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

500 ml bottle, as Cains FA Formidable Ale, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.0%. Golden brown colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of biscuity malts, a little fruit, toffee and "dusty" hops. The flavour has very much the same elements as the aroma. Pleasant to drink, but does not blow your socks off.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5%. Fairly dark brown colour, big beige head. Nice aroma of lightly toasted malts, caramel and dark fruits. The flavour is malty with notes of brown bread and caramel. Some fruity hints too, low bitterness but not completely void of hops. Decent enough.

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

500 ml bottle, batch 22, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big to moderate tan head. Moderate but nice aroma of roasted malts, notes of coffee, hints of liquorice and smoke. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour is fairly sweet and malty, roasty notes of course, some caramel, tar, coffee, dark chocolate, liquorice and smoke again - but not quite as much peat smoke as expected, and that’s quite alright with me. A lovely drop!

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.0%. Deep golden to copper colour, moderate white head. Fruity aroma with distinct notes of raisins and grape juice. The flavour is a fairly nice blend of malts and raisins, not too sweet, with moderate hops in the finish and aftertaste. Quite enjoyable.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.3%. Copper to amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Malty and nutty aroma, also notes of toffee and caramel. The flavour has a moderate malty sweetness and nutty and biscuity notes, hints of raisins and caramel. "Dusty" hops in the finish, bitter aftertaste. Quite good.

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

500 ml can, ABV 4.5%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate "dusty" aroma, some malts, a hint of caramel and grassy hops. The flavour is tolerably hoppy throughout (at least more than the ordinary Ringnes Pilsner), with hints of caramel and a fairly bitter finish.

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

750 ml corked bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 3.9%. OG 1035, FG 1009. Brewed 18. March 2010, bottled 15. April 2010. Bittering hop is Premiant, late hop Saaz. 38.4 EBU. Very carbonated, the glass fills completely by a tan foamy head, and the very dark brown (nearly black) beer appears slowly. Nice aroma of roasted malts and chocolate, some woody notes too. Light bodied, quite dry flavour with moderate roasty notes, hints of coffee, charcoal, tobacco and wood. Drinkable, but not impressive.

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. 19 degrees Plato. Malts are 2-row pale malt, European pilsner malt and white wheat. Kettle hops are Magnum and Mount Hood, dry hops are Santium, Sterling and Mount Hood. Golden colour, big white head. Strong and delightful aroma of American hops, also notes of orange marmalade. The flavour is very hoppy but not extreme, with hints of pine needles, on a background of sweet malts with hints of orange marmalade and some caramel. Alcohol is noticeable, but not dominant. A good lager, but I can’t help thinking that it would taste even better if it were an ale ...

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.0%, 23 degrees Plato. Made with 2-row pale malt, cara-pils malt and red wheat. Kettle hops are Chinook and Cascade, dry hopped with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook. Orange to amber colour, big off-white head. Aroma of resinous American hops, also hints of stale orange marmalade. The medium sweet flavour is intensely hoppy throughout, bordering on "too much", piney and resinous notes. Some notes of old orange marmalade and caramel too. Not for the faint of heart.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch 573. ABV is not mentioned on the label. Cloudy pale yellow colour, huge to big white head. Attractive aroma of citrus, banana, cloves, nutmeg and wild yeast with "farmhouse" notes. The flavour is lemony and acidic with notes of cloves and a hint of oak. Very refreshing and drinkable, but I’d like some more hops.

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

180 ml black-waxed capped green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bruichladdich barrel from 1972. ABV is 9.5%. Bottle No. 364 out of a batch of 1776 bottles. Brewed 3. Dec. 2009, bottled 7. June 2010. Bittering hop Nugget, final hop Amarillo, 96.9 EBU. OG 1100, FG 1030. The beer starts gushing out of the bottle shortly after opening. Pitch black colour, huge to big tan head. Strong aroma of peated whisky, tar, old rope and salty seas, also strong roasty notes. The flavour is roasty with a certain malty sweetness, dominated by peat smoke, oak and tar, the high bitterness feels kind of subdued. A pretty impressive beer in my book, but not the right choice if you hate Islay whisky.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing Shark Attack Double Red Ale, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. Hazy reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head with an orangey hue. Lovely and complex aroma of fruity and piney American hops, on a sweetish background of crystal malts. The flavour is medium sweet with plenty of crystal malts, and loads of resinous and grapefruity hops. The bitterness in the finish is substantial, but not too extreme. Good stuff.

