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

June 2015: 750 ml bottle, as Birra del Borgo Genziana con radici, from Vinmonopolet. BB date March 2015. ABV is 6.1%. Clear deep golden colour, moderate white head. Strong sweetish malty and herbal / vegetable aroma. The flavour is also quite sugary sweet, notes of malts, caramel, herbs and vegetables (the radishes, I assume). Low bitterness. Not really my cup of tea. Drank it moderately chilled - might be more refreshing ice cold.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

Shared bottle at local tasting. Deep golden to orange colour, white head. The aroma has notes of acetone, alcohol, hops and cherry pits. Fruity flavour, notes of sour plums and cherries. The aroma ruins too much.

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

March 2016: 750 ml bottle, as Birra del Borgo CastagnAle, probably from Matkroken Stokka. BBE 12/2014. ABV is 4.2%. Beautiful reddish colour, unfortunately spoiled by loads of floaties that don’t dissolve in the beer. Moderate off-white head. Aroma of malts, chestnuts and over-ripe fruits, hints of solvent. Slightly sweet flavour, with the same elements as in the aroma. Might be somewhat better fresh, but probably not my cup of tea under any circumstance.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

Sept. 2020: 330 ml bottle, vintage 2014, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Brewed with 7% balsamic vinegar. Black colour, no head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, chocolate and balsamic vinegar. Hardly any carbonation. Terribly sweet and sour flavour, the balsamic vinegar overshadows all other qualities this lifeless beer otherwise might have. I feel like an idiot, having paid good money for this crap. Most of it went down the drain.

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

330 ml clear bottle, from Gulating ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Clear and extremely pale yellow colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. Aroma of apples, apple peel and kernels, a hint of sulphites. Medium sweet flavour of yellow apples, again a hint of sulphites. Nice enough.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

375 ml corked & caged green bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 6.2%. Pale golden colour, pours sparkling with a shortlived white head. Nice aroma of "spicy" saison yeast, and white grape must or white wine of "spicy" grape varieties, notes of cellar and oak. Very dry and crisp flavour, notes of brut sparkling white wine, some yeasty notes, the bitterness is very moderate.

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

750 ml waxed and corked bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Very dark brown colour, small beige head. Distinct aroma of malts and roasted nuts, particularly hazelnuts. Also hints of dark dried fruits. Medium sweet flavour, malty (some caramel) with notes of said nuts, hints of dark dried fruits again, low bitterness.

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

November 2012: Shared 750 ml bottle from Vinmonopolet, at Cardinal Yule beer tasting. Ruby colour, off-white head. Aroma of malts, caramel and vanilla, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. The flavour is malty and medium sweet, but has also a nice fruitiness. Mild oaky hints, vanilla, caramel and dark dried fruits again. Pleasant to drink.

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

July 2019: Shared 750 ml corked and waxed bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV 9.0%. Deep brown colour, off-white head. The aroma has moderate but still distinct notes of liquorice, also malts with a hint of caramel. The flavour is malty but not too sweet, notes of mild spices and discrete liquorice, hints of brown sugar and dark dried fruits. Moderate hops. Well balanced and enjoyable.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, as Theresianer Senza Glutine - Non filtrata, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 4.8%. Nearly clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate grainy aroma. The flavour is medium dry and grainy, some citric notes make it quite drinkable.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

330 ml clear bottle, as Peroni Nastro Azzurro Stile Capri, from Helgø Meny Stokka. ABV is 4.2%. Clear pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma much like a typical n/a beer, just a hint of lemon extract. More distinct lemon in the flavour, not too sweet and kind of refreshing, but there is hardly any hop bitterness. Swill.

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

330 ml can, as Birra Baladin Sud, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV 4.5%. Slightly hazy and very pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma of wheat and very stale jam / marmalade, not good. The flavour is on the sweet side, again unfresh notes of stale jam and citrus, drainpour. Baladin should be ashamed of this one.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Black colour, ruby in the highlights, brown head. Malty and roasty aroma, hints of tobacco and liquorice. Sweet, malty and roasty flavour, quite nice.

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

Not much flavour here. Carbonated mineral water with some malts and hops added. Probably an OK beach beer in the Jamaica heat, brewing it in Europe seems like a bad joke. Cute bottle.

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

I'll admit that I bought this 'Japanese' beer (brewed 'under supervision' in the Czech Rep.) only to get a higher score on the 'most countries' rating. However I was compelled to drink it tonight (had planned to wait a bit) in order to lose the foul aftertaste of the EKU 28 I had sampled earlier. This beer is definitely contrary to the foul eisbock: It's probably the driest beer I've ever tasted. Refreshing, but not something I'd buy again (ref. Norwegian prices on imported beer), unless I should happen to visit Japan. Rerate: Actually, I DID have it again without visiting Japan: It was a nice accompaniment with a meal in a Japanese garden / restaurant in Denmark.

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

The bad thing about living in Norway is the price of beer. The good thing, however, is that those of us who live near the coast and have a small boat (yes, like me) can catch our own seafood - for free. Freshly caught crab was my chosen accompaniment with Kirin lager - a good choice, I believed, as the Japanese love seafood more than anyone else in the world. I'm sorry to say that most European pilseners / light lagers would have been a better choice than this one. There is very little aroma, the beer is dry (which is a good thing when you have it with seafood) but some more flavour would have been good too! - aftertaste is metallic. Surely the Japanese can do better than this??

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

330 ml bottle, as "Sapporo Premium Lager", brewed "under license in the EU". Ingredients are water, malts, hops and hop extract - no maize (corn) or rice here. Different recipe? Bought in Norway at Ultra. ABV here is 4.7%, to comply with our 4.75% upper limit for beers sold in grocery stores. Pale golden colour, large head. Flowery sweet aroma, not unpleasant. Flavour is surprisingly clean tasting, no sign of adjuncts and off-flavours, tolerable hops. Well, it’s a light bodied pale lager - I don’t expect miracles, but it sure was a lot better than I feared.

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

350 ml can, from Vinmonopolet; Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. slightly hazy golden colour, small white head. Fresh aroma of yuzu fruit. Dry flavour, distinct notes of yuzu, also distinct hop bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.0%. Orange to amber colour, only slightly hazy. Moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of oranges (some of them decaying) / orange peel / orange marmalade, some grainy and piney notes too. The flavour is better, fruity with oranges again, but not too sweet. Moderate bitterness. Soft mouthfeel. Pleasant to drink.

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

330 ml bottle, brought from Japan by my son Steinar. The label has silver and white writing on a dark blue background. Matured in cedar casks. ABV is 6.5%. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Fruity aroma (plums and fruity hops, orange marmalade), also notes of cedar wood. Woody flavour, medium sweet, fruity notes, moderately bitter finish.

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

330 ml bottle, from Matkroken Stokka. BB date 01.2014. Black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of lactose and moderately roasted malts, hints of chocolate. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is nice and smooth, with mild roasty notes, some lactose (but not too sweet), hints of mild coffee and chocolate. Pleasant and easy to drink. Might well buy again.

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

11.2 fl. oz. bottle, from Vinmonopolet. BB date 01.2014. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, only slightl hazy (some sediment remained in the bottle), moderate to low white head. Moderate aroma of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel. Fairly refreshing flavour, medium dry, wheaty with notes of coriander, nutmeg and some orange peel / citrus. Pleasant to drink - I have a somewhat fresher bottle too, but this one seemed to have kept well. Might buy again.

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

Shared 550 ml bottle from Vinmonopolet, ABV is 6.5%. The bottle is full of floaties, but not visible in the glass. Golden colour, the aroma is a little weird, but hard to describe. Hints of sea water and also some dill (Sorachi Ace). The flavour has also hints of dill and laurel leaves, but lacks the fresh lemongrass notes.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.0%. Brownish-orange colour, small head, slightly off-white. Aroma of yeast, wort, boiled rice, stale orange marmalade. Slightly sweet flavour, yeasty and fruity, hints of grain and rice, somewhat better than the aroma. Moderate bitterness in the finish. Heaven knows what makes this a "saison".

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy brownish-orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of sour plums, lemons and sea salt. Medium sour flavour with the same elements as the aroma, low bitterness. Refreshing.