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

(500 ml bottle). Cloudy golden colour (fairly dark for a Hefe), large head, not very strong aroma of cloves, good refreshing flavour, hints of bitterness (which often seems to be lacking in other Weissbiers).

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

(500 ml bottle). Kentish strong ale of golden brown colour, good head, malty aroma with caramel and oak. Nutty flavour, well hopped, "raw" in the edges (which I like). Would love to try this one cask conditioned!

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

Cask conditioned at The Spanish Galleon, Greenwich, London. Served at cellar temperature. Copper coloured, low head. Fruity aroma. Flavour is malty and nutty with a nice bitterness. Good beer!

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

Cask conditioned this is just an excellent ale. Enough said. Rerate May 14 2002: Had this one again today from can + bottle (bottle slightly better) in Norway, not nearly as good as cask conditioned, but still a very drinkable ale. Could use a little more aromatic hops. Rerate 2: I take back what I said about can vs. bottle. I found a retailer who stores the cans cold, and they're a helluva lot better than the frequently skunky (clear!) bottles, which are stored warm at my other retailer's. Well kept, I just love the nutty freshness of this ale.

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

(500 ml bottle). Exquisite aroma, beautiful colour, very bitter aftertaste (perhaps too bitter?) Rerate: I regret part of my first comment: The flavour is NOT too hoppy - it’s just an acquired taste. And the aroma IS exquisite!

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

Rerate 13. April: I deliberately avoided pouring the yeast in this time, beer is clear deep golden, like a bitter or an IPA. Flavour is more balanced, still a substantial bitterness but not unpleasant. Very little wheat character, in a blind test I'd say this was a decent IPA or possibly an ESB. Original rating: 500 ml, bottle conditioned. Batch #128. The brewers say this beer should be consumed on Easter Day and not during Lent. I’d better re-rate shortly after Easter - maybe they mean that the beer is too fresh now? Anyway, I HAD too try it now, once it was for sale. The beer has a hazy golden, nearly orange colour. Initially large head, doesn’t last to the end. Lovely hoppy aroma with hints of citrus, honey and leather. Flavour is very bitter from start to finish (loads of hops and coriander, peppery mouthfeel) , while the beer otherwise is light bodied like a wheat beer should be. This means that the hops and spices are overdone here, and the subtleties of a wheat beer do not survive. Those who love American IPAs might like it, but to me this is my least favourite Nøgne Ø beer so far.

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

500 ml red can, now available in Norway ("hooray!" - NOT!). I saw this low carb beer in England too (but resisted buying it there), it’s contract brewed by German brewers Gebr. Maisel for some shady London company wanting to profit on the American-inspired "low carb" craze. www.redlightbeer.com Maybe Maisel feel as if their brewing skills are sold for "prostitution" (in terms of craft pride) - that could explain the "redlight" name of the beer... I’m sure it will become popular in the "redlight districts" of Europe - or maybe not .... Anyway, like all(?) low carb beers the colour is very pale straw coloured, head goes from large & fluffy to none. There actually is some aroma: grass and hints of citrus. Not much flavour of course, but better than feared, at least it’s not offensive - fairly clean with a faint hint of hops. Watery and slightly metallic mouthfeel, as expected. Aftertaste is next to none. But seriously - why "low carb" beers? Go for a walk in stead!

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

33 cl bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. Deep amber colour, hazy. Large head. Aroma and flavour are rather alcoholic, with caramel, brown sugar, oak and hints of barnyard. Sweetness is reasonably balanced by the hoppy bitterness, which also has some not-so-desirable metallic edges. Mouthfeel is warming and a bit peppery. An unusual beer, well worth sampling, but DIVINE?? I don’t think so - go for the Trappists in stead, they have better connections "upstairs".

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

25 cl bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. Amber colour, large and fluffy lingering head. Vinous dry sherry-like aroma, elements of oak and leather too. Flavour is again sherry-like, medium dry (or medium sweet, if you like), loads and loads of oak, hints of German "Weinbrand", warming mouthfeel as expected from a 12% ABV beer, but the beer doesn’t feel inappropriately alcoholic. A substantial hoppy bitterness in the finish balances the sweetness nicely. Plays in the Premier League of beers, this one.

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

A weaker version (4.75%) is sold in Norway. I don't like this stuff. Metallic bitter and unpleasant aftertaste. Better on tap in Germany (original strength), but still not one of my favourites.

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

Draught (keg) at Hogan’s, Darlington. Amber colour, low head. Moderate toffee aroma. Smooth, malty, easy drinking "bitter" in the North-Eastern style, low bitterness. Reminds me of Tetley’s.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. This bottle conditioned "original" IPA has a slightly hazy deep golden colour and a fluffy head. The hops are what it’s all about in the aroma and flavour - lovely citrussy aroma with hints of oak and leather, flavour has a distinct resin-like bitterness with notes of grapefruit on a subdued background of dusty malty sweetness. Interesting beer.

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

275 ml bottle, at The Beehive, Brentford, London. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Aroma like a decent standard bitter. Reasonably hoppy flavour. Not bad for a beer this low ABV.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Another new Yule/Christmas beer from the craft brewers of Nøgne Ø. Very dark brown to ruby colour, decent head. Nice aroma of dark malts, caramel and spices (cardamom and cloves). Unashamedly sweet with a velvety mouthfeel, but not cloying. Rich and malty flavour with caramel, distinct cardamom and cloves (also some ginger and nutmeg??). Sufficient hops and spices in the aftertaste. Very good beer! I’m sure it’s nice enough with cookies, but definitely a treat on its own!

