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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #435, ABV 10%. Deep brown colour, slightly hazy, big beige head. Pleasant aroma of brown malts, notes of rum-raisin and fortified wine, hints of spices and oak. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and alcohol, notes of dark dried fruits and oak, hints of spices (esp. anise) and liquorice. There is a firm hoppy bitterness in the finish. Powerful beer, a bit "raw in the edges", will probably benefit from a year or two (perhaps more) in the cellar.

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

355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Beautiful clear and deep copper to mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Strong malty aroma with distinct notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and caramel, maybe too much caramel for my taste. Noticeable hoppy bitterness in the finish, also notes of burnt bread crumbs. Not entirely balanced in my book, but an interesting beer all the same.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Golden colour, big white head. Nice aroma of fruity and floral hops. The flavour is disctinctly hoppy throughout - plenty of American grapefruity and resinous hops, some malty sweetness in the middle, bitter finish and aftertaste. Quite good.

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

750 ml corked bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.5%. Pours with a huge white head, which slowly gives way to a golden beer. Pleasant typical triple aroma of Belgian yeast, fruit and a mild spiciness. The flavour is fresh and fruity, again with a mild spiciness, alcohol is noticeable but not overwhelming. Moderately sweet, the finish is slightly peppery, with moderate hops.

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

330 ml bottle, as Slaapmutske Christmas, at the Christmas beer tasting of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Beautiful dark reddish brown colour, huge, creamy and long lasting off-white to beige head. Both aroma and flavour have a distinctly malty presence (not too sweet though) with some mild spicy, fruity and caramel notes, the hops are moderate - but the beer is overall so well balanced and highly drinkable that it deserves a high rating, even without being so very "special", nor extreme in any way.

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

750 ml corked bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.0%. Pale straw coloured beer, huge to big white head. Nice fruity and spicy aroma, moderate notes of Belgian yeast, hints of honey. The flavour is distinctly spicy on a moderately sweet and fruity background. The beer is fairly light bodied for its strength, alcohol is noticeable but not too much. Slightly peppery finish. A decent tripel! Will buy again.

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

330 ml clear bottle in cardboard box, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget) - also at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.4%. Clear mahogany coloured beer with an off-white to beige head. Intense aroma of oak rum cask, notes of vanilla, spices, alcohol, brown sugar, treacle, rum-raisin and dark dried fruits. The flavour is distinctly oaky, but more mellow and rounded (without the strong notes of fresh wood) compared to the ordinary Innis & Gunn. Moderate sweetness, moderate notes of rum and spices, dry finish, very moderate hops. Should not be drunk too cold.

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

600 ml bottle, as Nørrebros Julebryg, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet (bestillingsutvalget). ABV is 7.0%. Cloudy brown colour, big beige head. Nice aroma of Christmas spices, some caramel and malts. The flavour is far less sweet than the aroma made me expect, fairly dry and "dusty" with some slightly sourish notes. Moderate notes of Christmas spices, but they feel kind of "out of place" without any real malty backbone. The hops are also very moderate. The mouthfeel is fairly thin. The beer is drinkable of course, but this is not Nørrebro’s best beer.

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

330 ml green bottle, ABV 9%, from Vinmonopolet. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Huge to big tan head. Nice aroma, notes of dark malts, hints of dark syrup and burnt caramel. Rich mouthfeel. The flavour is very malty and moderately roasty, notes of burnt caramel again. Sweet, but not over the top. The alcohol is not disturbing. Moderate hops in the finish, I wouldn’t mind if there had been more of them.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Like all bottled beers from this brewery, it is filtered to remove all remaining yeast (but possibly not pasteurised?). ABV is 4.2%. Brewed with "bere", traditional wild barley. Deep golden colour, low white head. Malty and distinctly "dusty" aroma, weak hints of fruit. The flavour has much of the (lack of) character of a standard English bitter, "dusty" notes again, quite dry, with a very moderate fruitiness in the finish. The aftertaste has a distinct hoppy bitterness, with a hint of resin. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse.

