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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Brewed with redcurrants and "tyttebær"/lingonberrries (a kind of wild forest/mountain cranberries) and lambic style yeast. Aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Orange colour, moderate to low off-white head. Strong aroma of tyttebær juice, farmhouse / horseblanket and vinegar. Moderate carbonation. The flavour is sour and lambic-like, but not extreme. The berries come through nicely, funky and oaky notes, not much sweetness. Alcohol is noticeable, but not in a bad way. Refreshing and interesting beer.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. My first "real" gruit beer, without any hops at all. Brewed in collaboration between Menno of De Molen (NL) and Jens of HaandBryggeriet. Ingredients include barley malts, wheat malt and rye malt - and herbs. Cloudy orange to brown colour, big to low off-white head with an orangey hue. Interesting sweetish malty aroma with notes of herbs, spices and rye, also notes of berries and oxidised fruit. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant flavour with notes of malts, fruit and herbs, relatively sweet but not cloying. Could use some more bittering herbs, but this is still a nice beer as it is.

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

250 ml(?) bottles, courtesy of the brewery, and Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with sake yeast, Nasumi No. 7. Reddish orange colour, low head. Very nice vinous aroma, notes of sherry and oak. Sweet flavour, notes of sherry and oak again. Warming mouthfeel.

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

250 ml(?) bottles, courtesy of the brewery, on a couple of occasions. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Nice aroma of sweet malts, sweetened coffee, dark dried fruits and oak. Alcohol is noticeable. The flavour is very roasty, very malty and rich, and very sweet - but not too sweet, after all. This is a real treat for any beer lover with a "sweet tooth".

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

500 ml can, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Very pale yellow colour, some chill haze, big white head. Aroma of butter / butterscotch (diacetyl), hints of citrus. The flavour is moderately citric with hints of butter, moderate "dusty" hops in the finish. Not as bad as I feared.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate aroma of pilsener malts, hints of honey. Soft and fairly "neutral" flavour with a very moderate malty sweetness. "Dusty" English hops in the finish. Nothing wrong with it, but boring.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Beautiful ruby colour, moderate beige head. Moderate but nice aroma of brown malts, hints of caramel. Malty and nutty flavour with notes of caramel, quite nice. Very moderate "dusty" English hops in the finish.

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

On tap at the brewpub. The brewer calls this an IPA, but it tastes more like a modern English Golden Ale or Bitter. Golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate but nice hoppy aroma, citrussy notes. Pleasant flavour, refreshing, moderate but nice bitterness.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Hazy pale golden colour, moderate white head. Nice aroma of cloves and bananas. The flavour has also notes of cloves and bananas, but could use a bit more citrussy freshness. I drank it a tad too warm though.

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

On tap at the brewpub. This was the brewpub’s first beer, brewed with the intention "to please everybody", according to the brewer, Olav H. Helleland. Amber colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of toffee. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of caramel and toffee. Very moderate hops.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Despite the name, this is not a stout, nor was it intended to be. The brewer says it’s "more like a porter", and I won’t protest to that - but I wouldn’t protest if someone called it a "dark mild" or even a "fairly dark brown ale" either. Dark reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Nice aroma and flavour with mild roasty notes, hints of mild coffee and chocolate. Flavour of caramel malts too.

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

750 ml clear "champagne" bottle, made of Aroma apples, vintage 2008. Bottle No. 124, bought at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 11%. Golden colour, pours very fizzy with a huge white head that lasts longer than normal for a cider. Aroma of oxidised eating apples (which indeed the Aroma apple variety is), hints of sulphur. The flavour is more tart than I expected, especially in the finish. Oxidised apples again with hints of sulphur, medium sweetness.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

275 ml clear slimline bottle with twist-off cap. Extremely pale straw coloured, fizzy. Moderate apple aroma and flavour (of eating apples, not cider apples), not very exciting but not offensive either. Fizzy and watery mouthfeel. An okay refreshment, no more than that.

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

Draught at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Dark copper coloured beer, creamy head. Malty aroma with some caramel. Malty and well rounded flavour with a moderate but sufficient bitterness, which becomes very distinct in the finish.

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

On tap at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Golden colour, creamy head. Moderate but pleasant Saaz aroma. The flavour has a distinct Saaz bitterness from start to finish. Probably the best (or one of the best) pilsener(s) brewed in Norway so far.

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

Draught at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of roasted malts and liquorice. Roasty flavour with strong notes of coffee, fairly dry. Moderate bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml can (music/guitar design), from REMA 1000. Brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot. ABV is 4.7%. Pale golden colour, large white head. Weak sweetish aroma with "boiled" notes (over-boiled vegetables, maize grit). Sweetish flavour, sweeter than their previous pilseners, and definitely sweeter than a GOOD pilsener should be. No wonder they recommend drinking it "ice cold". Very moderate hops in the finish. Yawn. Next, please!

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Cloudy dark brown colour, beige head. Malty aroma, a bit "unfresh". Malty flavour, slightly spicy, moderate hops. Drank it too warm though.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Orange colour, hazy. Huge head. Very nice hoppy and fruity aroma, some yeasty notes too. Fruity and flowery hoppy flavour, with a moderate bitterness. Quite nice.

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

330 ml green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Hazy golden colour (like a hefeweizen), moderate head. Quite nice aroma, notes of yeast, wood and heather. Smooth mouthfeel, light bodied. Refreshing flavour with a distinct hoppy bitterness in finish. Very bitter aftertaste. None of the "boiled" notes of other n/a beers. This is, par excellence, the best n/a beer I’ve ever tasted (but then most of the others have been pretty bad).

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

On tap at Olympen, Oslo. Cloudy orange colour, low white head. Strong yeasty and fruity aroma, also notes of cloves, coriander and oranges / orange peel. The flavour is wheaty and fruity (oranges) with yeasty and spicy notes. A bit sweet and "heavy" for a cross between Witbier and a Belgian Ale, but nice enough.

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

330 ml bottle, at Østkantfolk, Oslo. ABV was 4.7%. Golden colour, low head. Very pleasant aroma of European hops, notes of heather. Very fizzy mouthfeel. Standard pilsener flavour, nothing wrong with it, nothing very special. Maybe a hint of birch sap and honey. More bitterness and less carbonation would be desirable.

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

750 ml bottle, vintage 2008, sparkling, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.0%. Pale golden colour. Pours moderately fizzy with a very short-lived white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Aroma and flavour of fermenting sweet eating apples (varieities: Gravenstein, Summerred and Aroma), hints of sulphur and oak. Definitely drinkable.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was 5.5%. Brewed with lemongrass. Cloudy brownish golden colour, creamy off-white head. Moderate but nice aroma of lemongrass and undefined mild spices, with a faint hint of butterscotch. Refreshing flavour and mouthfeel, the lemongrass is there, but is not overdone. Moderate but noticeable hops. Very moreish. Could well be made a permanent brew - should appeal to "the general public", as well as beer geeks who want a nice refreshment.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Fenaknoken, Oslo. ABV is 4.5%. Brew #925. Some sediment in the bottle. Pale yellow colour, slightly hazy, huge white head. Strong perfumed aroma, distinct notes of ripe bananas and cloves. Light bodied and crisp mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of cloves, with a "dusty" finish, but I’d like a more pronounced presence of malts. Still refreshing and drinkable.