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

500 ml can, at LIDL in Norway, as Fink Bräu Pilsner. ABV here is 4.7%, to comply with our 4.75% upper limit for beers sold in grocery stores. Not to be confused with the low ABV (2.1% and 2.8%) Fink Bräu "Pils" versions made for LIDL by Karlsberg Brauerei. Made of water, malts and hop extract. Clear very pale straw coloured, large head. Moderate aromatic hops. Flavour has some herbal spiciness, not much malts, thin mouthfeel, but a fairly liberal use of hop extract leads to a bitter finish. As far as discount pilseners / pale lagers go: I’ve had worse.

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

500 ml bottle with twist-off cap, bought at LIDL, Norway. ABV here is 4.7%, to comply with our 4.75% upper limit for beers sold in grocery stores. Pale golden colour, moderate head. Moderate aromatic hops, herbal and flowery notes. Fizzy mouthfeel. The rather dry flavour is dominated by a not very pleasant bitterness of not very good hops, becomes "industrial" and metallic in the finish. Not my favourite pils this one.

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

500 ml can, bought at LIDL Norway. ABV here is 4.7%, to comply with our 4.75% upper limit for beers sold in grocery stores. Pale golden colour, fluffy large to moderate head, collapsing. Moderate aromatic hops with some slight sweet and flowery notes, hints of hay. Low carbonation, thin and watery mouthfeel. Onedimensional flavour where a not very pleasant bitterness of inferior hops dominate. Not good.

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

500 ml can, at LIDL Norway. Extremely pale colour, one of the palest beers I’ve seen. Large fluffy head. Very moderate aroma, just some faint flowery notes. Extremely thin and watery mouthfeel, but some moderate hops at least give this "lettøl" SOME flavour. No offensive off-flavours detected.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Pours cloudy golden with the typical large hefeweizen head. Strong yeasty aroma with notes of melons, bananas, fermenting fruits and spices. Hints of ammonium. Typical hefe flavour with cloves, not as light-bodied as some other hefes, fairly dry, tolerable hops. Not bad at all. I hope this beer becomes more easily available in Norwegian grocery stores, the ABV allows it.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Pale golden colour, decent head. Moderate carbonation. Moderate aroma of aromatic hops, some fruity and grassy notes. Flavour is reasonably hoppy but the malty base is very moderate. Fairly dry mouthfeel, bitter finish. OKish helles.

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

Rerate, June 2019: 500 ml swingtop bottle, from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, large white head. Aroma of malts, honey, flowers and grass. Moderately sweet but still refreshing flavour, notes of malts and honey, hints of caramel, moderate hops. Original rating 2005: 500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate carbonation, good mouthfeel. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with strong notes of butterscotch and honey. Flavour has also butterscotch notes, but also a decent hoppy bitterness well balanced with the malts. Very drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, special orders). Like most Weissbiers it pours with an enormous head, this one is also very thick and creamy and lasts "forever". Colour of beer is cloudy brownish golden, a bit darker than most Hefe-Weissbiers. Very moderate and subdued hefe aroma, hints of leather. Flavour has bit more hops and less "banana & cloves" elements than your standard h.w. Fairly dry. A drinkable h.w., but not really remarkable. However, I love this style, and the Schneeweisse makes no exception.

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

Rerate, on tap in Hamburg. This is a fairly average standard pilsener, but the hoppy bitterness in the finish was actually greater than I remembered it from the bottles I’ve sampled earlier. Drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Hazy orange colour, pours with the typical hefeweizen enormous head. Spicy aroma (cloves and more), hints of leather and ammonium too. Typical hefeweizen flavour but not quite as full as I desired. Rather dry, minimal hops. Fizzy and slightly dusty mouthfeel. Decent, but not the best h.w. I’ve had.

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

330 ml can, bought in Germany. Sweetish fruity aroma. Flavour is relatively malty and sweet for a pilsener. Hoppy bitter finish. Drinkable, but not really remarkable.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi, Hamburg. Very pale golden colour, large head. Moderate aroma of grass, fruits and pale malts. Flavour is surprisingly bland, some grassy and sweetish notes. Low bitterness. ABV is well hidden. Drinkable, but I expected more than this. Confirms my theory that the Octoberfest is a ridiculously over-hyped event for American and German binge drinkers, and has very little, if anything, to do with a great beer selection or beers out of the ordinary.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Germany. Golden colour, fizzy, large head. Fairly strong sweet and alcoholic aroma, notes of molasses and ammonium, hints of oak and fermenting fruits, not very pleasant. Flavour is malty, too alcoholic and sweet, low bitterness. Pale strong lagers rarely make me happy, and this one is no exception to the rule. Still drinkable - I’ve had worse.

