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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. "Anno 2010 Anniversary". 25% of this ale had been aged in bourbon barrels, the remaining 75% were not barrel aged. Sampled at a time of the tasting when I was slowly getting slightly inebriated, and the 14.5% ABV of this beer did not help much ... Cloudy brown colour. Malty sweetish aroma, loads of molasses and alcohol. Rich malty flavour, a certain fruitiness balances the sweetness. Moderate but noticeable hops.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Black colour, no head. Intense aroma of dark malts, molasses and raisins.The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, with loads of alcohol.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Why are always the best beers served near the end of the tasting? Golden to amber colour, this is a Belgian-style golden strong ale, with lovely spicy and fruity notes in both aroma and flavour. Well balanced and not too sweet. Very good.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Bronze colour. I was getting slightly inebriated when this beer finally came up in the tasting, but had still the capacity to recognize the qualities of a fine barleywine. Well balanced and pleasant aroma and flavour, malty and sweet but not too extreme. Strong, but not too alcoholic - smooth to drink for its strength. Very good.

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

On tap at Schouskjelleren, Oslo. Pale golden colour, moderate white head, nice lacing. Very moderate aroma, some fruit, hints of honey. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant smooth flavour of fruity hops, a moderate grapefruity bitterness in the finish. Easy drinking and refreshing.

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

355 ml bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 10.5%. Pitch black colour, low head. Strong and intense aroma of heavily roasted malts, cigar box, burnt caramel and oak. Equally strong and intense flavour, again heavily roasted malts, burnt caramel and oak. Pretty impressive stuff.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 8.9%. Cloudy deep yellow to orange colour, moderate white head. Very hoppy aroma, catty and resinous notes, also hints of blackcurrants and grapefruit. Hoppy and very bitter flavour, sharp and nearly medicinal in the finish. Clearly overdone on the Target hops, but nice (in a weird way) anyhow.

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

Bottle, as Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 9.5%. Pitch black colour, brown head. Lovely aroma of heavily roasted malts, cigar box and leather. Intense roasty flavour with notes of strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate and English liquorice. Brilliant stuff!

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 10.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Nice aroma of dark malts and chocolate. Fine roasty flavour, notes of strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Orange to amber colour, low off-white head. Extreme and intense aroma of American hops, on a background of sweet malts. Sweet flavour, too sweet maybe, the sweetness kind of overwhelms the intense hoppiness. Still, this is a top division beer.

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

Corked "champagne" bottle, as Flying Dog Schwarz Smoked Double Lager, ABV 7.8%. IBU 25. Kindly shared by gunnar. Black colour, low tan head. Moderate aroma of dark malts and smoke. Very smoky flavour, the smoke dominates a bit too much for my taste.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV not mentioned on the label. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and brown bread. The flavour is distinctly malty with notes of caramel and brown bread again, without becoming too sweet. Low bitterness. Nutty finish.

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

355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Also available in some Norwegian grocery stores. Hazy pale golden colour, big white head. Typical hefeweizen aroma of ripe bananas and cloves. The flavour also has notes of ripe bananas and cloves, medium sweet, soft mouthfeel, very drinkable, low bitterness. A good hefeweizen - no more, no less.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.4%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla. The flavour has loads of roasted malts, notes of strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate and vanilla, bitter hops in the finish. Good stuff!

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy golden colour, fairly pale for an American IPA. Big to moderate white head. Lovely aroma of floral and fruity hops (Centennial and Simcoe or Chinook) , notes of peaches and tropical fruits. The flavour is resinous and grapefruity, initially relatively smooth and inviting, but with an aggressive and nearly medicinal bitterness in the aftertaste. Relatively light bodied and dry.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is not mentioned on the label. Murky brownish colour, moderate to low white head. Strong sweetish aroma with notes of white candi sugar; Belgian ale yeast and various spices. Moderate carbonation in the glass, but enough to make the beer fresh and pleasant to drink. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma made me fear, the sweetness is actually well balanced with a fine spiciness and distinct hops in the finish. Nice one!

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing Shark Attack Double Red Ale, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. Hazy reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head with an orangey hue. Lovely and complex aroma of fruity and piney American hops, on a sweetish background of crystal malts. The flavour is medium sweet with plenty of crystal malts, and loads of resinous and grapefruity hops. The bitterness in the finish is substantial, but not too extreme. Good stuff.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch 573. ABV is not mentioned on the label. Cloudy pale yellow colour, huge to big white head. Attractive aroma of citrus, banana, cloves, nutmeg and wild yeast with "farmhouse" notes. The flavour is lemony and acidic with notes of cloves and a hint of oak. Very refreshing and drinkable, but I’d like some more hops.

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. 19 degrees Plato. Malts are 2-row pale malt, European pilsner malt and white wheat. Kettle hops are Magnum and Mount Hood, dry hops are Santium, Sterling and Mount Hood. Golden colour, big white head. Strong and delightful aroma of American hops, also notes of orange marmalade. The flavour is very hoppy but not extreme, with hints of pine needles, on a background of sweet malts with hints of orange marmalade and some caramel. Alcohol is noticeable, but not dominant. A good lager, but I can’t help thinking that it would taste even better if it were an ale ...

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.0%, 23 degrees Plato. Made with 2-row pale malt, cara-pils malt and red wheat. Kettle hops are Chinook and Cascade, dry hopped with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook. Orange to amber colour, big off-white head. Aroma of resinous American hops, also hints of stale orange marmalade. The medium sweet flavour is intensely hoppy throughout, bordering on "too much", piney and resinous notes. Some notes of old orange marmalade and caramel too. Not for the faint of heart.

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

Corked bottle, at "Onsdag i Annen", Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Intense sweetish malty aroma, vinous and roasty notes, oak, caramel, coffee and chocolate. Rich mouthfeel. The flavour has much the same elements as the aroma. Sweeter and less intense bitterness than in some other imperial stouts. A real treat!

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway. Hurrah. ABV here is 4.5%. Crystal clear pale yellow colour, big to moderate white head. Weak grassy aroma, not unpleasant though. The beer is wet and cold, with minimal flavour, just a little sweetness. No aftertaste. The good thing is that there are no offensive off-flavours - just plenty of Rocky Mountain water ...

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

22 fl. oz. bottle, as Left Coast’s Black Magic Stout, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.7%. Pitch black colour, big to moderate brown head. The aroma has the expected notes of coffee and dark chocolate, but also fruity and vinous notes. The flavour has strong roasty notes, coffee and dark chocolate again, but also some fruity notes in the background. Nice one.

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

750 ml corked cottled, as North Coast Le Merle Saison (Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale), courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.9%. Slightly hazy golden colour, huge white head. Sweetish aroma of syrup, farmhouse yeast and rotting fruits / stale berries. High level of carbonation in the mouth. The flavour is better than the aroma, medium sweet and moderately spicy, decent hops in the finish. Quite nice to drink, should also go well with many foods.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.0%. Very dark brown to mahogany colour, thick beige head. Sweetish aroma of brown malts and caramel. Very sweet and malty flavour, notes of caramel, chocolate and some smoke. Should be drunk fairly cool, else the sweetness will feel cloying.