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

330 ml bottle, from distributor Strag. Also sampled at Ølfestivalen Nærbø. ABV is 4.7%. Some sediment in the bottle. Hazy brownish golden colour, moderate to low white head. Moderate aroma, some wood and citrus, a hint of cloves and dust. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant to drink, the refreshing flavour has some wheaty, citrussy, woody and bready notes. Tolerable hops. Tastes like a cross between a helles lager and a dunkelweizen.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren. ABV was said to be 5.5%. Mahogany colour, creamy beige head. Very malty aroma and flavour, strong notes of caramel and toffee, hints of over-ripe berries, a whiff of malt vinegar. The finish has something undefined "not quite perfect" about it.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ølfestivalen Nærbø 2011. Bottle No. 0270 out of 2000. Still available at Vaaland, Bryne. Hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Strong aroma of catty and citrussy hops, notes of blackcurrant leaves and pine needles. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, quite dry and very refreshing. Notes of pine needles with a strong grapefruity bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.4%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Strong aroma of roasted barley, notes of coffee, hints of ashes and woodwork, a touch of smoke. Rich mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour with strong roasty notes, coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Bitter and dry finish, roasty aftertaste. Excellent beer.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Deep brown colour, big off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon whiskey, vanilla and oak. The flavour is malty and medium sweet, balanced by decent hops. Again notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon and oak. Good bitterness in the aftertaste. Another excellent beer from Lervig’s head brewer Mike Murphy.

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

330 ml bottle, from MENY Stadionparken. Unfiltered Kellerbier / Märzen, ABV is 4.7%. Hazy deep golen colour, moderate white head. Fresh and crisp pilsener aroma and flavour, floral and herbal hops throughout, with sufficient malts. Very pleasant to drink. Another fine achievement by Lervig and head brewer Mike Murphy.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Ægir Hefeweissen (disregarding that someone can’t spell Hefeweizen, nor Hefe-Weissbier). Hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Strong and typical h.w.-aroma of ripe bananas, citrus and cloves. High level of carbonation. Refreshing wheaty flavour, banana and cloves again, not very sweet. Noticeable hops in the finish. A decent hefeweizen!

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

Sample from keg, courtesy of the brewery. Amber colour, moderate head. Distinct aroma and flavour of Citra hops, with the expected notes of citrus fruit, but also more complexity and better balance than you expect from a single hop ale. Nøgne Ø should make this a permanent brew IMO.

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

750 ml corked and wired bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. Batch #46. ABV is 4.7%. 11.2 degrees P, 15 IBU. Pale yellow colour, slightly hazy, huge white head. Nice and typical witbier aroma of coriander, orange peel and Belgian ale yeast. The flavour is spicy (coriander) with hints of citrus, strong notes of Belgian ale yeast.

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

750 ml capped bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brew #61, ABV is 9,5%. Hazy golden colour, huge white head. Very nice sweetish fruity and spicy aroma, typical notes of Belgian ale yeast. A hint of farmhouse too. The flavour is still fairly sweet (maybe too sweet), will probably benefit from a few years’ cellaring. Typical spicy and yeasty triple notes, some bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.0%. Some sediment in the bottle. Hazy pale yellow colour, large white head. Typical hefeweizen aroma of ripe bananas and cloves, hints of citrus. Refreshing medium sweet flavour, strong notes of cloves, hints of banana and citrus. Very moderate hops. Thumbs up for Mack - this is a respectable hefeweizen, no more, no less.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #273, ABV is 8%. Very dark brown colour, big and lasting tan head. Nice aroma of smoked malts, bonfires, tar, smoked and cured meat , but also some fruity notes. The flavour is very smoky and ashy, quite dry. Meaty finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark reddish brown colour, creamy beige head. Woody and ashy aroma, hints of tobacco. The fairly dry flavour has malty and woody notes, roasty notes too. Ashes and medium bitter hops in the finish. Bitter aftertaste.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Deep golden colour, low white head. Moderate "dusty" lager aroma, nothing exciting there. The flavour has a nice balance between the malts and hops, fairly easy drinking for its strength.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, as Nøgne Ø Stuten, unpasteurised first brew (later brews will be pasteurised), sample at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Impressive appearance - pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Roasty aroma with strong notes of coffee. Roasty dry flavour, notes of coffee and dark chocolate. Fairly bitter finish with some resinous notes. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, as expected, but this is by far the best n/a beer I’ve ever tasted.

