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

750 ml silk-print corked (champagne style) brown bottle, bought in Denmark. Golden colour, slightly hazy, pours with an enormous, fluffy and lingering white head. Very nice aroma of yeast, oak, brown candy sugar, horse stable and cigars. Slightly spicy and peppery flavour with tolerable maltiness and hops, and a slight alcoholic bite. Aftertaste is okay, but does not last "forever". Not a particularly complex flavour, but a good beer all the same.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Golden colour, fluffy head diminishing rapidly. Moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma with citrussy elements and some toffee. Flavour is rather lager-like, with a grapefruity bitterness with some metallic notes in the finish. I started drinking it far too cold, improves a bit as it warms up, but not much. Reasonably refreshing, but no masterpiece.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Reddish brown colour, good lingering head and lacing. Very moderate aroma and flavour of malts and some caramel, pretty much on the soft and bland side but not offensive. Minimal bitterness, but not very sweet either. Easy drinking. No masterpiece, but not as bad as I feared.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

(500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at an English brown ale has a deep golden brown colour and pours with a large head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (apples). Flavour is very mellow, some maltiness but not much else. Minimal hops. Flat and bland finish. If Mack’s purpose is to brew a truly GREAT brown ale, they have a long way to go ....

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

500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at a German hefeweizen is drinkable, but unfortunately the pleasant standard hefeweizen aroma is flawed by strong sidenotes of SOAP. Typical cloudy hefe appearance. Flavour is tolerable, but fairly bland and far from great. Still, they ARE trying. And I’d prefer their Hvete (wheat) to their standard macro lagers. Doesn’t take much, really. But any German brewed macro Hefeweizen is still a better choice than this micro ...

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

500 ml brown bottle, available in Norway (ICA Maxi). Label layout is different and reads "Brakspear Bottle Conditioned Organic Beer", but this must be the same beer. ABV is the same, 4.6%. Pours very fizzy with an enormous foamy head. Deep golden / amber colour. Pleasant hoppy aroma (Fuggles, Goldings), hints of toffee and butterscotch. Moderate malty flavour with a well balanced hoppiness, toffee sidenotes. Mouthfeel maybe a bit thin. Bitter finish.

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

500 ml, bottle conditioned. Orange to brown colour, decent peachy to beige head. As I’ve had many British ales with excellent aroma lately, I kind of expected the 1845 to be equally good. It’s not, but that doesn’t mean the aroma is bad either. Moderate fruitcake and caramel aroma on a hoppy background. Flavour is malty with some spices and decent hops, but not VERY complex. The ABV is evident, but alcohol does not dominate the flavour. Hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. A decent beer, but not the best I’ve had.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle. Black colour, impenetrable for light. Moderate tan head. Looks like old engine oil, smells like old engine oil too - just add dark and roast malts, oak, leather, liquorice and dark bitter chocolate. Lovely roast malts flavour, oily texture. Elements of oak, dark bitter chocolate and substantial hops, maybe some dried fruits and English liquorice too. Great roasty bitter aftertaste with elements of peaty smoke. A great beer!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

12 fl. oz. bottle, UK import. Bottled in 2003. ABV is 11.6%. Opaque pitch black, moderate brown head. Pleasant roasty aroma, hints of dark fruits, chocolate and liquorice. Flavour, on the other hand, is not particularly pleasant. From start to finish it is dominated by a one-dimensional intense bitterness of extremely strong and poorly made coffee, masks any other flavour (including the alcohol) which otherwise might be present. Want a definition of "over-kill"? Here it is! As Queen Victoria would have said: "We are not amused!" Apart from the looks and the aroma: Very disappointing.

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

650 ml bottle, UK import. ABV is 5.3%. Very dark opaque brown colour, nearly black. Pours with a large and thick tan head. Pleasant roasty aroma with strong coffee notes, also cigarbox, chocolate and leather. Flavour has strong coffee notes too, some tar and a slight smokiness. Roasty and hoppy bitterness in the long aftertaste. Maybe not the most complex beer in the world, but a very good one all the same!

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, UK import. Pours very foamy and fizzy, with a decent lingering head. Deep amber colour, hazy. Sweet yeasty aroma with elements of oak, molasses, butter and hayloft. Flavour has some molasses sweetness, butter, butterscotch, some spices and decent hops, but lacks a fresh and spritzy "bite". Too much butter elements, I guess. Still a beer well above average, but I’m not ecstatic.

