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

Shared 330 ml can, at local tasting. ABV is 5.1%. Pale golden colour, large white head. Minimal aroma, hints of grassy and citrussy hops, not unpleasant though. Fairly "clean" and neutral pale lager flavour, a hint of citrus, noticeable hops. Not as bad as I feared.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 5.2%. Pale golden colour, low head. Moderate fruity aroma, not too bad. Fizzy mouthfeel. "Chemical" flavour with notes of raw alcohol and wet cardboard.

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

330 ml bottle, at the GBBF 2008. ABV was 7.5%. Served too cold. Pitch black colour, moderate head. Roasty aroma, notes of rubber, malts and coffee. The flavour is heavily roasted / burnt with grainy and rubbery notes - quite strange. I hate it and love it - simultaneously.

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

On tap at Oslo Mikrobryggeri, as Amber X. Beautiful chestnut colour. Malty and nutty aroma and flavour, also notes of toffee and caramel. A very nice and drinkable beer.

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

On tap at Oslo Mikrobryggeri. Reddish amber colour. Lovely aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of malts, tobacco, caramel and butterscotch. OKish.

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

500 ml can, bought at ICA Maxi. ABV is 4.5%. The brewery of this contract brew is not mentioned on the can, but apparently it is the Hansa Borg group. Golden colour, big to moderate fluffy head. Typical "industrial" sweetish pale lager aroma, quite strong and unpleasant. Moderate carbonation in the glass, soft mouthfeel. The flavour is moderately sweet and rather boring, but not offensive. Low bitterness.

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

(Bottle and can). Formerly contract brewed for Norgesgruppen (Norwegian grocery stores) by Christianssands Bryggeri, part of the Hansa-Borg group, but now contract brewed by Aass Bryggeri. Typical uninteresting industrial pilsener, nothing offensive here, but very little to make you happy. I still have to admit I buy it sometimes, as it is CHEAP (by Norwegian standards). I think the quality improved a little when Aass took over.

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

330 ml clear bottle, thanks to Ole_R. Pale yellow colour, big head. Heineken-like aroma (an American would say "skunked") - Heineken is slightly better though, hints of citrus and maize baby porridge. The flavour is slightly lemony and wheaty, and could probably be called "refreshing" if drunk colder than I did. Minimal hops. Soft and thin mouthfeel. After a long day of skiing (or other open air activities) I would want a better beer than this one, that’s for sure.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Ole_R. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, big and lasting head. Fruity aroma, notes of blackcurrants, some notes of malts and hay too. The flavour is biscuity and fairly dry, with noticeable fruity hops. Nicely balanced, quite enjoyable.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 6.5%. Deep golden colour to orange colour, big and lasting off-white head with an orangey hue. Nice aroma of American hops. The flavour has notes of orange marmalade and resin with a substantial hoppy bitterness, but it is not overdone. Medium sweetness. Grapefruity bitter and long aftertaste - and yngwie is right: there is actually a hint of camphor too!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, fairly clear, only a faint haziness in the end. Decent white head. Fruity aroma (apples and citrus). The flavour is also fruity with some peppery hops. Like other kölsches it is a nice and refreshing beer, but not really very exciting. Might be a gateway beer for pale lager drinkers into the world of ales.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also kindly supplied to me by Ole_R, from Fenaknoken, Oslo. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 4.7%. Dark copper coloured beer, hazy, with a decent off-white head. The aroma has notes of wood, mild spices, caramel and a moderate and undefined fruitiness. The flavour is distinctly fruity, moderately acidic and slightly spicy, with notes of dark münchener malts. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also kindly supplied to me by Ole_R, from Fenaknoken, Oslo. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 4.7%. Black colour, with a big to moderate tan head, no lacing. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee and dark chocolate, just a hint of liquorice. The flavour and mouthfeel are somehat acidic, watery / thin and bland for a porter, there is a moderate roastiness but not much else to interest me. Metallic finish. Disappointing.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

500 ml can. To call this n/a beer a "pilsner" is a bit of an atrocity. Clear pale golden colour, fluffy white head. The aroma has the usual sickly and sweetish "boiled" notes (over-boiled vegetables, baby maize porridge) that you find in most n/a beers. The flavour is also slightly sweetish and bland with minimal hops. Won’t buy again.

