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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. Black colour, moderate to small tan head. Distinct sweetish aroma of lactose, vanilla, marshmallows, cocoa / chocolate, caramel. Sweet flavour (but not quite as sickly sweet as I feared), with the same elements as the aroma. Minimal hops. Not bad at all, but hardly a beer I'll bother to buy again.

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

375 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of brown sugar, caramel, Belgian ale yeast and malts, hints of dark dried fruits, oak and mild spices. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, low hop bitterness, well balanced and enjoyable.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.2%. Hazy yellow colour, huge white head, takes "forever" to settle. Aroma of pineapple, vanilla, lactose and coconut. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, slightly bitter finish.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Herbarium. ABV is 8.1%. Black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts and mild coffee, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice. Rich mouthfeel. The flavour is medium sweet, with the same elements as the aroma, and a slightly salty finish. Moderate hops, a little more bittering hops would not hurt. A fine beer as it is, though.

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

Cask 1/3 pint, gravity dispense, at the 16th Twickenham Beer & Cider Festival. Deep golden colour. Pleasant aroma of fruity American hops. Hoppy and peppery flavour, medium dry.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Chestnut to mahogany colour, small off-white head. Aroma of malts, molasses, treacle, oak and whisky. Moderate carbonation. Sweet and malty flavour, notes of brown sugar, caramel, oak and whisky.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 12.0%. Black colour, moderate to small tan head. Aroma of cocoa, roast malts and coffee, a hint of vanilla. Warming mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, also hints of smoke and charcoal.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Peachy to pinkish colour. Aroma and flavour of tayberries, the rosehips are very subdued. Medium sour, some lemon, tart, astringent finish. Must be good with a dish of fried or grilled salmon.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.4%. Moderately hazy deep golden to orange colour, huge white head. Moderate aroma, malts and a little fruitiness, hints of malt vinegar. The flavour is more malty than hoppy, with a slight vinegary acidity (probably not intended) - fair enough to drink, but quite different from the commercial description.

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

440 ml can, Cardinal Pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Cloudy pale yellow colour, moderate to low white head. Fairly nice aroma of crushed green gooseberries, lemon rind and spicy hops. Sour flavour of lactic acid, unripe green gooseberries, lemon juice and lemon rind. Low bitterness. Quite refreshing.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.2%. Hazy yellow to orange, moderate white head. Aroma of citrus fruits, hints of tropical fruits and dusty malts. Smooth mouthfeel. Pleasant fruity flavour, lovely citrus and tropical fruits again, decent malts, but not too sweet. Low but sufficient bitterness. Enjoyable.

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

440 ml can, from Gulating ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Moderate aroma of yellow stonefruits and citrus, hints of tropical fruits and spruce. Refreshing flavour, not too sweet, with the same elements as the aroma, also a decent hop bitterness in the finish. Might well buy again, would be great on a warm summer's day.

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

440 ml can, from Gulating Ølutsalg. ABV is 4.6%. Hazy pale yellow colour, small white head. Aroma of tropical fruits, citrus and yellow stonefruits. Citric mouthfeel, light bodied, moderate carbonation. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma and is not too sweet, low bitterness. A nice refreshment, but there are many competitors in this heat ...

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Cloudy red colour, pink head. Aroma of blackcurrants and apple crumble, no surprise there. The flavour is moderately sour and even more moderately sweet, again notes of blackcurrants and apple crumble, low bitterness, dry finish.

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

Bottle, at Plain Kitchen, Göteborg. Bottle conditioned. Golden colour, moderate head. Hoppy aroma with notes of resin and honey. Hoppy flavour, notes of resin and grapefruit. Good beer.

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

Bottle, at Haket, Göteborg. Deep reddish brown colour, creamy head. Herbal aroma, quite nice. Sweetish and herbal flavour, sourish in the finish. Not bad, but is it worth the price? Traquair House Ale is better!

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

Bottle, at Haket, Göteborg. Amber colour, low head, looks like a bitter. Leather and dusty attic in the aroma, some fruit too. Taste of lager with some caramel, nothing spectacular, some hops in the finish. Not bad, but not worth the price.

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

500 ml bottle, at Haket, Göteborg. Served with a Chimay glass. Black colour, low tan head. Nice roasty aroma with strong notes of prunes and chocolate, hints of liquorice and pipe tobacco. Flavour is creamy and mellow, but also distinctly roasty with notes of coffee and chocolate. A very fine beer.

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

Bottle, at Haket, Göteborg. Black colour, moderate but lasting creamy head. Strong aroma of roast malts, chocolate and elderberries. Flavour is mellow and rounded with chocolate and elderberries, surprisingly well balanced.

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

500 ml bottle, under its new name "Adnams The Bitter", bought at Ole Simon, Sandnes. Amber colour, large and lasting creamy off-white head. Moderate toffee aroma, hints of nuts and oak. Flavour is nutty with a distinct hoppy bite in the finish. Not bad.

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

Keg at The Bishop’s Arms, Göteborg. Deep golden to amber colour. Nice hoppy aroma with notes of toffee and sherry. Rich malty flavour with notes of toffee, caramel and some oak, but a little too sweet for my taste.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Cloudy golden colour. Aroma: sultanas, oak yeast. Flavour: yeasty, slightly spicy. Not too sweet. Not a beer that blows your socks off, but nice.

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

Bottle conditioned, opaque black (= very dark brown), pours with a good tan head that does not last long. Surprisingly fruity and vinous complex aroma of plums / prunes with notes of seaweed, cocoa, colombian coffee and cigars. Light bodied for a stout, but very refreshing. Moderate roast coffee flavour, quite dry, moderate roast bitterness in the aftertaste, a bit short. Must be a good accompaniment with all kinds of food - not only oysters.

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

Bottle served at the BC Beer Café in Helsinki. Beer is pitch black (okay, VERY dark brown), low to no head. There's some irritating carbonation that pricks on the tongue - if given the choice, I would most likely prefer some nitrogen in a beer of this style (I know that many of you will disagree with me on that!) Moderate roast aroma, the rounded flavour has some coffee notes with a strong oatmeal presence, hardly any bitterness to match the sweetness. Porridge aftertaste. Very filling - I had it 1 hour after a solid breakfast, and it was like having another full meal ("liquid oatmeal porridge"). Of course it's not a bad beer, but as my expectations were sky high, you'll have to forgive me for being a bit disappointed.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

The saltiness in the finish / aftertaste ruins the pleasure of drinking this beer. I may like salty food with a beer, not salt IN the beer itself!