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

April 2020, sampled again today. 440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Verksgt., Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of fruity hops, notes of tropical fruits, hints of citrus and spruce. Hoppy flavour, fruity with a good bitterness. Some malty sweetness. Very good beer.

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

From cask / hand pump at Cardinal, Stavanger. Golden colour, moderate to small white head. Moderately malty aroma and flavour, not very sweet, with moderate earthy hops.

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

November 2019: 330 ml can, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Hops are 2018 harvest Columbus, Citra and Centennial. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of grapefruit and spruce, a hint of tropical fruits. The flavour has some sweetness, but not too much. Distinct hops as expected, but far from extreme for a double IPA. Moderate aftertaste. Notes of citrus, spruce and pineapple, as the brewery suggests.

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

330 ml can, as Rygr Baldr Vestkyst IPA, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Slightly hazy orange to amber colour, large white head. Aroma of orange marmalade, grapefruit and pine. Distinctly resinous and grapefruity flavour, with a massive bitterness. A decent "old school" West Coast IPA.

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.0%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of citrus, also notes of tropical fruits. Citric flavour, refreshing, with a piney bitterness, becomes medicinal in the aftertaste.

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

375 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.2%. Clear signal red colour, moderate to small off-white to pink head. Aroma of sour cherries, solvent, almonds and detergent. Thin mouthfeel. Dry flavour with notes of sour cherries, cherry kernels, solvent and bittering hops. Not a beer for me. Apparently the impossible takes more than week.

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

375 ml bottle, vintage 2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 11.0%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and chili. Medium sweet flavour, with loads of chocolate and a nice chili burn. Moderate hops. Enjoyable.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. Moderately hazy undefined pinkish-brownish colour, moderate to small off-white head. Aroma of more or less artificial "fruits of the forest" essence. Medium sour flavour of "fruits of the forest" essence and lactic acid. Drinkable, but not a beer I'll buy again.

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

750 ml corked & caged clear bottle, vintage 2021, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Very pale straw colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. Aroma of sour & sweet Summerred apples. Crisp and medium dry flavour, moderate fruity acidity, some tannins in the slightly bitter finish.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Deep reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Interesting aroma, notes of dark fruits, red wine, oak and balsamic vinegar. Medium sour flavour with the same elements. Hardly any bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Moderately hazy reddish brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma of caramel and over-ripe red berries, hints of mild spices. Medium sweet and malty flavour with the same elements, also distinct bittering hops in the finish.

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

330 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Made with gooseberries and fig opuntia / prickly pear. Moderately hazy golden to orange colour, minimal white head. Aroma of jam of said fruits, also notes of tangerine. Medium sour flavour of gooseberries, prickly pear and tangerine, also lactic acid. Hardly any bitterness. Refreshing and nice to drink.

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

330 ml bottle with red wax top, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 10.8%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Aroma of roast malts, oak, red wine and whiskey. The flavour has the same elements, and is fortunately not too sweet. Noticeable bittering hops in the dry and slightly salty finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

330 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 11%. Pitch black colour, large to moderate tan head. Sweetish aroma of malts, dark syrup, chocolate, vanilla and almonds. Sickly sweet and sugary flavour, the same elements as the aroma, but the beer is so revoltingly sweet that it is undrinkable for me. Totally unbalanced.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Moderately hazy pale golden colour, large white head. Malts and bakery in the aroma. Malts, citrus and herbal hops (Tettnanger) in the flavour. A fairly decent pilsener.

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

750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10.5%. Dark brown colour, thin beige head. Aroma of dark dried fruits, malts, a hint of molasses. Very moderate carbonation. Flavour of dark dried fruits, oak, some bittering hops, brown kandij sugar.

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

473 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.4%. Very pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. Nice aroma of grapefruit, honey melon and pine, hints of menthol and camphor. The mouthfeel is a bit thin. Flavour of citrus, moderate to low bitterness. Fairly refreshing.

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

375 ml slimline bottle, vintage 2022, bought at the cidery. ABV is 10%. Apple variety is Aroma. Clear and deep golden colour, no carbonation. Aroma of concentrated apple juice, oak and sulphites. Very sweet and intense flavour, with the same elements. Excellent stuff.

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

March 2006: 330 ml green bottle with a green label, simply called "Yanjing Beer", in France. ABV was 4.5%. I presume this is the same beer. Pale golden colour, large fluffy head. Grassy aroma, not unlike Tsingtao and Heineken. Relatively dry pale lager flavour, not offensive.

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

Aug. 2014: Keg, halfpint, as Randall’s Monty’s, at The Last Post, Guernsey. Copper colour, low white head. Moderate aroma, some caramel and nuts. Distinctly nutty flavour, also caramel, but not very sweet. Moderate hops in the finish, some bitterness in the aftertaste. For a keg ale, this is not too bad.

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

Aug. 2014: Shared 500 ml bottle from Guernsey, probably filtered and pasteurised. ABV is 5.0%. Cognac / caramel colour, moderate off-white head. Malty aroma with caramel and brown bread. The flavour is first malty with some caramel (but not very sweet), then moderate hops take over. Not as good as the cask version, but drinkable enough.

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

Cask pints (numerous) at The Last Post, Guernsey. Cask ABV is 4.5%. (ABV of the bottled version is 5.0%.) Copper to brown colour, low creamy head, slightly off-white. Malty aroma with some caramel and toffee notes. Malty flavour too, toffee and nutty notes, a little fruit, very moderate hops - a very British character overall.

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

Aug. 2018: Cask half pint at The Lamplighter, St. Helier. Served at correct cellar temperature. Golden colour, nice lacing. Moderate aroma. The flavour is slightly dry, with tingling hops in the finish.

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

Oct. 2016: Cask pint at The Shepherd’s Tavern, Mayfair. Copper colour, off-white head. Moderate malty aroma, some fruit. Slightly sweet, fruity (currants) and malty flavour. Decent enough, but the hops are too moderate.

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

Nov. 2013: Cask halfpint at JDW, Victoria Station, London. Reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate but nice fruity and malty aroma. Rich flavour of ripe berries, malts and fruity hops, soft and smooth to drink, but not too sweet. Pleasant beer.