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

A new "klasse D" Christmas brew from Aass, much better than the "Julebrygg" they introduced last year. Beautiful deep copper colour, very good and thick head. Aroma of malts, oak and spices. Malty flavour, a bit thin as expected from a "klasse D" beer - still one of the best Norwegian beers of this ABV class. Sweet, but not too much. Decent.

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

Try the stronger 'klasse F' version of their Juleøl instead. Rerate 2002: Has the good caramel sweetness, maltiness and spiciness a Norwegian Christmas beer should have - there's just too little of everything! And 4,5% ABV is simply not enough for this style. The 'klasse F' (6,2%) is still A LOT better!! I believe the version sold in the US is 5,9%.

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

(500 ml can). This beer is named after the founder of Aass, Norway's oldest working brewery. Typical pilsener colour and aroma, good head, quite refreshing, nice bitterness. A decent pils, no more, no less.

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

(Bottle). Pale golden colour, low head. Weak aroma, weak flavour dominated by over-boiled malts. Low bitterness. Very little to make you happy here - like all Norwegian "lettøl" low alcohol, but Aass Fatøl Light (same ABV) tastes better.

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

All Norwegian "summer beers" (very pale golden and bland pilsener varieties) are the work of the devil. Aass' version is one of the least miserable, but still bad. That is, it doesn't taste awful - it just doesn't taste much at all.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

(Bottle). "Uten" is Norwegian for "without" - this is a beer without alcohol. Looks OK, golden colour, good thick head. Malty sweet aroma that becomes sickly as the beer warms up. Tastes as if it's made from a little malts, a little hops and lots of contaminated water from an industrial waste dump. Avoid!

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

(330 ml bottle). This beer is contract brewed by Aass by the initiative of Mr. Arvid Ystad. I had a nice conversation with him about the background of his initiative. He also sent me a memo about the use of herbs in Norwegian traditional brewing. However, this beer is not an ale like traditional Norwegian farmbrew, it is based on a standard Aass pale lager with juniper berries, caraway/cumin and tarragon (estragon) added in the brewing process. These are herbs recognizable by modern Norwegians from the flavouring of aquavit, and Mr. Ystad emphasizes that they were already well known in Norway from the art of brewing, when aquavit was invented at a much later stage. Balders Brygg (named after Odin’s son Balder, Norse mythology) looks like a standard pale lager with a moderate head, but the aroma and flavour are much better due to the herbs used. The tarragon and caraway (to some degree reminiscent of aniseed) dominate both aroma and flavour, while the juniper berries are more subdued. Mr. Ystad himself thinks that the tarragon is more dominant than he intended, I would also like the juniper berries to stand out more than they do. But these herbs can't hide the fact that the basis of this beer is a pale lager with a rather thin mouthfeel. Props to Mr. Ystad for his initiative, but Aass Bryggeri should clearly have taken a leap forward and made an ALE with these herbs. As it is, Balders Brygg is at least a nice change of pace from the standard pilseners / pale lagers that dominate the Norwegian beer scene.

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

Another "klasse D" Christmas beer, brewed by Aass under the name of long gone Lundetangen Bryggeri. Reddish brown colour, artificial raspberry candy aroma, weak and watery flavour - not nearly as spicy as this style requires. Weak aftertaste. And of course, too low ABV to be a "real" Juleøl.

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

I did not appreciate much the flavour and aftertaste of this one. Found nothing 'creamy' about it. Lacks the hoppy freshness of other Norwegian pilsners.

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

(500 ml can). Another beer brewed by Aass Bryggeri, Drammen, in the name of long gone Lundetangen Bryggeri, Skien. Norwegian "summer beers" (= very light pilseners) are generally the work of the devil - this one is far from the worst of its kind. Pale golden colour, moderate head, aromatic hops are not too bad (Saaz?), very light bodied (of course), clean taste (as far as there is any taste at all), not much bitterness / aftertaste. A thirstquencher for a hot summer's day - if there are no better beers around.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml clear glass bottles. Golden colour, moderate head. Very moderate hops in the aroma. Norway's cheapest pils. Unfortunately, taste is cheap too. Bland beer with a metallic aftertaste.

