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

Cask conditioned: Fruity, flowery, extremely refeshing English bitter. Can't think of any faults with it.

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

(330 ml bottle). Pours with an enormous and thick light tan head, beer is cloudy, very dark brown colour. Heavenly complex aroma: oak, port wine, dried fruit and spices. 10 points for aroma is not enough! Flavour is complex, spicy and oaky - toffee sweetness is well balanced with hops. Warming mouthfeel, otherwise the high ABV is well hidden. Long lasting aftertaste. Can't find any faults with the beer - therefore a straight 10. Does that imply that any "perfect" beer has to be as strong as Rochefort 10? Certainly not - but in the strong division, this one is in the lead, at least untill I have sampled Westvleteren... (But the price in Norway is outrageous: USD 9 for a small bottle - in the store!)

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

(500 ml bottle, bought in Finland. ABV was 5.2%.). Black (actually very dark ruby) with a good tan head and nice lacing. Aroma is all chocolate and roasted malts. When you expect something cloyingly sweet (chocolate in beer - "uff da"!): Surprise! - a perfectly rounded and well balanced flavour, loads of chocolate but never sickly, just the right roasted bitterness in the aftertaste. This beer is a real treat - I would be happy to drink it each and every afternoon, but just one bottle a day!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

330 ml bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. Label says for some reason "Lion Dark Beer" in stead of "Lion Stout", but there’s no doubt that this is the very same beer. Otherwise the label is exactly the same, so is the ABV and the characteristics of the beer. Pitch black colour, impenetrable for light. Large and thick brown head. A real beauty! Excellent aroma of various types of wood, tar, leather, tobacco. Full and rich flavour where the roastiness and hops are perfectly balanced with the velvety sweetness. Extremely drinkable. It’s debatable whether "the perfect stout" exists, but the Lion must be pretty close!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

(Bottle). Pitch black porter, even held against the light. Tan head. Complex aroma of coffee, cocoa, dried fruits, ensilage(!) and oak. The full and rich flavour has coffee, bitter chocolate and loads of roasted maltiness. Not too sweet, just the right bitterness in the aftertaste. This must be a world class porter!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

(500 ml bottle, ABV 5,2%). Black (actually very dark ruby) with a good tan head and nice lacing. Aroma is all chocolate and roasted malts. When you expect something cloyingly sweet (chocolate in beer - "uff da"!): Surprise! - a perfectly rounded and well balanced flavour, loads of chocolate but never sickly, just the right roasted bitterness in the aftertaste. This beer is a real treat - I would be happy to drink it each and every afternoon, but just one bottle a day!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

(Bottle). Theoretically I might encounter a better Weizen than this one, but I doubt very much that will ever happen. Murky brown colour, large head, aroma of Paradise: Cloves and other undefinable spices, dried fruits (figs), oak and sandalwood. Oaky cloves flavour with hints of burnt caramel. Alcohol is present, but not overwhelmingly so. Dry aftertaste. This is a thoroughly well made beer!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

500 ml bottle conditioned real ale, bought at Selfridge's, London. Enormous thick tan head. Pitch black colour, even when held to the light. Very possibly the darkest beer in the world. Wonderful aroma of roasted malts, dark bitter chocolate, oak and cedarwood. Flavour is all smoked and heavily roasted malts and oats. A world class stout.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

500 ml bottle, batch #225, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 10%. Pitch black colour, big to moderate tan head. Lovely roasty aroma, notes of coffee, leather, dark chocolate, dark dried fruits, some oaky and vinous notes. The flavour has plenty of malty sweetness and roastiness, notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate, some oaky notes, with a firm hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish. I might not be able to say that the oak cask previously had contained aquavit, if I did not know, but this is indeed one of the very best Norwegian beers I’ve had. Ever.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. ABV was 9.0%. Pitch black colour, low tan head. Lovely vinous oaky aroma with raisins and roasty notes. Roasty flavour with coffee and oaky (fortified wine) notes. Simply an excellent beer from my favourite Swedish brewery.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle conditioned, at Ølkulinarisk Aften, Måltid restaurant, Kristiansand. This beer nearly left me speechless - I’d never have expected a 16% ABV beer to be this wonderful and well balanced. LOVELY aroma and flavour, where notes of oak, fortified wine, coffee and chocolate come in front. A great match with chocolate dessert, could probably also have been a great match with the very mature stilton cheese we had as the previous course (NØ Amber was a bit light-weight for the stilton IMO).