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

750 ml capped bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brew #64, ABV is 6.0%. Golden colour, slightly hazy, enormous white head that lasts "forever" and makes the beer hard to drink. Strong and pleasant spicy and yeasty aroma. The crisp flavour has also distinct spicy and "Belgian" yeasty notes, with a substantial hoppy "bite" in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. This was originally the winner beer of the Norwegian Home Brewing Championship 2010, and it has been reported that Russian River Pliny the Elder was the inspiration for the recipe. Cloudy brownish colour, big and lasting off-white head. Very nice aroma of piny and fruity American hops (Columbus, Centennial and Simcoe). The flavour is first fruity and refreshing, then a massive hoppy and nearly medicinal bitterness sets in (bordering on "overkill"), and lasts through the long aftertaste. One for the hardcore hopheads.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. (A couple unpasteurised kegs will also be available at Cardinal.) ABV is 10%. Murky brown colour, big cream-coloured to beige head. Lovely aroma of American and New Zealand hops (Chinook, Simcoe, Centennial, Pacific Gem and Nelson Sauvin), fruity and resinous notes, hints of heather honey and orange marmalade. The flavour has of course loads of hops, but the bitterness is not too extreme. Piny, resinous and grapefruity notes. A pleasant malty sweetness balances the hoppiness. The high ABV is noticeable, but not really disturbing. A worthy brew to celebrate Nøgne Ø’s batch #500.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Served very cold. Hazy golden colour, low head. The aroma has moderate notes of pilsener malts and floral hops. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour has a distinct hoppy bitterness from start to finish. Bitter aftertaste. Not much in the flavour to balance the bitterness - but this is clearly a thirstquenching pilsener, and far better than most of its more industrial competitors.

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

On tap at Nærbø Beer Festival and a private tasting at Cardinal. Can’t find my original notes of this beer, but I remember it as a very special combination of the roastiness of NØ Imperial Stout (of which I am a big fan) and the sourness of Flanders red (or even lambic). A fun experiment, but I’ll admit I would prefer the original Imperial Stout on a daily basis.

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

330 ml bottle (filtered and pasteurised), also sampled unpasteurised on tap, both courtesy of Lervig brewery. Deep golden colour, big to moderate white head. Very nice aroma of American hops (Chinook, Amarillo and Citra - also dry hopped), notes of orange marmalade and pine. Refreshing flavour with distinct hoppy notes throughout, citric and resinous notes, not too sweet, bitter finish. Light bodied, ideally this should have been a beer around 5.6% ABV, but then you have the Norwegian limit at 4.75% ABV for beers sold in grocery stores, making it necessary to compromise. Still, this is an enjoyable beer as it is.

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

Sampled on tap at Gladmatfestivalen, Stavanger. Unfiltered and unpasteurised. Will be made available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy. Moderate white head. Excellent aroma and flavour dominated by American Northwestern hops (Chinook, Amarillo and Citra), perfectly balanced by the malts (pilsener and crystal). Citric and resinous notes, just the right bitterness. One of the best lagers I’ve had in a long time.

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

Rerate, 750 ml bottle, courtesy of the brewer. Black colour, big and lasting brown head. Roasty aroma, notes of coffee and liquorice, hints of dark chocolate. The flavour is also roasty (yes, I admit this is a dry stout rather than a dark mild), with a distinct bitter coffee aftertaste. I’m upping it a point . Original rating: ask / hand pump at Nabokjelleren, Bergen. Black colour, moderate tan head. Pleasant aroma of dark malts, hints of liquorice, fruity and vinous notes. Moderately roasty flavour, some fruity and slightly acidic notes in the background, coffee in the aftertaste. More of a dark mild than a dry stout in my book.

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

Cask / hand pump at Nabokjelleren, Bergen, as Kinn Vestkyst India Øl. Served too warm (new cask). Very cloudy brown colour, moderate off-white head. Lovely hoppy aroma of tropical fruits and resin. Very bitter flavour, loads of resinous hops from start to finish, bordering on "overkill". Should satisfy any hophead.

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

On tap at Nabokjelleren, Bergen. ABV was 5.5%. Beautiful reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Lovely strong aroma of butterscotch, toffee and caramel. The flavour is fairly malty but not too sweet, some caramel, decent German(?) hops throughout.