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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. 8,2% ABV, 28 EBU. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Enormous tan head. Strong aroma of smoked malts, peat, old rope and tar. The flavour has notes of smoked and roasted malts, a touch of peat, with a moderate sweetness to balance. Hints of tar and ashes. There’s just a slight chili burn in the aftertaste. A quite interesting beer!

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 11.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee and cocoa, hints of leather. Fairly sweet and malty flavour, strong roasty coffee and cocoa notes. Lovely! Has "much of everything", but is not too extreme. Well balanced.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 10.5%. Very dark brown colour, large beige head. Intense malty aroma, notes of oak and vanilla, hints of spices. The flavour is oaky and spicy, notes of old sherry, decent bitterness in the finish.

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

Bottle, as The Lost Abbey Cuvée de Tomme, kindly shared by gunnar. Dark ruby colour, large beige head. Unusual and very complex aroma, oaky and vinous notes, sour cherries and farmhouse. Sour flavour but not extreme, the cherries are there but not totally dominant, also oaky notes.

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

330 ml can, from my local Rimi store. Pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. The usual n/a beer aroma of over-boiled vegetables, also notes of mown grass left to rot. Thin mouthfeel. The flavour has some weak notes of pilsener malts, and just the slightest hint of citrus, making the beer (nearly) drinkable when ice cold. Wet cardboard and dust in the aftertaste.

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

500 ml can, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. The aroma has some caramel and toffee. Light bodied. The flavour has caramel (with being overly sweet), a hint of spices and a dusty finish. Drinkable, but not remarkable.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.2%. "Brewed with cacao, chilli and festive spices." Black colour, large tan head. Moderate aroma of mild coffee, Christmas spices and chilli, hints of chocolate, also some less pleasant sourish notes. The flavour is moderately roasty and sourish with some spicy notes, a slight chilli burn and some metallic hints in the finish and aftertaste. Not BrewDog’s best. Won’t buy again.

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

500 ml can, from Carrefour, Cartagena, Spain. ABV is 6.2%. Deep golden colour, large white head. Strong sweetish and sugary aroma, some caramel, grassy hints. The flavour is fairly sweet, with some caramel, and the beer is not undrinkable - but it has very little to do with an "abbey beer", by any stretch of the mind.

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

330 ml clear bottle, as Brahma Cerveja do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro - Brasil, Premium Lager. Brewed and distributed by InBev UK Ltd., Luton LU1 3LS. ABV is 4.3%. Bought at Carrefour, Cartagena, Spain. Golden colour, moderate white head. Weak grassy and sweetish "industrial" aroma. Thin mouthfeel. Utterly bland and boring flavour, nothing pleasant about it at all. The little flavour there is, is metallic, dusty, cardboardy and "industrial". Stomach-turning and revolting. Drainpour.

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

330 ml capped bottle, from Bunnpris Gourmet Middelthon. ABV is 4.6%. Extremely pale yellow colour, pours fizzy with a white head that actually lasts a while. Strong aroma of oxidised cider apples, notes of sulphites and oak. Medium dry (or medium sweet, if you like) flavour of cider apples, with some less pleasant sourish and "artificial" notes. Thin mouthfeel. Hints of sulphites and oak. Drinkable, but clearly not Aspall’s best cider.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Sandnes sentrum. Brewed in Flåm. ABV is 9.0%. Cloudy brownish-orange colour, large head, slightly off-white. Lovely aroma of American hops, citrussy and piney notes. The flavour is first sweet and malty with fruity notes, then the hops take over with a solid bitterness. For a double IPA, it is not too extreme though. Will buy again.

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

375 ml bottle, vintage 2009, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 6.5%. Very murky brown colour with a pinkish hue, moderate off-white head. Strong sourish aroma, notes of red wine vinegar, oak and farmhouse / barnyard. Sour flavour, notes of red wine vinegar, lemons and oak, hints of caramel.

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

375 ml green "champagne" bottle, vintage 2010, from Vinmonopolet. Organic. ABV is 4.7%. A dead insect under the cork, charming ... Yellow colour, slightly hazy, pours very fizzy with a large white head that soon disappears completely. Unfresh aroma of stale cider apples, notes of oak, hints of ammonium and alcohol. The flavour is somewhat better than the aroma, notes of oxidied and stale cider apples and sweet eating apples - drinkable, but not as crisp and fresh as I hoped. Won’t buy again.

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

750 ml clear corked bottle. Bottle No.3685, made of the Aroma apple variety 2010. A little sediment in the bottle. This is supposed to be a still cider, but it pours fizzy with a white head - so they have either mislabelled the bottle, or an unintended secondary fermentation has taken place in the bottle. ABV is 7%. Clear and very pale yellow colour. Moderate carbonation in the mouth. Moderate dryish aroma of apples. Fairly dry and crisp flavour, despite being made of sweet eating apples. Pleasant enough to drink, but no real depth or character.

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

355 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Vika. ABV is 4.8%. Hazy orange-brown colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of wood, resin, smoke and ashes, hints of caramel. The flavour has first some malty sweetness with caramel, but ends dry and ashy. Quite moderate resinous hops. Hints of smoke. Drinkable, but not something I’ll buy again.

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

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.9%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Very nice aroma of Nelson Sauvin hops, fruity notes (gooseberries, tropical fruits), hints of pine. Refreshing flavour, medium dry, with a distinct hoppy bitterness throughout, sharpish in the aftertaste. Not very complex.

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

500 ml dark green oval bottle, as St. Peter’s The Saints Whisky Beer, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Deep golden colour, low white head. Strong aroma of peat smoke / peated whisky. Medium dry flavour, strong notes of peat smoke / peated whisky and ashes. Too peaty for my taste - if they wanted to add English single malt whisky to the beer (which indeed they did), they should have reduced the amount of peat smoked malts. "Superb balance"? Not at all! The flavour is pretty close to licking an ashtray.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo, quadruple bottle at least 3 y.o. Dark brown colour. Minimal carbonation, oxidised, but still drinkable. Loads of malty sweetness in both aroma and flavour.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Excellent aroma and flavour, roasty but refined, dry. Hints of coffee and spices, but the spices do not dominate. "Beer of the tasting" for me.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Black colour, no head. Intense aroma of dark malts, molasses and raisins.The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, with loads of alcohol.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Why are always the best beers served near the end of the tasting? Golden to amber colour, this is a Belgian-style golden strong ale, with lovely spicy and fruity notes in both aroma and flavour. Well balanced and not too sweet. Very good.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Reddish colour. Aroma and flavour of red berries, hints of oak. A decent beer - not your "typical" barleywine, but that is probably still the closest style.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Bronze colour. I was getting slightly inebriated when this beer finally came up in the tasting, but had still the capacity to recognize the qualities of a fine barleywine. Well balanced and pleasant aroma and flavour, malty and sweet but not too extreme. Strong, but not too alcoholic - smooth to drink for its strength. Very good.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren, Oslo. Pale golden colour, moderate white head, nice lacing. Very moderate aroma, some fruit, hints of honey. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant smooth flavour of fruity hops, a moderate grapefruity bitterness in the finish. Easy drinking and refreshing.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren. ABV was said to be 5.5%. Mahogany colour, creamy beige head. Very malty aroma and flavour, strong notes of caramel and toffee, hints of over-ripe berries, a whiff of malt vinegar. The finish has something undefined "not quite perfect" about it.