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

April 2013: 250 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Golden colour, large white head. Pleasant and strong aroma of sea buckthorn, apple cider and brettanomyces, hints of oak. The flavour is fairly sour but not extreme, quite dry, notes of brett and sea buckthorn again, bitter aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, from Bris Ølutsalg, Jørpeland. 15 IBU. Very pale yellow colour, large white head. Aroma of DMS and lime. Very thin mouthfeel, but refreshing, mainly due to the notes of lime. Some less pleasant DMS and grainy notes in the background.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate but fairly nice aroma of caramel malts and some vegetal notes (the pumpkin, I assume). Soft mouthfeel. Flavour of caramel malts and slightly roasted malts, moderate notes of pumpkin with some acidity. Slightly burnt aftertaste. Not difficult to drink and like.

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

Sample at Vectura-messe. Hazy pale yellow colour, white head. Fruity aroma. Light bodied. Refreshing flavour, citrus, moderate bitterness. Decent beer.

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

500 ml test bottle from the brewery. ABV is 4.5%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Lovely and fairly complex aroma of hops - notes of grapefruit, tropical fruits, pine and spruce - some mild spicy notes too. Very hoppy flavour throughout, with the same elements as the aroma, and a sharpish bitter finish. The mouthfeel is better than I feared for a 4.5% beer. This is a beer I expect will sell well.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed specially for the Skral music festival at Groos in Grimstad. Like all NØ beers it is bottle conditioned. ABV is 4,5%. Ingredients include wheat malt, lager malt, Crystal hops, coriander and Belgian yeast. 20 IBU, 11 degrees P. Cloudy pale golden colour, big white head. Lovely aroma of coriander and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is distinctly spicy throughout, a modest fruitiness carries hints of citrus and banana, the coriander is dominant, but there is also a substantial hoppy bitterness. I find it VERY hard to believe that the IBU is as low as 20, but what do I know - I guess they wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Dry and bitter finish. Tastes like a cross between NØ’s Wit and their Saison. Definitely something else than the pale lagers you will get at most music festivals.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Hazy deep golden colour, moderate white head. Distinct dryish aroma of lemongrass. Fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied. Dry flavour with loads of lemongrass, white pepper finish. No doubt good with Asian food, but also decent on its own as a refreshment. Will buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark mahogany coloured beer, huge beige creamy head with good retention. Lovely aroma of Christmas spices, anise and English liquorice. Extremely rich mouthfeel. Powerful malty sweetness in the flavour, with an abundancy of Christmas spices, anise and English liquorice. Hints of juniper berries and burnt caramel. Lots of liquorice in the long aftertaste.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 11%. Pitch black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of molasses, caramel, roast malts, chocolate and toasted almonds. Warming and rich mouthfeel, oily texture. Very sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, also notes of sweetened coffee, noticeable alcohol. Too sweet for me, really.

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

750 ml green bottle, from the cidery. ABV is 7%. Apple varieties are Discovery and Gravenstein, hops are also added. Clear and extremely pale straw colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. "Perfumed" aroma of roses and sweet apples, a spicy hint of hops. Light bodied for its strength. Slightly dry flavour of apples, noticeable bittering hops.

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

330 ml can, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger.ABV is 4.7%, IBU 30. Black colour, moderate beige head. The aroma has notes of roast malts and citric hops, a hint of tropical fruits. Thin mouthfeel. Citric and moderately roasty dry flavour, medium bitter finish with hints of resin and coffee.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Very dark brown to black colour, small tan head. Aroma of roast malts and coffee, hints of chocolate, oak and leather. Warming mouthfeel. Sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, also notes of caramel and brown sugar. Very enjoyable.

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

Rerate, 440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.0%. Very dark brown colour, moderate and creamy beige head. Sweetish aroma of malts, caramel, burnt toast and chocolate / cocoa. Sweet flavour with the same elements, too sweet for me, unbalanced. Won't buy again. Original rating: On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malts and chocolate, quite sweet. I think I have a can of this one in my stash too, might re-rate.

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

440 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 5.6%. Opaque yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of citrus and tropical fruits, hints of pine needles and sprucetips. The flavour has the same elements, with a moderate but fairly sharp resinous bitterness in the finish.

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

440 ml can, at Cardinal Pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.2%. Brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malts, caramel, heather flowers and heather honey, fruity hints of dark berries, raisins and prunes, minimal hops, extremely drinkable.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Pink to orange colour, slightly off-white head. Aroma of lactic acid and sour fruits and berries, esp. raspberries. Sour flavour, loads of lactic acid and sour raspberries.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Brown colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Malty aroma, notes of toffee and caramel. Malty flavour too, not too sweet, a hint of toffee again, a slight fruitiness, moderate earthy hops in the finish. Well balanced.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Opaque yellow colour, moderate white head. Strong aroma of tomcat / catpiss, also citrus and pine needles. The flavour has citrus, tropical fruits, alcohol and pine needles, with a resinous bitterness in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, batch #599, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Deep reddish brown colour, moderately hazy. Moderate beige head. Aroma of medium roast malts, notes of burnt caramel and burnt breadcrumbs. The flavour has the same elements, with moderate bittering hops and more roast malts in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, as Grünerløkka Imperial Nøttebrun Brown Ale, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%. Very dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of brown malts, roasted nuts, burnt breadcrumbs. The flavour has the same elements, also hints of burnt caramel and dark chocolate, moderate earthy hops.

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

330 ml bottle, as Bira 91 Blonde Summer Lager, from Helgø Meny Stadionparken. ABV is 4.5%. Very pale golden colour, small white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts and boiled rice, hints of newmown grass. Citric mouthfeel. Dull and "neutral" flavour, way too little hops. Won't buy again.

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

440 ml can, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%. Slightly hazy pale yellow colour, pours sparkling with a small and shortlived white head. Moderate but nice aroma of apples, a hint of piney hops. Very refreshing and medium dry flavour with moderate citric hops.

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

440 ml can, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%, IBU 25. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate to small white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, hay and grass, also hints of herbal hops and caramel. Citric and moderately fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has sweetish malts and moderate herbal hops, fairly bitter aftertaste.

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

June 2014: Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. ABV is 6.0%. Reddish dark amber colour. Aroma of Christmas spices, malts and spruce - but unfortunately also a hint of vomit. Strong and medium sweet flavour of Christmas spices and spruce - some may find it "over the top", but I like it. A little more hops wouldn’t hurt though.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml bottle, as By the Horns Wolfie Smith Amber IPA, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 5.2%. Deep golden colour, large white head. Nice hoppy aroma of grapefruit, spruce and pine. Soft mouthffeel. Flavour of smoke, ashes, pine and sharp bittering hops. Not good, unbalanced.