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

375 ml corked and capped green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Clear red colour, big pink head. Intense aroma of ripe and sour raspberries. The flavour is very sour and tart, again with notes of sour raspberries. Good stuff, but requires that you like fruit lambics in the first place.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Like all bottled beers from this brewery, it is filtered to remove all remaining yeast (but possibly not pasteurised?). ABV is 4.5%. Deep orange to amber colour, some chill haze. Moderate white head. Moderate aroma, some grainy and hoppy notes. The flavour is quite dry, first some sharpish grainy notes, then even more sharpish hops in the finish. A bit too far out on the dry side for me.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Like all bottled beers from this brewery, it is filtered to remove all remaining yeast (but possibly not pasteurised?). ABV is 4.0%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Fairly boring "dusty" aroma. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is better than the aroma, some fruity hops, quite refreshing. A sharpish bitterness in the aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Like all bottled beers from this brewery, it is filtered to remove all remaining yeast (but possibly not pasteurised?). ABV is 4.0%. Golden colour, low white head of poor retention. Moderate aroma, some fruity hops on a grainy background. Moderate carbonation in the glass, initially a soft mouthfeel. The flavour has first some fruity hops, ending in a sharpish bitter finish, also some sharpish grainy notes, which seem to be part of this brewery’s "house character".

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Copper coloured beer, big off-white head. Malty and bready aroma, notes of caramel, hints of spices. The flavour is moderately malty and bready, "dusty" character, not too sweet, hints of caramel. Very moderate hops in the otherwise boring finish. Drinkable, but no masterpiece.

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

330 ml green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, moderate but lasting white head. Moderate sweetish aroma, notes of grass and grain. The flavour is fairly "fresh" and fruity, sweeter than the crispest of pilseners but not sickly, some grainy notes, soft mouthfeel, with a noticeable hoppy bitterness in the finish. For a new Norwegian pilsener, this is not too bad.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Hazy golden colour, big white head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of fruity American hops. The flavour has first a distinct malty sweetness, immediately followed by a powerful hoppiness. Overwhelmingly bitter finish and aftertaste with grapefruity and resinous notes, even hints of wormwood..

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Deep golden colour, big off-white head. The aroma has plenty of fruity American hops, notes of fresh orange marmalade and grapefruit. The flavour is a solid hoppy attack from start to finish, with a subdued malty sweetness in the background. Very bitter aftertaste.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate chocolate brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malts / roasted barley, chocolate, coffee and bakery. Intense flavour of malts (malty sweetness + heavily roasted malts/barley), notes of strong coffee, molasses and dark bitter chocolate, ending in a distinct bitterness (both from the hops - 98 IBU - and the roastiness). Possibly the most awesome canned beer in the world.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 3.9%. Pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops, notes of tropical fruits, hints of honey. The flavour is zesty with fruity hops again, notes of citrus. Not very sweet. Nice bitterness in the finish. I’m a sucker for beers like this, esp. in summer.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Very nice aroma, first fruity hops with notes of various berries, then caramel, bakery and malts (some of them lightly roasted). The flavour is first malty, with notes of caramel and brown bread, then some moderate fruity hops. Not too sweet. The finish has a moderate bitterness, mixed with notes of slightly burnt malts.

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

Sample from bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Beautiful chestnut colour. No carbonation, and accordingly no head. INTENSE aroma of port wine, dark dried fruits and fusel alcohols. The latter unfortunately detracts from the aroma score. Intense, concentrated and sweet flavour of old madeira, raisins / rum-raisin and oak.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Pale yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Sweetish aroma, notes of flowers, some fruit and candy. The flavour is too sweet for a pale lager, notes of candy and malt sugar, hints of honey. Not "crisp" at all, and not very citrussy. A very moderate bitterness in the finish, where the sweetness is still present. Williams Brothers make many interesting beers, this is not one of them.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 3.9%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Nice hoppy aroma, notes of fruits, berries and pine forest. The flavour is zesty and fruity with a nice hop character, some citrus notes, a piney bitterness in the finish. I’ve said it before: I’m a sucker for golden ales like this one, with their moderate ABV and refreshingly hoppy character.

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

330 ml bottle, thanks to Beer2000. ABV is 7.5%. BB 07/12/09. The glass is first filled by a huge foamy white head, then a cloudy brownish golden beer slowly emerges. Strong sweetish aroma of Belgian ale yeast, over-ripe and rotting berries, artificial candy and fermenting fruits, verging on "sickly". The flavour is sweet (maybe too sweet), yeasty and spicy, some notes of decaying fruits again. A moderate spicy bitterness in the finish.