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

Brewed for every Christmas since 1999, this year (2002) unbelievably is the first (but definitely not the last!) year I have had this excellent beer. The recipe this year is supposed to be slightly less sweet than in 2001. Dark reddish brown colour, low head, pleasant but initially surprisingly weak roasted aroma (improves as the beer warms up). This is par excellence the most flavourful beer in Norway for nearly a century (between 1909 and 1999 max. ABV was 7%). Not as subtle and complex flavour as Aass Bock, but robust as hell. Roasted malts and coffee abound, Christmas spices and decent hops are balanced by a sufficient sweetness. Alcohol (9,9%) is well hidden. Robust aftertaste. Now THIS is a beer for the big boys! (OK, for big girls too.) Rerate Christmas 2004: Still excellent! Robust and "raw" in the edges, but I love it!

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

There are, at the present, only 4 Norwegian standard strength bocks (alphabethical order is identical with my quality ranking): Aass, Borg, Frydenlund and Mack. However, they are all well worth sampling. Frydenlund has a good head, pleasant oak and nut aroma (but not as good as Aass), malty flavour, acceptable aftertaste. The Frydenlund brewery was bought and closed many years ago by Oslo rival Ringnes, who continue to brew their beers.

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

Pleasant but not very strong aroma, malty flavour characterized by caramel and spices. More hoppy bitterness than other Norwegian bayers. An excellent accompaniment with beef and game dishes, also as an ingredient in the very same dishes!

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

Rich and sweetish Norwegian dark bock, spicy, hints of coffee and caramel. Not a bad bock this one, but not as good as Aass Bock. Brewed by Borg Bryggeri in Sarpsborg, which survived by merging with Hansa (Bergen) and CB (Kristiansand) into the Hansa-Borg group.

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

Fairly dark golden beer, apparently made with some caramel malts / colour malts. Pleasant, slightly sweet flavour, a bit thin. Could use more hops. The old Viking king or earl or whatever pictured on the can would want something more powerful than this.

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

Nice brown colour and a thick head. Some hoppy initial aroma that doesn't last for long, just a hint of caramel in an otherwise weak aroma as the beer warms up. Flavour is weak, fairly bland, one-dimensional and uninspiring. Drinkable, but not much more.

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

Formerly known simply as "Ringnes Gold", and before that (many years ago) as "Ringnes Export". Ringnes Gold was renamed "Extra Gold" when the Ringnes brewery discontinued their short-lived 5.3% ABV medium strong "Ringnes Extra". Ringnes Extra Gold is a strong and fairly malty golden lager in the Norwegian "eksport" style, closely related to Danish "gulløl" and German "Heller Bock". Quite acceptable, but no masterpiece.

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

(500 ml can.) Aimed at younger consumer groups, this "Extraordinary Spesialøl" ("special beer") is just slightly darker and sweeter than an average bland lager / pilsener. Nothing to write home about.

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

The ABV in Norway is 6,5%. This is the best Norwegian beer you can get. Beautiful, very dark reddish brown colour, moderate carbonation. Complex aroma and flavour, hints of spices, oak and liqourice. Very well balanced. Great aftertaste.

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

Norwegian Christmas beers are brewed in the original strong (appr. 6,2% ABV) and a watered down (appr. 4,5%) version. Make sure you get the strong versions (applies to all breweries) - they are just so much better! Aass is the best of them all. Spicy, caramelly, rich and rounded flavour that goes well with traditional Scandinavian Christmas fare.

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

This is a light golden coloured Norwegian pils with a pleasant, fruity (but not very strong) aroma, easily drinkable, too lightly hopped (even for me, who's far from being one of the extreme 'hopheads'), hardly any aftertaste.

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

The thinnest of Norwegian 'bayers' (Munich Dunkel) I've had so far. This is a style I appreciate - it's a pity that the Kristiansand brewery couldn't make a better show of it. This beer has just too little of everything the style should have. (For a few years, before the Hansa-Borg partnership, CB made Tou Bayer, which again originally was made by Tou Bryggeri in Stavanger, now part of the Ringnes group. Alas, Tou Bayer exists no more - but I remember it, right or wrong, to have more flavour than the stuff CB makes now.)

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

500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at a German hefeweizen is drinkable, but unfortunately the pleasant standard hefeweizen aroma is flawed by strong sidenotes of SOAP. Typical cloudy hefe appearance. Flavour is tolerable, but fairly bland and far from great. Still, they ARE trying. And I’d prefer their Hvete (wheat) to their standard macro lagers. Doesn’t take much, really. But any German brewed macro Hefeweizen is still a better choice than this micro ...

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

(500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at an English brown ale has a deep golden brown colour and pours with a large head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (apples). Flavour is very mellow, some maltiness but not much else. Minimal hops. Flat and bland finish. If Mack’s purpose is to brew a truly GREAT brown ale, they have a long way to go ....