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

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar,Stavanger. ABV is 8.2%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Nice aroma of citrussy American hops. Distinct flavour of citrussy and resinous American hops, fairly dry. Light bodied for its strength. Dangerously drinkable. Oh dear, was the bottle empty already?

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Pitch black colour, modest carbonation, low brown head. Strong aroma of chocolate, liquorice, molasses, coffee and alcohol. The rich flavour has notes of roasted barley, liquorice and strong coffee, medium sweet. Bitter hops in the finish.

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

650 ml bottle, as Southern Tier Imperial Mokah, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Lovely strong aroma of predominant chocolate, also notes of vanilla and coffee. The flavour has loads of dark chocolate, vanilla and strong coffee, with bitter hops (Columbus and Chinook) in the finish. Extremely powerful stuff.

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

Shared bottle, gusher. Dark brown colour, tan head. Roasty and spicy aroma. Roasty flavour with Christmas spices. Peppery and hoppy bitter finish. Good beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Bottle at Schouskjelleren, Oslo. Amber colour, moderate but lasting off-white head. Aroma of ripe berries, tobacco and resinous hops, hints of ashes. Infected? Fruity and acidic flavour, resinous hops. Tastes clearly infected.

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

Shared 750 ml bottle, at Håndverkerstuene, Oslo. ABV 6.8%. Hazy deep golden colour, moderate white head. Strong spicy aroma, also farmhouse notes, hints of oaked cider. Spicy and fruity flavour, some acidity but not unpleasant. Decent hops. A good and interesting beer.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011. Golden colour, slightly hazy. Nice hoppy aroma, hints of tropical fruits. Decent hoppy flavour, the alcohol is well hidden.

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

Shared bottle, RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Dark brown colour. Sourish aroma and flavour, farmhouse notes, lemony and gueuze-like despite the darker colour.

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

Shared bottle, RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Barrel aged 6 months, with currants added. Reddish brown colour. Intense farmhouse aroma, sour fruit, oak and spices. Sour flavour, good but not impressive.

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!