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

750 ml clear bottle, capped but with swingtop for resealing. From Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%. Clear rosé to orange colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. Aroma of raspberries and redcurrants more than apples, barely a hint of hops. The flavour has also dominant raspberries and redcurrants, with apples in the background, a hint of hops in the finish. I prefer the ordinary Aga Humlepung.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, batch #01, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate carbonation, small and shortlived white head. Moderate aroma of apples and hops. Slightly dry and crisp flavour with a nice fruity acidity of apples, the apple flavours are nicely balanced with the hops. A hint of sulphites. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml can, as Berentsens Pale Ale Tørrhumlet, from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.7%. Hazy orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of malts, oranges and slightly piney hops. The flavour is fairly dry and fruity, with sufficient malts, and a moderate grapefruity and resinous bitterness in the finish. Refreshing and decent enough, easy drinking.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV was said to be 7.7%. Hazy dark brown colour, creamy beige head. Lovely fruity aroma of American hops and rye. Distinctly hoppy flavour (100+ IBU) with some grapefruity notes. Very bitter finish and aftertaste. The beer is not very sweet, but there is still a tolerable malty backbone, with a hint of rye bread.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. "Perfumed" aroma, notes of coconut / "suntan oil", vanilla, oak and chocolate. The flavour is not very sweet, but has also notes of coconut, vanilla and oak. Very moderate hops.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Nice aroma, floral and fruity with a hint of chocolate and smoke. Light bodied. The flavour has notes of lightly roasted malts, nuts, chocolate and moderate hops. (Might have been even less hoppy than I thought it was, as I may still have been influended by the aftertaste of the IPA I had before.)

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of grassy hops and a touch of elderflowers. Refreshing flavour, decent hops throughout, but never too bitter. A hint of citrus, again just a touch of elderflowers. Moderately bitter aftertaste. A beer I could drink a lot of!

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.0%. Brown colour, huge off-white head, some sediment in the bottle. Fruity and sourish aroma with farmhouse notes, nearly gueuze-like, quite pleasant. The flavour is fruity and slightly sourish, possibly infected, but the beer is still not ruined for me. Distinct bitterness in the finish. Not your usual brown ale, but drinkable.

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

Shared bottles at the release, Lervig’s tent at Gladmatfestivalen, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, creamy beige head. Moderate aroma, notes of malts and chocolate. The flavour has strong notes of chocolate malts, also hints of caramel and nuts, but is never too sweet. Balanced by distinct notes of NZ Pacific Gem hops, which, with their blackberry-like character, is an interesting choice for a brown ale. As Betty Brown is very flavourful and has a decent mouthfeel, you’d easily believe it was stronger than it actually is. This is definitely a beer I’ll buy frequently. In Norway, only Nøgne Ø Brown Ale can compete.

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

Sample on tap at Gladmatfestivalen 2011. I spoke to Bjørn Moe, and he confirmed that his two Eventyrøl varieties were NOT identical with Glad Laks and Mørk Suldøl - but as I was in a bit of a hurry, I forgot to ask if they were bottom fermented or top fermented. My guess is that they are both top fermented, which would imply that brown ale is the nearest style for Eventyrøl Mørk. Amber to copper colour, low off-white head. Moderate aroma, notes of brown bread, hints of caramel and toffee. Fairly decent flavour, some caramel and noticeable hops.

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

Sample on tap at Gladmatfestivalen 2011. Golden colour, moderate white head. Very fruity aroma, notes of green apples. The flavour has loads of green apples and little else, and is not good at all. The beer has apparently been fermented at a too high temperature.

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

750 ml elegant bottle, vintage 2009, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.0%. Extremely pale greenish-yellow whitewine-like colour, pours moderately sparkling, no head. Aroma of cider apples and eating apples, a hint of oak and sulphites. Called a "dry" cider, but the flavour is medium sweet. Notes of sweet eating apples, hints of sulphites. Overpriced.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV 19%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Just a little tan foam on top, not what you would call a "head". Malty and roasty aroma, hints of salty liquorice, old rope and oak. The flavour is intensely malty and roasty, with loads of sweetness and salty liquorice. The alcohol is clearly present. Interesting beer, but a bit too far out on the weird side. 15% ABV (2010 version) was strong enough ... Original rating: Sample at Ølfestivalen Nærbø. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Strong and intensely malty aroma and flavour, moderate roasty notes. Also notes of fortified wine. Decent hoppy bitterness too. Warming mouthfeel, of course - but the beer feels surprisingly balanced, and not extremely alcoholic for its 19% ABV. Will rerate as soon as I get a whole bottle.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Lade Gaards Juleøl Sterk Type. ABV is 6.5%. (No, this won’t be part of the pub’s regular selection, thank God - it’s just in for the Grand Christmas Beer Tasting.) Very dark brown colour, large beige head. Sourish metallic aroma, some malts and caramel. Thin body. Sourish metallic flavour too, like sucking 5" galvanized nails. The most miserable strong ("Vinmonopolet strength") Christmas /Yule beer you can get in Norway.

