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

Nov. 2014: 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of fresh German aromatic hops, notes of flowers, newmown grass and herbs, sweetish hints of honey. The flavour has a moderate sweetness, and subtle German hops throughout. With slightly less alcohol (4.8 / 4.9% in a normal helles), this would be a nice beer for the summer months - there is not really anything very wintery about it, except for the snowy label and slightly higher ABV.

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

330 ml longneck swingtop bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Brown colour, large off-white head. Aroma of malts, earth, blackcurrants, dark bread, herbs and spices. The flavour has the same elements, some caramel too, but is not too sweet. Decent bitterness. Overall an excellent beer.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml clear bottle, as Herrnbräu Gold, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 4.9%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of wort, grass and baby porridge. Terribly bland flavour, just a bit of unwanted sweetness. A hint of herbal hops in the finish is not enough to save this beer from being one of the worst German beers I've had.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

March 2013: 500 ml bottle, probably from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 4.4%. Dark brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Sweetish aroma of malt sugar and unfermented wort, also notes of bread and dust. Very sweet, sugary and malty flavour, reminiscent of a Danish dark "hvidtøl", but despite the sweetness, the mouthfeel is fairly thin. No hops detected. Not awful, though - just not something I’ll buy again.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

August 2014: Shared 500 ml bottle, probably from CITTI-Markt Flensburg. Deep ruby colour, moderate off-white head. Strong aroma of strawberry syrup and strawberry candy, with an initial hint of vomit. Sweet flavour, strawberry syrup and strawberry chewing gum galore, mild roasty notes in the background. Not something I’ll buy again. Ever.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Norheimsund. ABV is 5.6%. Clear golden colour, moderate to small white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts and floral hops, a faint hint of smoked sausage. The flavour has the same elements, low bitterness.

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

March 2022: 750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken, at a steep price. ABV is 6.8%. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, pours sparkling with a moderate but shortlived white head. Pleasant aroma of "spicy" apple varieties and Citra hops. Moderate carbonation in the mouth. Flavour again of "spicy" apples and moderate hops, medium dry, moderately sour, but less citric than I expected. Some tannins, slightly astringent finish, hints of sulphites.

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

750 ml corked & caged dark bottle, as Von Wiesen Rosé Brut 2018, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.7%. Gusher bottle, pours vigorously sparkling with a large but rapidly diminishing white head. Pink to orange colour of the cider. Aroma of apples, redcurrants and blackcurrants, hints of farmhouse, oak and sulphites. Medium sweetness, the flavour has again notes of apples, redcurrants and blackcurrants, some fruity acidity, hints of oak and sulphites.

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

750 ml capped dark bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. Pale golden colour, pours vigorously sparkling with a large white head that actually lasts a while. Dry-ish aroma of quince and herbs, apples in the background. Very dry and crisp flavour of quince and apples, a hint of sulphites.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 6.8%. Moderately hazy golden colour, large white head. Aroma of citrus, yellow stonefruits and tropical fruits. The flavour has the same elements, some piney and spicy hops in the finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Pale golden colour, large white head. Malty aroma, a hint of butterscotch. Soft mouthfeel. Malty flavour, a hint of butterscotch, notes of stewed yellow plums, moderate bittering hops, some alcohol. Nice to drink.

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

Shared 500 ml bottle at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal. Dark reddish brown colour, off-white head. Pleasant aroma of lightly roasted malts, black bread and alder smoke. Smooth flavour, moderate alder smoke and black bread again, a slight fruitiness, moderate hops. Lots of flavour for a 4.2% beer. A full bottle for me next time, please!

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

March 2018: 330 ml stubby bottle, from Edeka Sophienhof, Kiel. ABV is 5.2%. Hazy deep golden to brownish colour, small white head. Very malty and grainy aroma, smells like a brewery malt loft. Also biscuity notes, a hint of caramel. Malty and grainy flavour too, again hints of biscuits and caramel, also roasted almonds, decent hops. Unusual and interesting.

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

500 ml bottle, vintage 2024, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Also available at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 5.9%. Clear and deep reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Aroma of smoked malts and smoked meat. Malty flavour, slightly sweet, smoked malts galore. Moderate to low bitterness.

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

500 ml can, as Bären-Weisse Bayerisches Weissbier, brewed by Privatbrauerei H. Egerer. ABV is 5.5%. Purchased at Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Moderately hazy orange colour, small white head. Typical wheaty Hefe-Weissbier aroma, with notes of banana and cloves. Flavour of wheat, citrus, banana and cloves, minimal bitterness. Refreshing.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Clear and beautiful reddish brown (or brownish red) colour, moderate off-white head, nice lacing. Aroma of cherrywood smoked malts, hints of smoked salmon and smoked meat. The mouthfeel is surprisingly citric. Flavour of citrus, berries and smoked malts with an ashy dry finish, moderate bitterness. A good and unusual smoked Rotbier.

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

500 ml bottle, from Coop Mega Jærhagen, Klepp. ABV is 4.5%. Slightly hazy and very pale straw colour, large white head. Aroma of citric hops, some herbal notes too. Citric and fizzy thin mouthfeel. Very bitter and medicinal flavour, hints of citrus and herbs.

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

330 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Moderately hazy orange to brown colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of citrus, pine and orange marmalade, okay, but surprisingly little complexity of aromas from that many hop varieties. Medium sweet flavour, both malts and hops in abundancy, citric and piney notes, reasonably bitter.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle, vintage 2018, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken, shared with my son. ABV is 8.8%. Nearly clear golden colour, pours vigorously sparkling with a large but shortlived white head. Aroma of apples, apple skin, oak, funk, farmhouse kitchen. Bone dry flavour (it really is "brut"), apples, oak, funk.

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

500 ml bottle, from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen. ABV is 4.8%. Hazy pale golden colour, huge white head. Nice wheaty aroma, notes of coriander and cloves, hints of sea water and citrus. Wheaty and refreshing flavour, medium sweet, hints of coriander and citrus, only faintly salty. Very moderate hops.

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

500 ml bottle, from MENY Grønland Torg, Oslo. ABV is 4.3%. Pale yellow colour, large white head. Moderate aroma of smoked sausage. Ordinary helles flavour with a little smoke added. Moderate hops in the finish. Nice enough to drink, but did not blow my socks off.

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

330 ml bottle, as Fucking Hell Original, kindly shared by gunnar. A helles named after the Austrian village Fucking - what did you think it was? Brewed in Germany. Very pale golden colour, low white head. Very little aroma, a hint of grass and flowers. Moderate flavour, a little sweetness, a little bitterness in the finish. Nothing spectacular here, except the name ...

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

500 ml can, unfiltered, from Dagli’brugsen Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, large white head. Malty and grainy aroma, sweetish notes of baby porridge. The flavour is also malty and grainy, but not too sweet. Drinkable when cold. However, both aroma and flavour are nearly void of hops. What the hell - is there a hop shortage in Germany now?

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Spain. ABV is 5.0%. Very pale yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of "dusty" malts and grassy and slightly herbal hops. Light bodied and refreshing, soft mouthfeel. The flavour has a subtle presence of pilsener malts and German noble hops - nothing spectacular, but nice enough to drink. No offensive off-flavours.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.4%. Mahogany coloured beer, huge and lasting beige head. Lovely aroma of medium dark malts, bakery (esp. fresh brown bread) and caramel, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. Rich mouthfeel. Distinctly malty and rich flavour, sweet but not too much. Caramel and brown bread baked with syrup, dark dried fruits, moderate hops. Well balanced and truly enjoyable.