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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy orange-golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant sweetish wheaty aroma with distinct notes of oranges. The flavour has also notes of oranges, coriander is less prominent. Noticeable hops in a moderately bitter finish. Not too sweet. A quite enjoyable brew.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Cloudy brownish golden colour, moderate white head. Strong wheaty / estery aroma, notes of yeast, cloves, banana and chamomile. The flavour is sweet with strong notes of banana, yeast, spices and chamomile. Powerful and warming mouthfeel. I admit being sceptical to a wheat beer this strong, but Good Force is actually .... well, GOOD. You’ll need an ability to handle a certain amount of sweetness, though.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%, IBU 28. Brewed 22.06.10, bottled 03.08.10. Black colour, big to moderate tan head. Lovely vinous aroma, notes of red berries and dark fruits, hints of vanilla, spices, leather and oak. Soft and warming mouthfeel. The flavour has moderately sweet malts (not much roastiness), chocolate and dark fruits, moderate bitterness, hints of spices and liquorice in the finish. A soothing beer indeed.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Black colour, big and lasting creamy tan head. The aroma is first surprisingly moderate, some roasty notes, mild coffee, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Improves as the beer warms up a little. Rich and warming mouthfeel. The flavour is roasty, malty and fairly sweet, notes of sweetened strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate and English liquorice, with a pronounced hoppy bitterness throughout. Alcohol is noticeable. Bitter aftertaste. A couple years in the cellar might be a good idea.

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

750 ml corked and wired bottle, courtesy of the brewer. ABV is 4.7%. Brewed exclusively for Knutholmen, www.knutholmen.no . Traditional witbier ingredients. Hazy pale golden colour, huge white head. Typical witbier aroma of coriander, cloves and orange peel - nice. Moderate carbonation in the glass, when the beer finally appears below the foamy head. Soft mouthfeel. Refreshing flavour, notes of coriander, cloves and citrus - but the hops (Northern Brewer and EKG) are too moderate, even for a witbier. IBU is only 15. Still a nice and very drinkable thirstquencher.

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

750 ml capped bottle, courtesy of the brewer. ABV is 4.7%. The glass fills completely by white foam, and the golden beer appears only slowly. When the head eventually is low enough to make the beer drinkable from my tall glass, the remaining carbonation is very moderate. I think the refermentation in the bottle has gone a bit "bananas" here, seems not right for an English style bitter. Quite nice aroma of Fuggles and Centennial hops, notes of blackcurrants, hints of butterscotch and honey. The flavour has a decent hoppy character from the Fuggles and Centennial, and a bitterness of 35 IBU (mainly from the Target hops). The malts in the background seem just about right, with only a tad of honeyish sweetness from the pale crystal malts.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy brownish golden colour, moderate white head. Very nice aroma of spicy and fruity Belgian saison yeast, sweetish malts and fruity hops. The flavour is moderately sweet with fruity and spicy notes, and with a distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish. A bitter "bite" remains throughout the long aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, No. 1753 out of a batch of 1895, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 15.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Malty and vinous aroma, notes of dark dried fruits, hints of leather, chocolate, oak and alcohol. Intense warming mouthfeel with an obvious presence of alcohol. The flavour is rich and very malty, some roasty notes but not really stoutish, vinous and oaky notes too, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, even a touch of tar and smoke. Possibly some herbs and spices are added here too? An impressive beer as it is, might still benefit from a couple years in a cool cellar.

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. The aroma has notes of moderately roasted malts and mild coffee, hints of wood and smoke. The flavour is very dry and the beer is light bodied, notes of mild coffee, wood and hints of smoke again.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy brown colour, moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of brown candi sugar, leather and spices. The flavour has notes of (Belgian?) ale yeast, brown malts, brown candi sugar (without being very sweet), spices and alcohol. Moderate hops in the finish, fairly bitter aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Brown colour, decent head. The aroma is caramel, caramel and some butterscotch - and caramel again. The flavour is caramel first, and caramel in the finish - and, if you you are in doubt: also caramel (and butterscotch) in the middle. For good measure, you get caramel in the aftertaste too. If this leads you to think that the beer is cloyingly sweet, it is not - it just has this caramel flavour throughout. Lucky me - I happen to like caramel ...

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Lovely vinous aroma, notes of port wine, caramel and nuts, hints of marzipan. The flavour is definitely on the sweet side, but not cloying. Vinous and very fruity notes (fresh and rum-drenched fruits), the sweetness is to some extent balanced by decent hops in the finish. An unusual and very nice Christmas beer, better suited to accompany fruits and nuts, rather than the robust traditional Nordic Christmas dinners. Might go well with turkey and cranberry sauce, though.