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

180 ml red-waxed capped green bottle, as De Molen Mooi & Machtig Cognac B.A., courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 027 out of a batch of 624 bottles. ABV is 17.4%. OG 1150, FG 1030. Brewed 9. Oct. 2009, bottled 20. Sept. 2010. Bittering hop Premiant, final hop Czech Saaz, 51.3 EBU. Cloudy brown colour, low off-white head. Strong aroma of malt sugar, molasses, alcohol and cognac oak barrel. Very moderate carbonation in the glass. Very sweet flavour, with malts, molasses, alcohol, fortified wine and oak galore. The bitterness seems very moderate. A bit too far out on the sweet side for my taste, but definitely worth sampling.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy golden colour, fairly pale for an American IPA. Big to moderate white head. Lovely aroma of floral and fruity hops (Centennial and Simcoe or Chinook) , notes of peaches and tropical fruits. The flavour is resinous and grapefruity, initially relatively smooth and inviting, but with an aggressive and nearly medicinal bitterness in the aftertaste. Relatively light bodied and dry.

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

180 ml red-waxed capped green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bordeaux barrel aged. Bottle No. 484 out of a batch of 600 bottles. Brewed 31. March 2010, bottled 21. Sept. 2010. O.G. 1105, F.G. 1027. ABV 13%. 99.9 EBU. Bittering hops Premiant, final hops Saaz. Pitch black colour, very low and coarse tan head. Strong and intense aroma with roasty notes, also notes of sweetened strong coffee, chocolate, oak and claret. Minimal carbonation in the glass. Rich flavour, loads of malty sweetness and strong roasty notes, also strong oaky notes with just a hint of claret. Will probably benefit from a few years’ cellaring. Declared good for 25 years if stored cool and dark. Recommended serving temperature 15 degrees C.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is not mentioned on the label. Murky brownish colour, moderate to low white head. Strong sweetish aroma with notes of white candi sugar; Belgian ale yeast and various spices. Moderate carbonation in the glass, but enough to make the beer fresh and pleasant to drink. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma made me fear, the sweetness is actually well balanced with a fine spiciness and distinct hops in the finish. Nice one!

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

355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Also available in some Norwegian grocery stores. Hazy pale golden colour, big white head. Typical hefeweizen aroma of ripe bananas and cloves. The flavour also has notes of ripe bananas and cloves, medium sweet, soft mouthfeel, very drinkable, low bitterness. A good hefeweizen - no more, no less.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.4%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla. The flavour has loads of roasted malts, notes of strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate and vanilla, bitter hops in the finish. Good stuff!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #315, ABV is 6%. Hazy deep golden colour. Huge and rocky head, slightly off-white. Lovely aroma of fruity (passion fruit) and resinous hops. The flavour is again fruity and resinous hops throughout, notes of tropical fruits, with a sufficient malty backbone. Excellent beer, very enjoyable.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV of this Rye IPA is 6.5%. Cloudy orange to amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Lovely aroma of fruity, piney and resinous American(?) hops. The flavour is very hoppy throughout, as expected - but never too extreme. Piney and resinous notes galore. Some malty sweetness, but not too much. Dry and bitter finish.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV not mentioned on the label. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and brown bread. The flavour is distinctly malty with notes of caramel and brown bread again, without becoming too sweet. Low bitterness. Nutty finish.

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy brown colour, low off-white head. Low carbonation. Moderate but nice aroma of herbal hops, hint of toffee. Flavour of caramel, syrup and resinous hops, very bitter finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Deep golden to amber colour, slightly hazy. Big off-white head. Light and sweetish pleasant aroma, fruity, spicy and floral, with notes of orange peel, coriander and cardamom, hints of honey. Moderately sweetish flavour with distinct spicy notes, hints of orange peel and honey, and a distinct and dry hoppy bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, as Bernard Specialni Černé pivo, unpasteurised. ABV is 5.1%. A gift from gunnar, thanks. BB date 01.07.10. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Big tan head. Aroma of brown bread, caramel and dust. The flavour is moderately malty but not very sweet, bready and dusty notes. Okay, but not impressive.

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

500 ml brown bottle, a gift from gunnar, thanks. ABV is 5%. BB date 30.12.10. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Strange aroma of cooked vegetables, decaying fruit, malts and dust. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has much the same elements as the aroma, dry and dusty, pretty weird - but some fresh hops in the finish make the drinking experience more tolerable.