported to Germany by BraufactuM. Bought at Citti-Markt Flensburg. Orginal bottle No. 42311. German bottle No. 313. ABV is 9%. Cloudy orange colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of honey and herbs. Plenty of carbonation. The flavour is not nearly as sweet as I feared, but has distinct notes of heather honey and various herbs. Unusual and interesting.

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

750 ml corked and waxed bottle, as Baladin Leön, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. BB date Nov. 2014. ABV is 9%. Hazy dark brown colour, large off-white head. Aroma of mild spices, dark dried fruits and rotting fruits. Malty and mildly spicy flavour, notes of brown sugar and caramel, hints of vanilla, but still not too sweet. Dark dried fruits again. Light bodied for its strength, and pleasant to drink.

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

750 ml corked and waxed bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, large white head. The aroma is distinctly spicy and rather yeasty, notes of coriander, hay and citrus. Fairly light bodied. The flavour is medium dry and refreshing with notes of coriander (less prominent citrus), short finish. A decent enough witbier - but is it that much better than other witbiers to make the higher price acceptable?

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

750 ml bottle, shared with my son. From Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.8%. Pink to peach colour, small white head. Aroma of cherries, jam, moderate lactic acid, a hint of oak. Medium sour flavour, notes of sour cherries, cherry kernels, almonds, marzipan, lactic acid, a hint of oak. Refreshing.

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

750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Deep mahogany colour, small beige head. Moderate aroma of lightly roasted malts, chocolate / cocoa and mild coffee. Flavour with the same elements, more distinct cocoa now, but the beer is not very sweet.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Aroma of fruity and piney hops, more notes of old jam / marmalade than fresh grapefruit. The flavour is citric (notes of grapefruit and other citrus fruits) and refreshing, with a decent malty backbone. Hints of resin in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, as Põhjala ÖÖ Imperial Baltic Porter. ABV is 10.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. The aroma has notes of roast malts, caramel, dark chocolate, molasses. Fairly sweet and rich flavour, with the same elements as in the aroma, also notes of liquorice, sweetened coffee and bittering hops. Pretty impressive.

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

Sample on tap at What’s Brewing Beer Festival, Stavanger. Black colour, lasting tan head. Roasty aroma, a bit ashy. Fairly sweet flavour, roasty, molasses, liquorice, lactose.

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

Shared 330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Hillevåg. ABV is 5.5%. Deep red colour, small head. Aroma and flavour of lactic acid, cranberries, hibiscus, honey, cinnamon and cloves. Interesting complexity. Overall fruity and moderately acidic, refreshing.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, huge white head. Intense aroma of pineapple, mango and other tropical fruits. Citric and fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied. The flavour has notes of citrus and tropical fruits, not much malts, low bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, ad hoc for a tasting at Cardinal, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 12.5%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Aroma of roast malts, chocolate, cherries and vanilla. Very sweet flavour, with the same elements as the aroma. Smooth, but too sweet for me.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Verksgt., Stavanger. ABV is 6.2%. Cloudy brownish golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of tropical fruits, citrus and eucalyptus. The flavour is full of fruity (citrus and tropical fruits) and spicy hops, refreshing.

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

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Deep orange to amber colour, large off-white head. Strong and pleasant sweetish aroma of malts and oranges / orange marmalade, honey, fruity hops and hints of caramel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, notes of caramel and oranges, and a firm hoppy bitterness in the finish. Some resin in the aftertaste. Very good.

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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.0%. Dark brown colour, large off-white to beige head. Aroma of malts, caramel, brown bread and sprucetips, a hint of salt, whisky and smoke. The flavour is malty and sweet, but not too much. Distinct notes of sprucetips, also notes of caramel and brown bread, hints of prunes, whisky, smoke and salt. Unusual and interesting.

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

500 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Will later also be available there on tap. Batch #595, ABV is 6.0%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Attractive aroma of fruity American hops, also notes of spruce. The medium dry flavour is dominated by American hops throughout, fruity first, then resinous, and with a sharp bitterness in the finish and aftertaste.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Deep amber to brown colour, slightly hazy. Creamy off-white head. Lovely hoppy aroma, fruity notes (citrus, tropical fruits), also notes of spruce and pine. The flavour is a veritable hoppy explosion throughout, with a massive bitterness in the long aftertaste. Sufficient malty backbone. Another good one for the hopheads!

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

375 ml corked & caged green bottle, batch #247, from the brewery. BB date Dec. 2020. ABV is 13.2%. Cloudy dark brown colour, low beige head dies out instantly. Strong sweetish aroma of oak, malts, molasses and fusel alcohols, also notes of raisins and other dark dried fruits. Very moderate carbonation in the mouth, warming mouthfeel. The fairly sweet flavour has notes of oak, malts, fortified wine and dark dried fruits, also herbs and spices. No acidity, not much sign of brett here.