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

330 ml bottle. Cloudy brownish golden colour, large head. Typical hefeweizen aroma with notes of cloves and ripe bananas. Flavour is also typical hefeweizen, but lacks some of the "freshness" of the best beers of this style. Mouthfeel is a bit watery and bland, probably due to a lower ABV. A hefeweizen should have an ABV around 5.4! - which, however, would have excluded it from the Norwegian grocery store market. Still, this is a drinkable and fairly refreshing beer, not a bad try from Ringnes.

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

440 ml can. Amber colour, moderate off-white head, poor retention. Weak aroma, faint notes of caramel and hops. Flavour has some toffee notes and acceptable hops. Drinkable beer, but no masterpiece. Allegedly inspired by Ringnes’ sponsoring of Norwegian polar expeditions 1890s - 1920s, but the members of those expeditions drank proper Ringnes dark bock, not this swill!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. Pitch black colour, impenetrable for light. Large and thick brown head. Lovely aroma with vinous qualities, also notes of Colombian coffee, liquorice, chocolate and dark dried fruits. Flavour is dominated by strong notes of bitter coffee, mixed with a substantial malty sweetness, hints of molasses. Also some acidic notes, I’m not sure if they are wanted or not. Strong "coffee" bitterness in the long aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. This beer has just been released for sale in some pubs, will be for sale in Vinmonopolet stores in May. I might rerate in May, if there is any significant development of the flavour profile by then. Pours (or rather: gushes out of the bottle) with a large white head, beer is hazy pale golden. Very nice fruity (citrus, green apples) and yeasty aroma, hints of spices, oak, leather and barnyard. Flavour is moderately sweet with a distinct spiciness and decent hops. Shouldn’t a saison have slightly more acidity? After a light and refreshing start there is a solid wormwood-like bitterness in the finish, not unlike Saison Dupont.

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

Rerate, filtered and pasteurised, can: The size is not printed on the can (ommitting this is illegal in Norway), I suspect the size is 440 ml, not the usual 500 ml. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden colour, decent head. Pleasant aroma of butterscotch and aromatic hops. Moderate carbonation. Flavour has toffee and butterscotch but also tolerable hops in the finish. Not bad. Original rating: Draught, at Cardinal, Stavanger. Unpasteurised, and allegedly unfiltered - but the beer was crystal clear. The pasteurised and filtered bottled version will be available from May 1. 2006. The unpasteurised keg was 1 week old upon sampling. Deep golden colour, like a Danish "Classic". Moderate head. Aroma and flavour of butterscotch (diacetyl), mellow and well rounded. Served by accident with a 100% CO2 carbonation, would normally be served with a 20% nitrogen and 80% oxygen mix. Will rerate if the bottled version is significantly different.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #28. Bottle conditioned. Very cloudy brownish colour, moderate but lasting off-white head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, hints of cider apples and leather, even some barnyard. Flavour has some malty and brown sugar sweetness, but also a distinct peppery and resinous bitterness. Peppery mouthfeel. Long bitter aftertaste. Will probably improve with age.

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

330 ml bottle. Light (which in Norway means low ABV) lager with some bitterness but otherwise little flavour. Like all light beers easily forgettable.

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

330 ml bottle. Pale golden colour, decent head. Very moderate hops in the aroma. Light bodied of course, but an unexpected hoppy bitterness in the finish and aftertaste makes it stand above most other Norwegian "lettøl".

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger (Norway’s best beer bar, untill someone proves me wrong). Sampled side-by-side with its "sister brew", Nørrebro Bryghus Double Knot Brown Ale (pasteurised and unfiltered keg, see separate rating). ABV is 7.5%, 19 degrees Plato, 40 IBU. Very dark brown colour, moderate head. Darker than Nørrebro DKBA. Lovely malty aroma with plenty of aromatic hops, notes of chocolate and leather too. Rich and roasty flavour, plenty of malts and oak. Roasty long aftertaste. Excellent beer!

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Cloudy honey coloured beer, moderate head. Distinct and pleasant Saazer hops aroma. Flavour is moderately malty with yeasty notes, moderate but pleasant hops.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Hazy deep reddish brown colour, minimal head. LOVELY aroma of red berries, honey and flowers. Pleasant malty flavour with caramel notes, but not really sweet. Mouthfeel maybe a bit thin, very moderate hops.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Cloudy honey coloured, minimal head. Intense flowery / honey aroma, very nice. Moderate carbonation. Mellow and well rounded flavour, honey notes, moderate yeastiness. Pleasant beer, easy drinking, but a little more hops wouldn’t hurt.