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

500 ml can, ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, decent head. Tolerable aroma with some fruity notes, also notes of malts (quite a surprise from a lite beer!), flowers and honey. The flavour has a certain sweetness and some grainy notes, quite boring but not as bad as I feared. Very modest hops. Not undrinkable.

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

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

500 ml bottle, at Gladmatfestivalen 2008, Stavanger (where it also was available on tap). Served too cold. Unlike other Norwegian "sommerøl", which are crappy pale lagers, this one is an ale of respectable quality. Ingredients include some wheat malts. Orange colour, hazy, with a thick and lasting head. Nice hoppy aroma and flavour, fruity / citrussy notes, maybe some spruce too. Refreshing and very good.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

500 ml bottle, at Gladmatfestivalen 2008, Stavanger. ABV was 2.5%. Brewed with quinoa (Chenopodium). Very cloudy pale brown colour, low head. Looks like unfiltered apple juice. Minimal aroma, some yeast and hints of quinoa. Bland and sweetish flavour of quinoa, rather unpleasant. Quinoa is OK in soft drinks, but not in beer - at least not in this one. Couldn't finish the bottle. Drainpour.

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

Specially brewed for the World Championship of Sheep Shearing 2008 (no kidding!). Sampled on tap at Gladmatfestivalen, Stavanger. Black colour, dark brown in the highlights. Lasting creamy tan head. Pleasant roasty aroma and flavour, fairly dry, with a slight acidity in the finish. A quite nice stout this one.

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

500 ml can, from REMA 1000. ABV is 4.5%. Another light / lite / low carb pale lager - oh God, what have we Norwegians done wrong to deserve being punished with this low carb wave? Pale golden colour, moderate head. Sweetish and rather sickly (rubbery) aroma. The flavour is not too bad for a lite beer, though - there is actually some hoppy bitterness. Could have been worse.

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

330 ml green bottle, from REMA 1000. ABV is 4.7%. Clear brown colour, decent off-white head. Unpleasant "industrial" rubbery aroma, some malts and caramel but also some of the sickly "boiled" notes (over-cooked vegetables, baby porridge) that you normally find in n/a beers. The flavour has some caramel, but is otherwise very bland and boring with minimal hops and a "dead" and slightly metallic finish. In a blind test I would probably have guessed that this was a "malty" variety in Ringnes’ n/a Munkholm range. Grans are obviously persistent in their aim to brew only beers that belong in the "soggy bottom" end of the Norwegian beer market.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Maxi Stormarked, Sandnes. Batch 151. ABV is 4.5%. Cloudy yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Nice and strong yeasty aroma with spicy and herbal notes, hints of citrus. Spritzy mouthfeel, high level of carbonation. The flavour is also spicy, even peppery, but the yeast is a bit too dominant. Still a beer I’ll most likely buy again.

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

330 ml unlabeled dark blue bottle, thanks to Rune. Very dark brown colour, with a big and lasting brown head. Unusual herbal aroma, with notes of apricots. I have trouble deciding how well I really like this aroma. At least it is interesting ... The flavour is very sweet (too sweet) and malty with notes of apricots, birch sap and chocolate. Alcohol is noticeable and leaves a warming mouthfeel. Moderate hops in the finish. Not my favourite Baltic porter this one, but Mack HAVE been trying ...

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Vintage 2006, bottled March 2008, BB March 2010. (This beer is also imported to USA by Shelton Brothers.) Cloudy dark reddish brown colour, big tan head. Intense aroma of red wine vinegar and oak. The flavour is VERY sour (too sour), with oaky notes and a sharp and lemony finish. Some hops in the finish, but overall the malts and hops are very subdued - this is really all about acidity and oak. Still an interesting beer, and definitely something out of the ordinary. The alcohol is well hidden. If the average pale lager drinker Joe would sample this beer, he would probably be killed by the shock.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml can, ABV is 4.5%. A "pale ale" brewed with German aromatic hops, hmm? Golden colour, big to moderate head. Moderate "pale lager" aroma, hints of grass and honey. The flavour and mouthfeel are also like a pale lager, as such not the worst I have tasted, not offensive, but far from great. In a blind test I would never have guessed that this was an ale. Lacks completely the character of an English bitter / pale ale.