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Rerate, 750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Brewed 23rd Sept. 2008, bottled 10th Dec. 2008. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. The aroma is still vinous (sherry), oaky and roasty - also notes of chocolate, vanilla, figs and dates, hints of Christmas spices. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness, a moderate roastiness, oaky and vinous notes (sherry and/or port), some chocolate and a hint of liquorice. Moderate hops in the finish. Terrific beer! Original rating: Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. ABV was 10%. Pitch black colour, brown head. Lovely vinous, oaky and roasty aroma, some sandalwood too. Perfect! Vinous, roasty and oaky flavour - a wonderful beer!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Bottle, RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Pitch black colour, creamy brown head. Very nice aroma of chocolate and roasted malts, hints of oak. Intensely rich and complex flavour: oaky, vinous, roasty, chocolate, liquorice. An excellent beer, but so is the "ordinary" Stormaktsporter.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, big chocolate brown head. Lovely aroma of whisky barrel (possibly used for sherry before whisky?), but the whisky elements are not overdone - also notes of chocolate, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has a pronounced malty sweetness and well balanced roastiness, again notes of oak, sherry, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee - also moderate notes of tar. An excellent example of how good oak aged impy stouts can be, when the balance is just right.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

An outstanding beer, very close to "perfect". I agree with all the positive things said by other reviewers, and has little more to add. The spicy, oaky complexity of the aroma and flavour is "out of this world". Wonderful, lingering aftertaste. Alcohol is well hidden. Simply exceptional!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

The ABV in Norway is 6,5%. This is the best Norwegian beer you can get. Beautiful, very dark reddish brown colour, moderate carbonation. Complex aroma and flavour, hints of spices, oak and liqourice. Very well balanced. Great aftertaste.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

After a rough start, this beer is pure velvet - sweet, robust, rich, malty and roasted with lots of coffee in the flavour. Nice bitterness in the aftertaste. Just the right strength. A beer I'll never grow tired of - one of my definite favourites.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Theoretically I might encounter a better Weizen than this one, but I doubt very much that will ever happen. Murky brown colour, large head, aroma of Paradise: Cloves and other undefinable spices, dried fruits (figs), oak and sandalwood. Oaky cloves flavour with hints of burnt caramel. Alcohol is present, but not overwhelmingly so. Dry aftertaste. This is a thoroughly well made beer!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(330 ml bottle). This superb Trappist ale pours with an enormous thick head, colour is cloudy dark brown. It has a lovely aroma of oak, leather, dried fruits and a hint of cigar tobacco. Flavour is malty and spicy with a warming mouthfeel, otherwise alcohol is well hidden. Dangerously drinkable! Moderate bitterness, rounded aftertaste. This ale truly belongs in the Premier League of Beers

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(330 ml bottle, ABV 6,2%). This fine beer is cloudy deep golden with an enormous creamy head. It has an intense, overwhelming but lovely aroma of ensilage, horse stable, leather and spicy fruit cake. The flavour is complex and spicy, hops stand out, the aftertaste is dry but could have lasted a little longer. Still, this is clearly a world class beer. Definitely moreish!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(250 ml bottle). Pours with a large thick head, colour is copper. Intense aroma of red fruits, red wine vinegar and horse stable. Lovely sour flavour of fruits, notes of spices. Aftertaste says "more, more!". A great beer.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Draught at U Fleku. Served too cold. Very dark brown, nearly black colour - impenetrable for light. Moderate creamy tan head. Lovely aroma of leather and oak, dark chocolate and liquorice. Flavour is malty and moderately roasty, notes of dark chocolate and coffee. Never mind the inflated prices (by Czech standards), this beer is a must (at least once). And the liqueur we were forced to buy (which I drank AFTER the beer) actually tasted not-too-bad.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

33 cl bottle (as Kasteel Bier Bruin), at Les Moules Belgian restaurant in Prague. Served too cold. Beautiful deep brown to ruby colour. Large head which disappears rapidly. Aroma of dark malts, oak, old sherry, spices and leather. Flavour is very malty and sweet with a warming mouthfeel, elements of Christmas spices and old sherry. Very good. Yummy!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(This is, as far as I'm informed, the same beer as A. le Coq Imperial Stout. Harveys changed the name to keep it in line with their other products and avoid confusion with the present Estonian A. le Coq beers). Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Harvey’s Double Extra Russian Stout". ABV was 9.5%. Gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, low head. LOVELY complex aroma, surprisingly fruity: Plums, cherries, oranges. Roastiness, oak and cigars too. Flavour is extremely roasty and bitter, but also elements of oak and dark fruits. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from a 9.5% ABV beer. The roasty and bitter aftertaste lasts "forever", making it difficult to move on to another beer. Belongs in the top division of beers.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

(Bottle). Theoretically I might encounter a better Weizen than this one, but I doubt very much that will ever happen. Murky brown colour, large head, aroma of Paradise: Cloves and other undefinable spices, dried fruits (figs), oak and sandalwood. Oaky cloves flavour with hints of burnt caramel. Alcohol is present, but not overwhelmingly so. Dry aftertaste. This is a thoroughly well made beer! (Thanks, joss!)