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

500 ml twistcap bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Typical dunkel reddish brown colour, decent pale greyish brown head. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with notes of caramel, toast and bakery. Mellow nutty flavour with notes of dark bread and caramel, tolerable hops for a dunkel (Hallertau, Spalt and Tettnang). Nice.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. ABV is 2.7%. I had no raspberry syrup available, so I drank it straight. Extremely pale straw coloured, nearly clear, just a very slight haziness. Enormous to moderate head. Unusual funky aroma - sea water / seaweed, notes of barnyard, horseblanket and rotting citrus. Very sour / acidic flavour, but not as extreme as I expected. Lemony notes. Light bodied, watery mouthfeel despite the acidity. Refreshing, but I find very little complexity here. Moderate lemony aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Clear brown to copper coloured, large light tan head. Pleasant aroma of lightly roasted malts, caramel, chocolate and bakery (including rye bread and Danish pastry). Lightly roasted malty flavour, fairly mellow, bready notes, some caramel but not really sweet, decent hops for a dunkel. Mouthfeel could have been fuller. Moderate but pleasant aftertaste. Okay.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. ABV is 4.9%. Typical dunkel clear reddish brown colour, very good and lingering light tan head. Very nice aroma of moderately roasted malts, flaked nuts, caramel and bakery. Flavour is malty and nutty with notes of dark bread and caramel, not too sweet. German dunkels are not "big" beers, but are, when well made, a truly enjoyable drinking experience. This is one of them.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 4.9%. Beautiful reddish brown colour, large and lingering greyish light tan head. Moderate malty aroma with some caramel and spices, some flowery aromatic hops too. Flavour is moderately malty and herbal with moderate hops, a little burnt caramel too. Easy drinking, but not one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hoheluft, Hamburg. Some sediment in the bottle. Hazy golden colour, large and lingering off-white head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, notes of citrus, flowers and honey, hints of oak and leather. Flavour is fairly malty and relatively sweet, well balanced with pleasant hops, some oaky and spicy elements. This is what a golden lager SHOULD taste like! Industrial junk pushers: See, smell, drink and LEARN!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Large and lingering greyish tan head, nice lacing. Pleasant moderately roasty aroma, also notes of dark fruits, chocolate, Schwarzbrot and coffee. Very nice flavour of roasted malts perfectly balanced with the hops, not too sweet, notes of coffee. Moderate roasty aftertaste which lasts "forever". A very good Schwarzbier!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. ABV is 7.5%. Reddish amber colour, large orange to light tan head. Surprisingly alcoholic aroma, elements of molasses, caramel and syrup, hints of dried dark fruits, port wine and oak. Flavour is also rather alcoholic, malty sweet (a little too sweet for me) with plenty of caramel and molasses, a herbal spiciness and moderate hops in the finish. Not nearly as good as the much darker Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock, but still a very powerful beer in any way. Definitely a "winter warmer".

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Malty aroma with notes of caramel and bakery, some fruity hops too. Malty flavour with caramel and bready notes, not very sweet, spicy and fairly hoppy bitter finish. Dusty aftertaste. Okay.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Typical hefeweizen enormous head which lasts "forever", very cloudy golden. Typical h.w. aroma of cloves and ripe bananas. Flavour is relatively dry with the typical hefe character, notes of cloves and herbal spices, moderate hops. Another very nice and refreshing h.w.!

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

500 ml heavy dark green swingtop bottle, cool. Bought in Bier Spezi, Hamburg. Amber colour, large to moderate off-white head. Lovely hoppy aroma when pouring, not equally impressive in the glass. For something from Germany called "Bitterbier" I kind of expected a hoppy explosion, but the bitterness is actually very moderate. Still, some hops are around, and they are quite well balanced with the malts. Hints of caramel and a certain herbal spiciness too. Unusual style for Germany, but not really remarkable.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Brown colour, large off-white head. Malty and fruity sweet aroma (raisins), some caramel and spices too. Pleasant flavour with vinous notes, hints of oak, malts are well balanced with the hops. I won’t need wood cutting as an excuse to drink this beer. Very nice!