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, ABV 8.3%, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger: Copper colour, big to moderate cream-coloured head. Malty aroma with strong notes of raisins and other dark fruits, brown candi sugar and treacle. Warming mouthfeel. Flavour of dark dried fruits, brown sugar, malts and alcohol. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish. Original rating: On tap at Cardinal’s Juleølsymposium. Matured with raisins. Dark brown colour, moderate head. Aroma of brown malts, brown sugar and raisins. The flavour has the same elements, but is not too sweet. Moderate hops, very drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, from Joker Madlatuå. ABV is 4.5%. Amber to copper color, moderate head, slightly off-white. The aroma has sugary (candy, caramel) and grassy notes, not particularly good. The flavour is moderately sweet with notes of caramel, drinkable when cold, but won’t be my choice for the Yuletide.

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

500 ml bottle from REMA 1000. ABV is 4.7%. Copper colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma of caramel malts, hints of chocolate. Thin and fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is slightly acidic, with moderate notes of caramel malt and a hint of chocolate malt, without being very sweet. "Dusty" and empty finish. Not undrinkable, but definitely one of the most boring Yule beers you can get in Norway.

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

250 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%, 50 IBU. Very dark brown cloudy colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Intense and complex aroma, bourbon, oak and vanilla, but also smoke, bonfires, salt water, old rope, tar, coffee and liquorice. The flavour is salty and distinctly smokey, with notes of liquorice and roasted malts. Medium sweet, the bourbon and vanilla notes from the barrel blend in nicely.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar. Golden colour, creamy white head. Distinct hoppy aroma, notes of pine neeedles, tropical fruits, citrus and crushed gooseberries, a hint of tomcat. Fairly light bodied for its strength. The flavour is full of luscious hops throughout, notes of pine needles and grapefruit. The bitterness is solid, but the oats still lend a touch of smoothness to the beer. Definitely moreish!

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. A very dark brown ale with an off-white head. Aroma of lightly roasted malts and burnt caramel. Same elements in the flavour, but the beer is not sweet (I think I’d like a little more sweetness).. The hops are moderate, as in most brown ales. Clearly related to Rav Amber Ale from the same brewery, but darker, roastier and far less hoppy.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.3%. Golden colour, large white head. Lovely fruity and spicy aroma, notes of orange peel, coriander and pepper. The flavour is fresh and pleasant, with distinct citrussy and peppery notes, but I expected more bittering hops in the finish. Still a nice beer that stands out from the crowd. I don’t think the red peppercorns are too dominant.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Dark brown to ruby colour, beige head. Aroma of butterscotch, caramel and biscuits. The flavour is not too sweet, but has also notes of caramel, butterscotch and brown bread. Decent enough to drink, but does not stand out from the crowd.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #761, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. 45 IBU. Pitch black colour, large and creamy tan head. Very nice aroma with roasty and fruity notes, notes of sour berries, oak, red wine vinegar, mild coffee and dark chocolate. The flavour is sweet and roasty, notes of coffee, dark bitter chocolate and liquorice. Bitter finish.

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

330 ml bottle, many thanks to Ole Richard. ABV is 4.7%. Cloudy golden colour, moderate white head. Fruity (citussy) and yeasty aroma, nearly wheatbeer-like. The flavour is also citrussy, yeasty and slightly spicy, in a blind test I might have guessed that it was a wheatbeer, not a Kölsch (well, the recipe also includes wheat). Very refreshing. I liked this one!

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

On tap at the brewpub. Served at cellar temperature. Orange to amber colour, slightly hazy. Moderate white head. Moderate but nice aroma of fruity hops, hints of pine / spruce. Hoppy flavour, piney / resinous and fruity notes. Good beer.

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

On tap at HaandBryggeriet Beer Festival, Drammen. Served too cold. Pitch black colour, creamy beige head. Modest aroma, mild roasty notes, coffee, dark chocolate and dust, hints of oak. Will probably improve as the beer warms up. The flavour is distinctly roasty with notes of strong coffee and dark chocolate, but is not very sweet. Packs a real punch this one.

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

On tap at HaandBryggeriet Beer Festival, Drammen. Very dark brown (nearly black) colour, moderate beige head. Dryish roasty aroma, notes of coffee. Dry roasty flavour, notes of coffee and unsweetened liquorice, hints of ashes. Roasty and hoppy bitterness in the finish. Very tasty.