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

Used to be my favourite Norwegian pilsener for a (rare) warm summer's day, easy drinking but a lot better than the various tasteless "sommerøl" (summer specials) being marketed these days. Arendals Pils is still being being brewed in Arendal, one of Norway's "summer towns" on the South Coast, but Ringnes have been threatening to close Arendals Bryggeri. This refreshing pils could still use a little more hoppy "bite".

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

Christmas beer sampled in May(!). Reddish brown colour, head disappears quickly, lovely spicy aroma (to some degree reminiscent of a Belgian strong ale, but less complex), mouthfeel is rather thin, flavour dominated by spices and caramel sweetness. Acceptable aftertaste that could have lasted longer. Not a bad brew, but several other Norwegian strong version Christmas beers are better.

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

E.C. Dahls brewery in Trondheim is now part of the Ringnes group. Their pils is a-little-above-average, easily drinkable thirst-quencher. Nothing remarkable.

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

(330 ml bottle). Deep reddish brown colour, good head. Aroma is initially liquid dishwashing soap, later the malts come through. Flavour is very malty and a bit too sweet, calls for a higher ABV. Borg (Sarpsborg) make the Christmas beers of two closed Østfold county breweries, Moss and Fredrikstad, besides their own product. At least they have the decency to use different recipes, and not just change labels.

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

Maybe I'm just excited by the fact that an ALE actually is brewed by a Norwegian macro brewery (WOW!) - but I do find this one quite drinkable. Moderate head, malty aroma, nutty flavour, sweetish aftertaste. Not outstanding, but a good try!

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

500 ml can. Another beer for the "low carb" craze people. Pale golden colour, head disappears rapidly. Moderate carbonation. Very weak aroma. I was thirsty when I drank it, it was refreshing - but so would a glass of mineral water have been. The lack of flavour is made more tolerable by the fact that there are no offensive side-flavours either. People who actually LIKE beer should avoid these low carb beers like the plague.

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

Not THAT bad - a light/pale summer pilsener that's intended to run smoothly down your throat. It does. Period. Rerate: This year's production has not improved the quality. Why on earth do all Norwegian breweries insist on making light/pale, bland and totally uninteresting 'summer beers', when their ordinary pilsners are summer beers good enough?? (Actually, the ordinary ones are much better).

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

A slightly-above-average golden lager (Easter seasonal) in a yellow can. Nothing offensive, nothing remarkable. But what makes it an EASTER brew?? Or is that a theological question?

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

Another light beer (which in Norway always means low alcohol) that may keep you from dying of thirst when you have to drive. Actually, this one has acceptable hops as well, and is not too bad. Light coloured and less malty than other Norwegian light beers, it's still among the more drinkable of its kind (which doesn't say much, really).

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

Lemon soda drinkers will regard this one as a lousy lemon soda, beer drinkers will regard it as a lousy beer. No one will be happy. We don't need it. (Well, if you're dying of thirst, you might find it refreshing - no alternatives given). Having written that, I found myself craving this beer a couple days later, on a very hot day. Strange ...

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

This beer was designed to chase down a shot of "akevitt" (aquavit), the hard licquor that Norwegians drink at the pre-Christmas "julebord" (and hardly at any other time) to get senselessly drunk and incomprensibly stupid before scolding their boss, fighting their co-workers or stumbling off to have sex with the company’s 60 y.o. secretary. I actually had this beer WITHOUT the aquavit, and found it to be quite good for a "klasse D" (low ABV) Christmas beer. Brown colour, good head, spicy aroma and flavour with a distinct hoppiness. Moreish.

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

Like all "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers, it is sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. This is it - forget the weaker ("klasse D") version! A good Christmas beer, great with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare. The quality varies a bit from one year to another, but is never bad.

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

Another Norwegian "klasse D" Yule/Christmas beer for the grocery store market. Actually it's not too bad for its strength, but still: Get the stronger ("klasse F") version instead!

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

VERY pale golden colour, but a decent head. Another "ice beer" for people who don't like the taste of beer, but want the buzz. Like all ice beers, hardly any flavour at all. You don't want it.

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

Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Aroma of fresh yeast and fruits, fruity and spicy flavour, rather lightbodied despite the ABV. A pleasant Christmas beer that lacks a bit of malty punch to get a definite top rating, still: goes well with most Christmas fare including the lighter stuff like turkey.

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

(330 ml bottle). Light brown colour, malty and caramelly aroma, good to moderate head. Light bodied as expected, moderate malty flavour with some toffee and spices. Not too sweet, very well balanced. Too light bodied for Christmas, but this is a beer I'd be happy to drink with dinner at any time of the year, if it was available. Fredrikstad Juleøl klasse F is a better choice for Christmas dinner.

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

(500 ml can). Pale golden colour, moderate head, weak but not unpleasant grassy aroma, fairly "neutral" standard pale lager flavour, at least some (but not much) bitterness. CB (on Norway's "sunshine" South coast) make a lot of hype around their "clear source water" - a little more malts and hops would have been good too!

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

Reddish brown beer with a good head. Weak aroma. This is supposed to be some kind of Munich Dunkel, but isn't nearly as good as the best Dunkels ("Bayer" in Norway). Pils + colour is not enough to make a good Dunkel, a decent amount of malts is needed too! Thin and watery mouthfeel like most CB beers. Still, there's more flavour in this one than in CB's bland pilseners. Not as sweet as I expected, at least you can taste the hops. Drinkable, but not much more.

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

Good head. Very pale golden colour, more bitterness than the ordinary CB Pilsener, but where are the malts?? Bland, watery mouthfeel. Even a pils should taste of more than water with some hops added.

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

(330 ml bottle). Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Aroma is initially citrussy, then a bit oaky and spicy. Too aggressive carbonation. Flavour is thin and not complex, some malts but quite dry. Watery mouthfeel. A peppery bitterness in the finish.

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

Rerate 2002: Apparently they have changed the recipe this year. Darker brown colour, gone is the thin mouthfeel and lack of malts. This year both the aroma and flavour are malty enough (caramel and oak therein), and the beer got a high rating in Norwegian newspapers. IMHO however it lacks some of the spicyness in aroma and flavour that a Norwegian juleøl should have. Maybe next year? There's sufficient bitterness in the palate, but I've tasted better hops than these.

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

Reddish brown colour, good head. Weak aroma. Moderate sweetness, watery. More hops than I expected in the aftertaste. Drinkable, but CB beers are generally thin. Go for the stronger (klasse F) version.

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

Dark golden coloured and moderately carbonated, this Norwegian lager relies heavily on the caramel malts used. The flavour is distinctly sweet, but quite well balanced with the hops. Lager lovers with a 'sweet tooth' will find it attractive, the rest of you will at the best see it as an acceptable 'change of pace' beer.

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

(500 ml can). Very light colour, moderate head. Weak aroma. Hardly any flavour or aftertaste at all, just a hint of bitterness. If it wasn't for the alcohol you might as well drink CB's "crystal clear source water". As if their ordinary pilsener wasn't bland enough... This "vacation pils" needs to be sent on a looong vacation - on its own. Avoid!

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

330 ml bottle, like all "klasse F" juleøl (Yule/Christmas beers) sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. One of the best Norwegian Christmas specials. Deep reddish brown colour, caramel and some spice in aroma and flavour. Good with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare.