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

On tap in Riga. Cloudy golden colour, moderate head for a hefeweizen. Not served in appropriate glass. Basically a typical hefeweizen aroma and flavour, with strong notes of cloves - but the flavour is somewhat less fruity than many other h.w.s. Nice enough, but the finish is rather bland.

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

On tap in Riga. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate pilsener aroma. Typical pilsener flavour, maybe slightly more malty than the bulk of them, with a certain hoppy bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, in the café at Stockmann, Riga. ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, moderate head. Sweetish and fruity aroma. Moderately malty flavour, moderate sweetness, low bitterness.

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

On tap in Latvia. (I think I brought home a bottle too.) Golden colour. Moderate malty aroma. Relatively malty flavour, moderately sweet, moderate hops. Pretty average beer.

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

On tap in Riga Airport. Amber colour, hazy (unfiltered and unpasteurised), moderate head. Lovely aroma of butterscotch with notes of honey. Nice malty flavour with notes of toffee and a hint of honey. Not bad at all. (I was under the impression that this is a lager / Vienna, not an ale?)

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 3.9%. Unfiltered wheat beer. Cloudy straw coloured beer, moderate to low white head. Strong aroma of butterscotch (diacetyl), caramel and boiled vegetables. The flavour has a certain acidity, notes of green apples, lemons and butterscotch. The most unusual wheat beer I’ve had so far, very far from being a great beer, but quite refreshing after all.

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

This beer comes in a nifty 300 ml octagonal A leCoq brown glass bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 5.0%. Pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. Fruity and flowery aroma, quite nice. The flavour is also fruity and quite refreshing. Lemony finish. Some more malts and bittering hops might have been a good idea. Light bodied, soft mouthfeel. No masterpiece, but better than I feared.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga, as "Piebalgas Alus Piebalga". ABV is 5.6%. This is a "gaisais alus" (= pale beer). Unpasteurised. Pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Sweetish malty and slightly fruity aroma, hints of honey. Sweet malty flavour, too sweet for a pale lager. Notes of honey. Alcohol is noticeable. Some hops in the finish. Unusual lager, but not undrinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 4.5%. Pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Pleasant fruity and flowery aroma. Relatively sweet pale lager flavour, light bodied and thin, hints of fruit and honey, low bitterness. Far from exciting, but not offensive either.

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

500 ml can, bought in Riga. ABV is 5.0%. Very pale golden colour, crystal clear, with a large and lasting white head. Very moderate aroma, slightly sweetish with citrussy notes. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Sweetish flavour, lemony notes, moderate hops. Pretty bad, but I’ve had worse pale lagers.

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

500 ml can, bought in Riga, as "Cesu Premium Alus Limited Edition", but I suspect the "Limited Edition" only refers to the design of the can, not the beer inside! ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Fruity aroma with notes of candy. Fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied, thin. The flavour is fairly sweet with fruity notes, low bitterness. No masterpiece this one.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 4.6%. Is this beer possibly named after the notorious liar Baron von Münchausen? Pale golden colour, large and lasting head. Fairly malty sweetish aroma with notes of butterscotch and honey. The flavour is also quite sweet - too sweet for a pale lager, but reasonably malty with slightly metallic hops in the finish. Drinkable, but to call it a GREAT beer would be a lie, worthy of Baron von Münchausen!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga , as "Lacplesis Tumsais Dzivs Alus - No Lielvardes". This beer operates on the borderline betweeen dunkel, schwarzbier, dunkler bock and Baltic porter - but it sure as hell is no Vienna!!! ABV is now 5.8%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Creamy and lasting large head. Lovely malty sweet aroma, strong notes of Danish pastry, chocolate and marzipan. The flavour is also malty with a pronounced roastiness, fairly sweet, but not as sweet as the aroma made me expect. Hoppy finish. Not bad!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga, as "Bauskas Alus Tumsais Specialais". ABV is 5.5%. Copper coloured beer, large and lasting tan head. Malty sweet aroma, notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour is also malty sweet with notes of caramel, but is not cloying. Moderate hops in the finish. Not bad.

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

500 ml screenprint bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 4.5%. Filtered, but not pasteurised. Strange pale greyish brown colour, moderate white head. Strong sweetish aroma of malts, ginger, honey and cooked vegetables. I drank it too cold - but found an initially sweetish pale lager flavour with ginger, and a very dry finish with a hint of lemons. Minimal bitterness. Thin mouthfeel. Still quite refreshing and drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga. ABV is 5.4%. Filtered but not pasteurised dunkel with ginger. Copper coloured beer, large off-white head. Malty sweet aroma, notes of brown bread, caramel, molasses and cooked vegetables. Malty and fairly sweet flavour with some roasty and caramel notes, just a hint of ginger. Moderate hops in the finish. Drinkable, but not my favourite Latvian dunkel.

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

August 2019: 330 ml green bottle with tear-off cap, probably from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.6%. Clear pale golden colour, huge white head. Fresh Heineken-like aroma of lightstruck hops, notes of newmown grass. Some grain and wort in the background. Acceptable pilsener flavour, some citric notes, followed by grain and very moderate bittering hops.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. Very pale straw colour, pours moderately sparkling, no head. Moderate apple aroma. Crisp, dry and fresh apple flavour, light bodied. Refreshing and uncomplicated.

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

280 ml green bottle, a gift from a fellow beer rater, to add another "beer country" to my list. ABV was 4.1%. Don’t expect me to search all over Lebanon for their "great" beers in the future, though. The whiff of fresh skunkiness when opening the bottle is actually the best thing with this beer. Pale golden colour, fizzy, low head that disappears rapidly, little lacing. In the glass the aroma is sickly, soap and rotting vegetables. The flavour (as far as there is any) is grainy and utterly forgettable. Soapy aftertaste. This beer might save your life if you happen to be stuck in the Lebanon heat, anywhere else it’s just a bad joke.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway. Golden colour, large foamy head. Strong perfumed aroma of shampoo, flowers, molasses and green apples, not entirely pleasant. Flavour is grassy with lemon notes, some sweetness. Low bitterness. Drinkable, but no masterpiece.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Lithuanian farmhouse ale, makeshift bottled (plastic) at the brewery 2 weeks ago. Hazy dark golden to amber colour. Yeasty aroma with very interesting notes of spices (ginger, cloves, cardamom, juniper berries). Sweetish and mildly spicy flavour, notes of bread yeast. Unusual.

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

Sampled RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting, as Svyturys Baltas Kvictinis Alus. ABV is 5.2%. Golden colour, hazy, large head. Typical weissbier aroma and flavour: cloves and ripe bananas. An okay weissbier.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Deep reddish brown colour, not as dark as many other Baltic porters, large light brown head. Malty sweet aroma, hints of roastiness, dried dark fruits and bakery. Very sweet and malty flavour, verging on "cloying" but is not over the hilltop. Just enough hops to keep my interest. Mellow and rounded mouthfeel, again associations of something out of a bakery. Faint hints of roastiness and coffee in the background. I’m not quite sure what to make of this beer - maybe too sweet, but still pleasant enough to convince me to buy it again on a day my "sweet tooth" needs to be satisfied.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Ole Simon, Sandnes. ABV is 4.6%. Pale golden colour, large and lasting head. Flowery and sweetish aroma, okay. Fairly hoppy flavour. Deserves the name "pilsener" - I’ve had many a "pils" that was far worse than this one. This is a quite good one, actually.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Very pale golden colour, large head. Typical n/a beer aroma - sweetish "boiled" notes. Watery and thin mouthfeel. Bland flavour with some sweet and salty notes. Utterly boring.