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

Bottle, at RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg, thanks to my beer pal Olav. Deep sherry-like colour, moderate head. The flavour has notes of caramel but is otherwise fairly dry, moderate hops and hints of burnt caramel in the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit watery.

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

500 ml bottle, as Aspall Classic Organic Suffolk Cyder. ABV is 7.0%. Pours very fizzy with a big but very short-lived head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Nice aroma of cider apples, hints of oak and sulphur. The flavour is crisp and dry, cider apples of course, again with notes of oak and sulphur. Probably best with food.

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

500 ml bottle, as "Aspall Peronnelle’s Blush Suffolk Cyder with a dash of blackberry liqueur". ABV is 5.4%. Rosé wine colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived white head with a pinkish hue. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Pleasant aroma of apples and blackberries. Beguiling flavour of cider apples and blackberries, hints of oak and sulphur. Just the right sweetness and acidity (both moderate). Nice one.

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

500 ml bottle, as Aspall Dry Premier Cru Suffolk Cyder. ABV is 7%. Crystal clear and extremely pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Moderate aroma of apples and vegetables, hints of sulphur. The flavour is crisp and dry, hints of oak and sulphur. Okay.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | 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 4.5%. Dark brown colour, low head. Nice aroma of chocolate, mild coffee and lightly roasted malts. The flavour is moderately fruity (dark fruits) and roasty, fairly dry, notes of mild coffee, hints of dark chocolate and resin. Pleasant to drink. Pretty close to an English porter, I'd say.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. All bottled beers from this brewery are filtered to remove all remaining yeast (but possibly not pasteurised?). Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Low beige head of poor retention. Nice aroma and flavour of roasted malts, notes of dark chocolate and mild coffee. Fairly dry, a slight acidity in the finish. A decent enough stout, but not so very special.

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

500 ml bottle, ABV 5.5%. Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, pours sparkling with a very short-lived head. Fresh and pleasant aroma of cider apples, hints of oak and and sulphur. Crisp and dry flavour, cider apples of course, again notes of oak and sulphur, but not too much. Nice one.

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

On tap at Ølmessen Nærbø, and Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Amber coloured beer, low head. Aroma of moderate fruity American hops - on the second tasting I also found aroma elements of Belgian saison yeast, maybe just my imagination, because I was misinformed about the yeast used here (no saison yeast has actually been used, only Ægir’s normal California ale yeast). The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout (American hops again, Columbus if I remember correctly), but there are also some faint hints of farmhouse. A quite nice autumn beer.

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

On tap (1-liter "mass") at Nærbø Oktoberfestival. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate aroma of pilsener malts. Fairly high level of carbonation, fizzy mouthfeel. Moderate pale lager flavour, no offensive sidenotes, but very little to excite you either. Minimal hops. Boring.

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

500 ml bottle, at the Dalane Brygghus restaurant in Egersund. ABV is 6.3%. Includes some peat smoked malts. Some sediment in the bottle. Black colour, big tan head - good looking. Aroma of liquorice, chocolate and coffee. Roasty flavour with notes of peat smoke, English liquorice, tar and coffee. Good stuff!

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

500 ml can, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, big head, slightly off-white. Very moderate aroma, slightly malty, nutty and dusty, hints of caramel. Flavour of a standard lager with some extra caramel malts added, the "dusty" malts dominate the flavour but the beer is not very sweet, fairly dry finish. Moderate hops in the aftertaste. Definitely drinkable, but CB could have come up with something more exciting for their 150th anniversary.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml clear bottle, brought home from Turkey by my wife. ABV is 6.1%. Dark reddish brown colour, big greyish beige head. Smells "thin" and metallic, also notes of cooked vegetables and wet cardboard. The flavour is first tolerably malty with notes of brown bread and some caramel, without being very sweet. Some fruity acidity in the middle. Dull finish, minimal hops. Clearly drinkable, but boring. Don’t expect to find anything much better than this in Turkey, though.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, big chocolate brown head. Lovely aroma of whisky barrel (possibly used for sherry before whisky?), but the whisky elements are not overdone - also notes of chocolate, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has a pronounced malty sweetness and well balanced roastiness, again notes of oak, sherry, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee - also moderate notes of tar. An excellent example of how good oak aged impy stouts can be, when the balance is just right.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Intense peaty / smoky aroma of Islay malt whisky, also notes of tar and salty sea air, hints of vanilla and liquorice. The flavour is dominated by an overwhelming peatiness and smokiness, too much actually, as the original qualities of God Jul are kind of blocked out. Hints of tar, vanilla and liquorice again. Definitely interesting, but requires that you really like Islay whisky.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.6%. Black colour, big to moderate tan head. Nice roasted aroma, notes of dark chocolate and coffee. The flavour is distinctly roasty throughout, notes of coffee, hints of dark bitter chocolate. The finish is fairly bitter, both from the hops and the roasted barley. The finish also has a slight spicy "burn", but I am not sure I would identify it as ginger, if I hadn't read it on the label. Hints of resin in the aftertaste. All in all a very enjoyable beer.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger ABV is 4.2%. Chestnut coloured beer, big to moderate creamy beige head. Moderate aroma of malts, nuts and biscuits, hints of caramel and chocolate. Distinctly malty flavour, probably some caramel malts and chocolate malts have been used here, but the beer is not very sweet. Some fruit and moderate hops in the finish. Definitely a "Scottish Ale" rather than a "Bitter" - you won’t find many English bitters with this character these days, methinks.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Joker IPA, green label. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, big white head. Nice aroma of fruity hops, citrussy and grassy notes, hints of mild spices and herbs. The flavour is fruity with an initial sweetness and noticeable hops throughout, moderate bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Not quite what Americans would think of as an IPA, but a fairly well hopped premium bitter / golden ale all the same. Nice one. Would buy again.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