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

(500 ml bottle). Bottle condtioned. Pours with an excellent thick & tan head. Pitch black, even when held to the light. In a blind test I'd probably say this was a stout (not Guinness!), maybe even an imperial. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, cigar box, English pipe tobacco and dark bitter chocolate. Flavour is again roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. Not too sweet, excellent bitterness where you can sense the hops as well as the roasted malts.

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

(500 ml bottle). The Nøgne Ø micro brewery is in a class of its own (at least by Norwegian standards), so this beer is by far the best Norwegian "klasse D" (= grocery store market) Christmas/Yule beer you can get (all others are Vienna lagers). Deep copper colour, moderate head. Malty, oaky and toffee aroma with hints of spices. Malty flavour balanced by a decent bitterness. Rerate Christmas 2004: Colour seems even darker this year, plenty of yeast floaties. Flavour is maybe a tad spicier, well balanced hops. Impressively tasty for a Yule beer with a meagre ABV of 4.5%

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). The good people of Nøgne Ø have brewed as many as 4 different Yule/Christmas beers for the Yuletide of 2004. "God Jul" and "Julesnadder" are continued from last year with revised recipes, new ones are "Underlig Jul" and this one, their vanilla porter "Julenatt" (= Yule/Christmas Night). Black colour, thick tan head. Aroma of vanilla, roasted malts, hot chocolate and dark fruits. Flavour is rather sweet, dominant vanilla, roasted malts, coffee and plenty of chocolate. A roast and hop bitterness make the aftertaste tolerable. Nice for a change of pace, a decent "dessert beer" for those with a sweet tooth. But like I said in my rating of another vanilla beer: "there’s probably a reason most beers DON’T smell and taste strongly of vanilla". I’m not a big vanilla fan, but for those who don’t mind, this is probably as good as it gets.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Courtesy of Erik Dahl, Venner av Nøgne Ø.) I received this remarkable beer with awe, mixed with great anticipation. Very few litres of #100 have been for sale to the public. Would I like it, or would the massive hops (80 IBU!) be too much for me? The cost of brewing it (= the massive amount of malts and hops required for a batch) made the brewers certain that it would be unprofitable as a permanent brew, particularly with Norwegian alcohol taxes. This impenetrable cloudy dark brown beer pours with a large to moderate tan head. Aroma is simply wonderful - Colombus hops galore, dark chocolate, leather, cigars, pipe tobacco, tar. The complexity remains in the flavour - extremely malty, very sweet, but also extremely bitter. The bitterness (which becomes medicinal and wormwood-like in the aftertaste) prevents me from giving this beer a full score. On a regular basis, I’d prefer Nøgne Ø’s God Jul (which is world class this year, IMHO) and also their Porter. But what a great experiment #100 is!

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

375 ml corked bottle, champagne-style. Bought at Selfridge’s, London. ABV was 4.5%. Hazy reddish brown colour, pours with an impressive large tan head with a pinkish hue. Aroma is overwhelming ripe (over-ripe?) raspberries. Flavour is of course raspberries on a background of sourish brown ale (’cause that’s what this beer really is), but not as sour as I expected. Fairly sweet, but not cloying. Hints of cowshed. I wonder what this beer would taste like if the raspberries used had been less ripe - probably "fresher" and more sour and tart. As it is, it’s a drinkable and interesting fruit beer, but would hardly be my daily indulgence even if it had been available in Norway.

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

Ex Vaux beer, now brewed by Robinsons for "The Double Maxim Beer Company Sunderland", website www.dmbc.co.uk . 550 ml bottle, straight from the fridge (= served too cold) at The Shipwrights, North Hylton, Sunderland. Deep brown colour, darker than Newcastle Brown. Decent head. Malty and nutty aroma and flavour, hints of toffee, low bitterness. Fuller flavour than NBA, but not remarkable.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Very pale colour, low head. Fruity / citrussy aroma. Hoppy flavour, light bodied. Very nice for its strength.

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

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield, Derby. Golden colour. Lovely citrussy aroma. Complex hoppy, herbal and citrussy flavour. This is very good! - obviously related to its excellent low ABV brother, the JHB.

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

Cask conditioned at the Exeter Arms, Derby. Hazy brown colour, low creamy head. Moderate aroma, some English malt vinegar. Malty sweet flavour, full, rich and creamy mouthfeel. Not bad.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Deep golden colour, low head. Decent standard bitter, slightly nutty flavour, acceptable hops.

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

Vintage 2003. 275 ml bottle at the White Horse at Parsons Green, London. Unusual, overwhelming and lovely aroma of port wine, raisins and dried figs, hints of barnyard. Very sweet, like drinking a sweet sherry with carbonation. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from an 11.5% beer. It’s definitely not a beer I’d drink every day, but it sure was an interesting experience. The sweetness makes this an alternative to sherry or port, rather than another beer. 275 ml is definitely enough for one sitting. I understand that some people find it cloying, but with a beer this rich in aroma and flavour, I accept the sweetness.