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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.6%. Brownish orange colour, big off-white head. Aroma of fruity, piney and floral hops, also sweetish marmelade notes. The flavour is sweet (too sweet?) with loads of bitter hops. Could use some more complexity.

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Copper coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Lovely aroma of fruity and piney American hops, some sweetish malty notes too, but not too much. Rich flavour of copious amounts of American hops and sweet malts, nicely balanced. Some vinous notes, also resin, caramel, oak and dark dried fruits. Definitely one of the better barleywines I’ve had.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Very dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of caramel and toasted brown bread, hints of dark dried fruits. Decent flavour, caramel and toasted brown bread again, a hint of fruit, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced and pleasant to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, No. 1753 out of a batch of 1895, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 15.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Malty and vinous aroma, notes of dark dried fruits, hints of leather, chocolate, oak and alcohol. Intense warming mouthfeel with an obvious presence of alcohol. The flavour is rich and very malty, some roasty notes but not really stoutish, vinous and oaky notes too, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, even a touch of tar and smoke. Possibly some herbs and spices are added here too? An impressive beer as it is, might still benefit from a couple years in a cool cellar.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Copper coloured beer, big beige head. Moderate aroma, hints of Christmas spices and caramel, maybe also a touch of lemon peel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, notes of caramel and Christmas spices again, some fruit, moderate hops and peppery notes in the finish. There is also a faint touch of liquorice root, but I’d hardly be able to identify it if I did not know that it was supposed to be there. Not a bad beer.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing Old Viscosity, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Black colour (dark ruby when held to the light), huge tan head. Lovely aroma of moderately roasted malts, mild coffee, chocolate, oak and leather. Full and rich flavour, malty predominance with much the same elements as the aroma, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced, immensely pleasant to drink. Warming mouthfeel, but the alcohol is otherwise well hidden in the flavour.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Green Flash Stout (Double Stout), courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.8%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. Rich malty flavour with roasty notes, strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate, maybe a hint of liquorice too. Bitter aftertaste. The alcohol is well hidden.

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

Bottle, at Cardinal’s Ølsymposium. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely and well rounded aroma and flavour with all the typical robust porter porter qualities, but the roastiness is not overdone. Smooth and nicely balanced. Will give a more detailed review on the next occasion.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV is 4.2%. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts and toffee, hints of berries. The flavour has moderate malts, toffee, biscuits and nuts. Decent Challenger hops in the finish.

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

Bottle from Traditional Scottish Ales, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV is 4.5%. Beautiful deep brown colour, moderate beige head. Very nice malty aroma with vinous notes, caramel and dark dried fruits, hints of oak. Malty flavour, preserved fruits, hints of oak, moderate bitterness.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Ivar. ABV is 7%. Cloudy brown colour, big beige head with an orangey hue. Malty and slightly stale aroma (stale dark fruits). Malty rich flavour, spicy and oaky notes, moderate hops in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, batch 174, a gift from gunnar, thanks! ABV is 9.5%. Cloudy orangey brown colour, big head, slightly off-white. Intense aroma of fruity and resinous American hops (tropical fruits, citrus, pine). The flavour is intensely hoppy (pine, resin, grapefruit) on a malty sweet (caramellized orange marmalade) background. Bitter finish of course, but not too extreme.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Interesting fruity and hoppy aroma, hints of marmalade and oak, some vinous notes too. Hoppy flavour, good bitterness, moderate malty sweetness, hints of oak.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Hoppy aroma and flavour (Columbus hops), the flavour also has spicy notes with hints of Belgian ale yeast, otherwise this is a fairly standard American IPA (which is not a bad thing).

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Very nice hoppy aroma, fruity and herbal notes. Intense hoppy flavour, but not too bitter. Fruity and spicy notes, well balanced.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Brown colour, big off-white head. Aroma of Belgian ale yeast, brown sugar and spices, hints of camphorwood. The flavour has more fruity acidity than I expect from a dubbel, some spicy and woody notes too.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Low beige head. Nice aroma of moderately roasted malts, tobacco and some citrus. Flavour also of moderately roasted malts, and fruity and slightly resinous hops. The alcohol is well hidden. Good, but does not blow my socks off.

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

Bottled, as Deschutes The Abyss Reserve 2009, kindly shared by gunnar. Pitch black colour, excellent brown head. Lovely and complex aroma of dark malts, chocolate, coffee, tobacco, liquorice and leather, also some oaky and vinous notes. The flavour has notes of heavily roasted malts, balanced by a suitable sweetness, coffee and liquorice, hints of sandalwood. Superb!

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

Bottle, vintage 2009, kindly shared by gunnar. Amber to orange colour, low head. Nice aroma of sultanas and dark dried fruits. The flavour has also notes of raisins, sweet malts, alcohol and decent hops.

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

Bottle, 2009 vintage, kindly shared by gunnar. Black colour, hardly any head. Aroma of heavily roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Intense flavour of roasted malts, coffee and liquorice.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. OKish aroma of herbal and citric hops, hints of toffee and caramel, also a touch of blackcurrant leaves. Crisp flavour, not too sweet, with notes of toffee and hops, hints of blackcurrants. A moderately grapefruity bitterness in the finish. Quite enjoyable.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml bottle, a gift, BB date 25.08.08. Pale golden colour, moderate but lasting white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. The aroma has first a whiff of grassy hops, then notes of cooked vegetables and undefined chemicals. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has some hops and is first fairly refreshing, then the "chemical" notes from the aroma disturbs the tasting process too much.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

500 ml brown glass bottle with tear-off cap, as Shumensko Premium Beer. ABV is 4.6%. A gift, BB date seems to be 13.12.08. Extremely pale yellow colour, huge white head. Sweetish aroma with strong "chemical" notes, vile stuff. Soft mouthfeel. Bland and boring flavour with just a hint of sweetness and minimal hops, but not totally undrinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, thanks to Tom. ABV is 6.5%. Golden colour, big white head. Fairly strong aroma of Saazer hops, grassy and herbal notes. The flavour has a distinct bitterness from start to finish (Target hops?), but not much else, neither maltiness nor hop flavour other than the bitterness. Not my favourite pale ale this one.

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

500 ml bottle, thanks to Tom. ABV is 6.5%. Deep brown colour, big off-white head. Moderate aroma of lightly toasted malts, brown bread, caramel and biscuits. The flavour has much the same elements as the aroma, with some caramel sweetness. Minimal hops. The alcohol is well hidden. A fairly nice and drinkable brown ale.