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

500 ml can, bought in Poland. Golden to amber colour, large head. Fairly strong sweetish musty and fruity aroma. Flavour is fairly malty and sweet with evident alcoholic notes, partially balanced by tolerable hops. I had it on its own at cellar temperature, would probably prefer it cold with a solid Polish meal.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Poland. Beautiful dark mahogany colour, large and lasting creamy tan head. Aroma of rye bread, caramel and toasted malts, hints of leather. Flavour is very rich and malty sweet, you might say VERY sweet. Notes of caramel and plenty of lightly toasted malts. Hints of coffee. Just enough hops in the finish to balance the sweetness. Interesting beer!

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, in Flensburg. Very pale golden colour, large and lasting head. Watery of course, but has a decent hoppiness in aroma and flavour, without the "boiled" character of most other n/a beers. One of the (relatively) "best" n/a beers I’ve had so far.

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

330 ml bottle. Pale golden colour, decent head. Very moderate hops in the aroma. Light bodied of course, but an unexpected hoppy bitterness in the finish and aftertaste makes it stand above most other Norwegian "lettøl".

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

500 ml bottle, in Poland. ABV is 6%. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Fruity hops aroma. Moderately malty flavour, drinkable but nothing spectacular.

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

330 ml bottle, sampled in Germany. Also available in cans. A typical German pils, not very malty but with a distinct hoppy bitterness - not overdone, though. Reminds me of Veltins.

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

330 ml bottle, in Aalborg, Denmark. Pale golden colour, low and very short-lived head. Boring aroma and flavour, watery and sad. This light (= low ABV) beer is one to avoid.

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

On tap in Berlin, where it is widely available. Pale golden colour, decent head. Moderate flowery hoppy aroma. Average pilsener flavour, tolerable hops, but not really remarkable.

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

500 ml bottle, in Berlin. Hazy brown colour, moderate head. Moderate caramel and banana aroma. Bready and moderately malty flavour with faint hints of caramel, bananas and cloves. Relatively dry. Short aftertaste.

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

On tap in Oranienburg. Pale golden colour, decent head. Herbal aromatic hops in the aroma. Flavour is relatively rich and malty for a German pilsener. Nice.

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

500 ml bottle, in Krakow, Poland. Golden colour, low head. Moderate sweetish aroma. Average pilsener flavour, not very exciting. Not a beer to search out.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Zywiec Original Beer. ABV is 5.6%. Yellow/golden colour, decent head. Strong sweetish aroma, notes of candy, pilsener malts and a certain fruitiness. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma makes me fear. There is a noticeable maltiness, with very discrete hops in the finish. OKish, easy drinking. Original rating: Draught in Krakow. I think it was called Zywiec Pils on the (English) drinks list, but I presume this is the same beer. Golden colour, moderate head, moderate carbonation. A fairly decent standard pils in my book.

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

330 ml bottle. Light (which in Norway means low ABV) lager with some bitterness but otherwise little flavour. Like all light beers easily forgettable.

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

500 ml bottle, in Poland. Golden colour, large head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, fruity. Flavour is malty and slightly alcoholic, but nice. OKish strong lager.

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

500 ml bottle, available in Norway at Vinmonopolet (partiutvalget). This unfiltered beer is slightly hazy, pale golden colour. Huge and lasting white head. Strong flowery aroma of aromatic hops, notes of honey and grass too. Nice. Flavour is fairly sweet, notes of honey and caramel, but the beer is still fairly light bodied and refreshing. A faint hoppy bitterness in the finish. A little more bittering hops would have been nice, though.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #28. Bottle conditioned. Very cloudy brownish colour, moderate but lasting off-white head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, hints of cider apples and leather, even some barnyard. Flavour has some malty and brown sugar sweetness, but also a distinct peppery and resinous bitterness. Peppery mouthfeel. Long bitter aftertaste. Will probably improve with age.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Also available in Vinmonopolet stores. Amber coloured premium lager. Decent lasting head, slightly off-white. Moderate aroma, some hops with faint flowery and honey notes. Clean flavour with a decent maltiness and acceptable hops, hints of caramel, soft mouthfeel. And its organic! Not too bad, as far as Danish lagers go.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV on the label is 4.2%, also confirmed by the brewery website. (ABV of the cask version is also the same.) Clear amber colour, large off-white lasting head. Moderate carbonation. Moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma, hints of fruits, oak and leather. Flavour is mildly spicy and fruity, slightly acidic. Tolerable hops in the finish. Refreshing and easy drinking. Not too bad for a pasteurised moderate-ABV bitter.

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

Rerate, filtered and pasteurised, can: The size is not printed on the can (ommitting this is illegal in Norway), I suspect the size is 440 ml, not the usual 500 ml. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden colour, decent head. Pleasant aroma of butterscotch and aromatic hops. Moderate carbonation. Flavour has toffee and butterscotch but also tolerable hops in the finish. Not bad. Original rating: Draught, at Cardinal, Stavanger. Unpasteurised, and allegedly unfiltered - but the beer was crystal clear. The pasteurised and filtered bottled version will be available from May 1. 2006. The unpasteurised keg was 1 week old upon sampling. Deep golden colour, like a Danish "Classic". Moderate head. Aroma and flavour of butterscotch (diacetyl), mellow and well rounded. Served by accident with a 100% CO2 carbonation, would normally be served with a 20% nitrogen and 80% oxygen mix. Will rerate if the bottled version is significantly different.

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

750 ml corked "champagne" bottle. Bought in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Pours very fizzy, moderate carbonation in the glass. No lasting head. Hazy golden colour. Intense aroma of cider apples, notes of barnyard, hints of ammonium, oak and leather. Fairly mellow flavour of cider apples, hints of oak, sweeter than expected from a brut. OKish and easy drinking, but lacks "bite". Bottle might have been over the hilltop.

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

750 ml corked bottle, bought in France. Golden nearly clear colour, large lasting white head. Pleasant flowery and fruity aroma, also notes of honey and leather. Flavour is spicy and somewhat alcoholic, with a peppery finish. Well worth sampling.

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

750 ml corked bottle, bought in France. ABV is 4.8%. Pale straw coloured, a faint haziness, large white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Very nice aroma of yeast, herbs and spices, hints of oak and alcohol. Very refreshing flavour, mild spices (coriander), light bodied. Pleasant beer.

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

500 ml can, from a SPAR shop in Funchal. ABV is 8.6%. Clear golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma, notes of banana, a hint of soap. Moderately sweet flavour, notes of banana again. Moderate hops.

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

500 ml can, bought in France. ABV is 7.5%. Deep amber colour, nearly clear. Large off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with notes of aromatic hops, leather and oak. Malty and oaky flavour with tolerable hops, notes of toffee and caramel. Not bad at all for a canned beer!

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

500 ml can, as George Killian’s Bière Rousse (Bière Spéciale de Tradition Irlandaise), bought in France. ABV is 6.5%. Reddish amber colour, large off-white head. Moderate malty sweet aroma with notes of caramel and fruit. Flavour is also moderately malty with some caramel, very moderate hops. Little complexity. Drinkable beer, but nothing to get excited about.