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

500 ml bottle, as ’Rise Ærø Hertug Hans No. 5 Valnød’, ABV was 7.0%. Shared with my beerpal Olav who got it from a Dane, thx! Brewed with lager yeast, pilsener malts, caramel malts, black malts and wheat malts, Golding hops, ascorbic acid (E300) and walnut extract. Has the character of a ’normal’ bock with walnut flavour added. Brown to copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma with caramel and nuts, also some vinous notes. The flavour has a noticeable sweetness from caramel and malts, also notes of nuts. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

1 litre green bottle, ABV (or was that ABW?) was 4.1%. Shared with my beerpal Olav who bought it in Turkey, thx! Pale golden colour, moderate white head. First a pleasant Heineken-like 'skunky' whiff when opening the the bottle, then a very unpleasant and bland aroma with notes of boiled vegetables and wet cardboard. Bland flavour with notes of rubber, glue and wet cardboard. Really, really dreadful.

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

500 ml brown bottle, Fiçi Bira, special design. ABV is 5%. Shared with my beerpal Olav who bought it in Turkey, thx! Golden colour, moderate white head. Initially a whiff of standard pilsener aroma with some hops, then a very moderate sweetish aroma with notes of malts and maize. Standard pilsener flavour, no offensive sidenotes (unlike other Efes beers), moderate hops.

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

750 ml clear ’champagne’ bottle, bought at Centra, Oslo. Made from the Aroma apple variety, vintage 2007, bottle #2494. ABV is 4.7%. Extremely pale yellow colour with a greenish hue. Pours heavily sparkling with a shortlived head. Carbonation in the glass subsides rapidly. Aroma and flavour of sweet apples, sulphur and cheap white wine. Fairly thin mouthfeel, sugary finish. They have probably used ’yeast stopper’ and sulphur here to terminate the fermentation prematurely, in order to keep the ABV below the Norwegian ’grocery store limit’ (less than 4.75%). I am not a big fan of this one. Won’t buy again.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Extremely pale yellow colour, huge white head. Strong sweetish aroma with notes of Belgian yeast, ripe fruits (incl. bananas) and spices (incl. cloves). The flavour is moderately spicy and relatively dry, notes of Belgian yeast again, very light bodied and refreshing for its strength (which means that the alcohol is well hidden). Nice, but I’ve had more complex Belgians than this one, though.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Hotel Havana (which is not a hotel, but an upmarket delicatessen / grocery store in Oslo). Brew #1, BB May 2009. ABV is 4.7%. Cloudy amber to orange colour, moderate but lasting off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma, also notes of citrus and white wine vinegar. The flavour has a moderate hoppiness, but unfortunately also some vinegary notes which may mean that an infection is on its way. Dry and sourish finish.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml stubby bottle, bought at Hotel Havana, Oslo. Brewnr. 2, BB date July 2009. ABV is 4.7%. Hazy golden colour, huge and lasting head. Aroma of citrus and cider, hints of cider vinegar. The flavour is citrussy and vinegary sour, apparently infected, like so many other batches from Små Vesen. Not a drainpour, but pretty close.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle # 12436. 39.5 degrees P, 65 IBU, ABV 17.5%. Pitch black colour, short-lived brown head. Intense and lovely aroma of dried dark fruits, liquorice, coffee, oak and tar. The flavour is intensely roasty with strong notes of coffee, liquorice and alcohol. A bit "raw", needs at least 1 year’s cellaring (probably more) to reach its potential. However, I think it is not a good idea for Nøgne Ø to make stronger versions of DH each year. 16% ABV, like DH First Ed. had, is definitely strong enough!

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Lørenskog Brus-shop. ABV is 4.1%. Golden colour, decent white head. Lovely aroma of fruity and floral hops, notes of honey. The flavour has distinct hops throughout, with grapefruity and nutty notes. Refreshing and moreish. Plenty of hoppy bitterness in the long aftertaste.

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

750 ml "champagne" bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Deep golden to amber colour, moderate head. Lovely vinous aroma with notes of oak, fruit and berries. The flavour is also pleasantly oaky and fruity, with a "refreshing" touch which is quite astonishing for a 13% ABV beer. Well, you get an idea that this is a strong beer, but not as strong as it actually is. It is not too sweet, and the aftertaste is moderately spicy. A great beer!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Timmermans Tradition Lambicus Blanche. ABV is 4.5%. Sweetened with sugar AND saccharine, hmmm... Ingredients also include artificial "aromas / flavourings" + antioxidant E300. Spontaneous fermentation, has the character of a sweetened lambic more than a witbier. Pale golden colour, big white head. Citrussy aroma with some sidenotes of milk products, also notes of farmhouse cider and barnyard, hints of banana and cloves. The flavour is saccharine sweetness with citrussy notes, and only a moderate acidity. No bitterness. Not very interesting.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Copper coloured beer with a big and lasting beige head. Nice aroma of malts, caramel, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. The flavour is malty sweet with some unwanted metallic sidenotes, also notes of caramel and brown sugar, hints of spices, moderate hops in the finish. Alcohol is noticeable throughout. Not in the league of the trappists this one.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Deep amber to copper colour. Rich, very big and lasting off-white head. Lovely vinous aroma, also notes of brown candy sugar, caramel and various spices. The flavour is very rich and sweet, with plenty of malts, brown sugar and spices. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

750 ml capped and corked bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Vintage 2006, bottle No. 01761. Bottled 21.12.2006, BB date 21.12.2012. Red coloured beer, slightly hazy. Fizzy pink head, initially big, rapidly diminishing. Aroma of sour cherries, funk and marzipan. The flavour is very sour and tingling, nearly tart, with notes of sour cherries and lemons. Fairly dry. Lovely sour finish and aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Mahogany coloured beer with a nice beige head, no haziness. Malty aroma and flavour with notes of brown sugar, dried dark fruits and caramel, hints of spices. The aftertaste is spicy with a moderate hoppy bitterness. Not quite in the league of the trappists, but certainly a good beer.

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

250 ml bottle, shared with Ole_R, thx! ABV was 13.0%. Imperial stout stored 5 months in a whisky barrel, simply called "Mikkeller Black As Night". Pitch black colour, brown head that does not last very long. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee, tar, oak and liquorice. Intense oaky, roasty and very sweet flavour, alcohol is noticeable but not as much as expected. Long and bitter aftertaste.

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

250 ml bottle, shared with Ole_R, thx! ABV was 11.5%. "Imperial Rauchbier / Rauchwine" brewed with honey, and stored 3 months in a new oak barrel. Deep copper coloured beer, low beige head. Intense aroma of smoke and oak. The flavour is very smoky and oaky as expected, with notes of charcoal, but is also surprisingly fruity and sweet with notes of raisins and fortified wine.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Hazy deep copper coloured beer, low head. Diacetyl and some vinegar in both aroma and flavour. I did not like it at all. Should never have been for sale - if the brewers want to destroy their own good reputation, this is the way to do it.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #130, at Parkteatret’s "Beer Day", Oslo. ABV is 6.0%. There are rumours that this really is the very same beer as HaandBryggeriet Påskegodt, but I find that hard to believe - Sen Sommer Ale is sweeter than I remember Påskegodt to have ever been. A side-by-side tasting is needed to settle that question, methinks. Hazy amber to orange colour, moderate head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops. Sweet flavour (slightly too much sweetness) with plenty of fruity hops. Moderately bitter finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Colden colour, big to medium sized white head. Nice aroma of fruity German hops and sweetish malts. The flavour is fairly sweet and malty but still smooth and easy drinking, with decent hops in the finish.

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

500 ml can, ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, pours very fizzy with a decent head. "Industrial" and rather "dead" aroma, with some grainy notes. The beer is "cold and wet", thin, watery and utterly boring. No offensive sidenotes, but has not much going flavourwise at all.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Based on Nøgne Ø God Jul, matured with spruce and blended with a wild forest cranberry ("tyttebær") "lambic" (brettanomyces fermented). Very dark brown colour, nearly black, with a low beige head. Distinct notes of spruce in the aroma, also notes of fruit / berries, coffee, chocolate and liquorice. Very unusual flavour where the spruce and wild forest cranberries dominate, but I’m not entirely sure how well the various flavour elements really do blend. The mouthfeel is a bit fizzy. Still an interesting beer.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with tangerine concentrate and Cascade as single hop variety. Hazy orange to amber colour, low head. Lovely aroma of tangerine and Cascade hops. Zesty and very fruity flavour, distinct notes of tangerine. Moderate grapefruity bitterness in the aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Amber to brown colour, decent head. Malty and nutty aroma with notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour is nutty and malty too, but also with a noticeable fruitiness, and decent hops in the finish.

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

500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.7%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head that does not last very long. Moderate but nice hoppy (Cascade and Goldings) aroma, hints of toffee too. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has noticeable Goldings and Fuggles hops and some caramel, moderately bitter finish. Okay, but not particularly interesting.