750 ml "champagne" green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Limited edition of 7500 bottles, my botttle No. 3470. ABV is 11.0%. Deep golden to brown colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Excellent aroma of sherry, whisky, figs, vanilla and oak, also notes of heather honey. The flavour is fairly sweet with a warming mouthfeel, again notes of sherry, whisky, vanilla, heather honey and raisins. Still relatively light bodied for an 11% beer. Some "dusty" bog myrtle and very moderate hops in the finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was 10%. Cloudy brown colour, minimal head. Very moderate carbonation, like a Southern English cask ale. Vinous aroma, notes of oak and balsamic vinegar, coriander and orange peel. The flavour has notes of alcohol (not very well hidden), fortified wine, coriander (and undefined spices) and orange peel, with distinct hops throughout. Somehow the flavour elements seem not perfectly balanced. Maybe too much bitterness and alcohol crashing with the more delicate wheaty elements? Goes down well enough though.

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

330 ml bottle, brought home from Turkey by my wife. ABV is 5.5%. Murky greyish brown colour, big to moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma of lightly roasted malts, a hint of chocolate. The flavour is bland and boring, bready notes with a slight acidity. Very far from being a great beer, it is not totally undrinkable though. Probably better with food than on its own.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Fenaknoken, Oslo. Brew #909, ABV is 4.5%. Organic, unfiltered and unpasteurised "kellerbier". Hazy pale golden colour, big and lasting white head. The aroma has a pleasant mix of fruit, malts, toffee and butterscotch, hints of honey and resin too. The flavour has first a tolerable balance between the malts and hops, but also some coarse "traditional homebrew" notes, which I am not entirely happy about in such a delicate beer style. Some resin in the finish, unpleasant hints of metal and cardboard.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Fenaknoken, Oslo. ABV is 4.5%. The label advertises "Vikingfestivalen 2009". Dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Interesting aroma of juniper, resin and hops, hints of lightly roasted malts, some smoke, mild coffee and chocolate. The mouthfeel is fairly thin and dry. The flavour is dominated by juniper, the finish has some coffee and resin and is otherwise dry and "dusty", with just a slight acidity.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Fenaknoken, Oslo. ABV is 4.5%. Brew #925. Some sediment in the bottle. Pale yellow colour, slightly hazy, huge white head. Strong perfumed aroma, distinct notes of ripe bananas and cloves. Light bodied and crisp mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of cloves, with a "dusty" finish, but I’d like a more pronounced presence of malts. Still refreshing and drinkable.

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

330 ml clear bottle, ABV is 4.7%. Despite being bought at ICA Gourmet in Oslo: this not a beer for gourmets, nor for people who love good beer. Crystal clear pale yellow colour, big to moderate head. "Skunky" sweetish aroma, notes of citrus. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is fairly sweet with a hint of citrus, minimal bitterness. Boring as hell, but not repulsive when cold. May serve as a thirstquencher on hot days, for people who otherwise would buy Corona or Sol. My first bottle (which I actually paid for) will also be my last.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.5%. Organic, ingredients include sugar and ascorbic acid (E300 - vitamin C). Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Brewed with English ale yeast. Weak aroma of floral hops, some "dusty" notes too. The flavour is first fairly sweet and malty, with a "dusty" finish. Some metallic hops in the aftertaste, with notes of wet cardboard to boot. Ridiculously poorly hopped for something going under the name of "IPA". Would not be a great beer, whatever name they had chosen. Nope, this is simply not good enough.