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

Draught at the brewpub. Served far too cold. EBC 169.7, IBU 27. Black colour, moderate creamy tan head. Roast malts, coffee, smooth and velvety, well hopped, well balanced. Easy drinking despite its strength.

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

Draught at the brewpub. EBC 18.2, IBU 23. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, good thick head, moderate carbonation. Dominant Cascade aroma and flavour. Quite good IPA.

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

Draught at the brewpub. Served far too cold. This is a seasonal Yule/Christmas ale. Deep reddish brown colour, hazy. Pleasant malty aroma and flavour with caramel and spices. A bit too carbonated for my taste.

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

Draught at the brewpub. EBC 4.8, IBU 13.5. Hops used are Saaz, Perle and Nugget. Very pale golden colour, slightly hazy. Lovely flowery aroma and flavour. Light bodied, reasonably bitter finish. Decent pils.

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

Draught at the brewpub. EBC 61, IBU 18. Hops used: Cascade. Too carbonated for my taste, served far too cold. Dark ruby colour. Fruity (plums) aroma, like many English porters. Roast malty flavour, rather dry. Quite bitter finish, both from the roast malts and plenty of Cascade hops.

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

This beer is inspired by US West Coast steam ale. EBC 21,8, IBU 15,8. Copper coloured, crystal and chocolate malts are used. Several hop varieties are used, East Kent Goldings and Liberty are mentioned. Moderate fruity aroma, flavour is dusty malty with a dusty hops finish. Undefinable lack of balance, made worse by serving the beer far too cold. Too carbonated.

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

500 ml can. Golden colour, low head. You don’t expect much from a Grans beer, and you don’t get much either. Weak sweetish fruity aroma (at least it’s not offensive). Moderate carbonation. Flavour has some pale malts, very moderate hops, a hint of toffee and wet cardboard, and a dusty finish. A boring beer, but I’ve had worse.

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

500 ml can. Pale golden colour, moderate head. Weak sweetish aroma, hints of candy. Minimal flavour, some malts and the usual Grans over-boiled vegetables / wet cardboard notes. Hardly any hops. Another sad Norwegian "ice beer".

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Ole Simon, Sandnes. Batch # 22. Unfiltered, unpasteurised and bottle conditioned organic pilsener (doesn’t that make it a Kellerbier?). Cloudy brownish golden colour (would probably be clearer if the sediments hadn’t been disturbed through transport). Moderate white head. Moderate sweetish aroma, some fruit, some aromatic hops, hints of leather and wet cardboard. Flavour is tolerably hoppy on a decent malty base, hints of citrus. Moderate carbonation. Acidic finish. No masterpiece, but not bad either.

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

330 ml bottle, Vinmonopolet. Typical hefeweizen appearance, cloudy golden colour, large head. Lovely h.w. aroma, cloves and ripe bananas abound, hints of leather, wood and ammonium. Soft flavour and mouthfeel, I want a litlle more "spritziness" from a h.w., but this is still a drinkable beer. Too expensive compared to other h.w.s available in Norway.

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

500 ml bottle, Vinmonopolet. Batch No. 31. On the first pour my weissbier glass fills completely with brown foam, which very slowly subsides to form a large and creamy head, on top of an opaque dark brown beer. First a very nice aroma of dark fruits, bakery / rye bread, bananas and cloves, then some less pleasant sidenotes of pepper and artificial candy set in. Flavour is sweet and alcoholic, notes of roasted malts and slightly burnt toast. Fairly bitter finish. This weizenbock is no Aventinus, but still a nice try.

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

330 ml bottle. "Klasse D" means it's the grocery store version (= ABV < 4.75%) of their Yule/Christmas beer. Reddish brown colour, good head. Moderate toffee sweetness, moderately spiced flavour: cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. Not too bad, but of course it’s watery compared to the "klasse F" Juleøl.

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

330 ml bottle. Dark amber colour, pleasant aroma, hints of liquorice and spices. Excellent with traditional Scandinavian Yule/Christmas fare. This version (sold in Norway in Vinmonopolet stores only) is the way to go.