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Dark reddish brown colour, slightly hazy, large to moderate head. Fine aroma of oak, leather and camphorwood, some roastiness, brown sugar and prunes too. Flavour is very malty and slightly spicy with a moderate roastiness, but first and foremost dominated by a pronounced hoppy bitterness from start to finish - it’s debatable whether they have overdone the Target hops here. Aftertaste is definitely astringent. Still, it’s nice to have a beer where the use of both malts and hops obviously has been generous. This is not a beer for the "Carlings Black Label" crowd!

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Orange colour, hazy, low head. Lovely aroma of orange peel, coriander and witbier yeast (in other words: like it should be). Moderately sweet witbier flavour, orange peel and coriander dominates. Moderate dusty hops finish. Not a bad try on an un-English style!

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival 2005, gravity dispense. This beer was described as an "old ale styled beer" in the festival programme, but the brewery website describes it as a "strong bitter". Colour is reddish brown. Excellent complex aroma: dark fruits, sherry, oak, butterscotch, hints of ensilage and new-mown grass. Fairly sweet oaky and malty flavour, some caramel and dusty hops too.

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

Bottle condtioned, 500 ml. Bottle No. 001880. Pours with a large, thick and lasting beige head. Beautiful copper colour, transparent, no sediment in bottle. Delightful sweet aroma - Christmas spices, caramel, brown sugar, oak, fruits (sultanas, plums), sherry. Flavour is malty and spicy with some brown sugar notes, but not too sweet. A substantial hoppy bitterness from start to finish. Very good!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Deep brown colour. Strong ensilage aroma, some would probably say "with a hint of vomit", some caramel too. Mouthfeel maybe a bit thin. Malty flavour with some caramel. Not much bitterness.

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. A gift from chris_o (a fellow beer rater), a very fine gift indeed! Thanks! Pours with an enormous and lingering foamy head, deep golden colour. Fairly clear till I disturbed the sediment in the end. Lovely hoppy aroma, "typically British" - at its best. Flavour is hoppy throughout on a nice malty background with some toffee notes, again "typically British". This is what John Smith’s SHOULD have tasted like! Rerate: now available in Norway at Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Still a great beer! This time I also get some hints of smoke in the flavour, which does not make the beer any worse.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Deep amber colour. Strong treacle / burnt caramel aroma, lovely. Butterscotch flavour, moderately sweet but with a hoppy finish. Unusual and nice.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Brownish golden colour. Complex aroma of blackcurrants, blackberries and hay, some sherry too. Malty flavour with tolerable hops, hints of blackcurrant leaves and marsala (Italian fortified wine). Very moderate hops in the finish, slightly dusty.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Belhaven Classic Fruit Beer". Dark amber colour. Strong fruity aroma of blackcurrants, blackberries, boysenberries and maybe some redcurrants too. Flavour is extremely fruity, raspberry, blackberries and redcurrants abound. A tolerable maltiness and a decent hoppy finish makes this an above-average ale. From the ratings of the pasteurized and bottled version it seems apparent that the cask version is superior.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Wensleydale Rowley Mild". Gravity dispense. Dark brown colour. Lovely aroma of dark fruits with slightly roasty notes. Flavour is moderately malty with a moderate fruity character - lacking in hops, but that’s the traditional mild for yer, mate. Not too much of a mouthfeel at 3.2% ABV, but decent enough.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4.9%. The brewery website does not mention the ABV, it might vary. This is another lovely citrussy golden ale from Oakham, a style which seems to be their specialty. Golden colour, low head. Plenty of citrus, tropical fruits and honey in the aroma. Flavour has some citrus, but also some of the dusty hoppiness you’ll find in many Southern English ales.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. One of the craziest beer names so far - a fellow beer rater told me it’s adopted from a Cream song (I guess I should have known that). Dark brown colour, low head, some natural carbonation. According to the CBF programme it’s "a little too hoppy to be a classic mild" - still it is not VERY hoppy, just the typical Southern English dusty hoppiness. Aroma and flavour are malty with some caramel (but not really sweet), some cola notes.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Pale golden colour. Lovely citrussy sweet aroma, hints of honey. Some natural carbonation, zesty. Some wheat character. A nice hoppy bitterness throughout. Another great session beer from Oakham.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Brownish colour. Moderate caramel and nuts aroma. Fairly malty premium bitter with a tolerable dusty hoppiness.