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

330 ml bottle, from my local grocery store. ABV 4.7%. This is a completely new recipe this year, from Lervig’s head brewer Mike Murphy. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate malty aroma, some caramel. Easy drinking Münchener dunkel flavour, some caramel but not too sweet, some mild roasty notes, hints of brown bread. Has not the body of stronger Yule beers, of course, but should satisfy the average Norwegian’s need for a beer to go with his traditional pork rib dinner, especially with a dram of aquavit at the side.

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

330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Copper to brown colour, large off-white head. Spicy aroma, notes of star anise, ginger and brown kandij sugar. A hint of vomit. Fairly light bodied for its strength. The flavour is rather sweet with notes of caramel, brown kandij sugar, anise and ginger. Too moderate hops. As I hate star anise in beer (if not used with the utmost moderation), this beer starts with a real handicap in my book. And if you use ginger, a slight ginger burn in the finish would be nice. But hey, Lervigs Jul is drinkable - just not Mike Murphy’s best.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #671. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy brownish-golden colour, huge white head. Attractive fruity aroma, notes of citrus, gooseberries and tropical fruits, some piney hints too. The flavour is medium sweet and fruity, notes of saison yeast, distinct hops in the finish. Bitter, peppery and dry aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #677. ABV is 6%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Aroma of smoked malts, a hint of roasted malts / coffee in the background. The flavour is fairly smooth, with some mild roasty notes and hints of coffee and chocolate - and plenty of smoke, of course. I am no fan of extremely smoked lagers, but this one is not too extreme. Fairly drinkable, but probably not a beer I’ll buy very often.

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

500 ml can, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. The aroma has some caramel and toffee. Light bodied. The flavour has caramel (with being overly sweet), a hint of spices and a dusty finish. Drinkable, but not remarkable.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Sandnes sentrum. Brewed in Flåm. ABV is 9.0%. Cloudy brownish-orange colour, large head, slightly off-white. Lovely aroma of American hops, citrussy and piney notes. The flavour is first sweet and malty with fruity notes, then the hops take over with a solid bitterness. For a double IPA, it is not too extreme though. Will buy again.

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

750 ml clear corked bottle. Bottle No.3685, made of the Aroma apple variety 2010. A little sediment in the bottle. This is supposed to be a still cider, but it pours fizzy with a white head - so they have either mislabelled the bottle, or an unintended secondary fermentation has taken place in the bottle. ABV is 7%. Clear and very pale yellow colour. Moderate carbonation in the mouth. Moderate dryish aroma of apples. Fairly dry and crisp flavour, despite being made of sweet eating apples. Pleasant enough to drink, but no real depth or character.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. 2011 version with Belgian yeast. Batch #704B. ABV is 4.5%. Cloudy brown colour, large beige head. Sourish aroma, infected? Also strong woody and ashy / smoked notes. The flavour is somewhat better than the aroma, quite dry, again strong woody notes, hints of ashes. Some roasted malts and hops in the finish. Seems overall unbalanced. Thin mouthfeel. Drinkable, but this is Nøgne Ø, and you expect something better than this. Won’t buy again (not untill a better version - hopefully - is released next year).

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

750 ml swingtop bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Despite the name, this is not a stout by any stretch of the mind, but a "Christmas spiced" version of their ordinary Staut, which is listed at RateBeer as a brown ale (English session style porter might be more appropriate). Dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma of malts and Christmas spices, hints of liquorice. Smooth and soft flavour and mouthfeel - malts, caramel and Christmas spices (incl. cinnamon).

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Ruby colour, decent beige head. Malty aroma, some oaky and vinous notes. Very malty flavour, notes of caramel and oak. Nice beer!

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

750 ml clear screwcap bottle, vintage 2010, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 8.5%. This is a still cider from the first Norwegian cidery using primarily homegrown French and English cider apple varieties, not only sweet eating apples. Golden colour, no carbonation. Moderate but nice aroma of cider apples. Dry and nutty flavour of oxidised and bitter cider apples. Interesting, and better with food than on its own.