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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Cloudy dark orange colour, large off-white head. Aroma of citrus fruit (esp. oranges) and pine. Luscious hoppy flavour, with notes of bitter orange marmalade, grapefruit, mango and resin. In other words: Lots of hoppy flavours in addition to the expected solid bitterness, which is still not to extreme. A wonderful beer!

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

330 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 10.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, exotic woodwork. Rich mouthfeel. The medium sweet flavour is roasty with notes of strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate, some vanilla, and distinct bittering hops. Impressive.

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

440 ml can, from Seven Cellars. ABV is 6%. Cloudy golden colour, large white head. Pleasant aroma of citrus, tropical fruits and spruce. Soft, oaty and citric mouthfeel. Very fruity and citric flavour, also loads of tropical fruits, hints of sprucetips and pine needles in the finish.

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

On tap at The Rover, Göteborg. Pitch black colour, creamy tan head. Lovely roasty aroma with strong notes of dark chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Flavour is very roasty with strong notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate. A very good beer!

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

Bottle conditioned. 500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Beautiful amber colour, huge and fluffy head lasts "forever". Lovely hoppy aroma, also notes of red wine vinegar, oak and barnyard. Interesting flavour with a substantial hoppy bitterness, oaky and vinous notes. Relatively dry. Notes of balsamic vinegar too, but the beer is neither sour nor sweet (does that make sense?). A very good beer in my book.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 5.0%. Cloudy dark brown colour, enormous thick and creamy light tan head. Lovely aroma of brown bread, yeast, cloves, banana and caramel. Flavour has malts, caramel, chocolate and cloves, some hops in the fairly dry finish. I had it on its own, must be good with food too. A very fine dunkelweizen.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 5.4%. Hazy amber colour, large slightly off-white head. "Absolutely fabulous" aroma, orgasmic in its abundancy of fruitiness and spiciness. Notes of leather too. Flavour is bit more restrained, still very nice with all the traditional hefe characteristics, wheaty and yeasty with cloves but also some caramel and brown bread. Aftertaste is, like with most wheat beers, very moderate but nice. Can you expect a hefeweizen to be much better than this?

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

355 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Deep brown colour, large light tan head. Pleasant aroma of dark and dried fruits and caramel, hints of chocolate, tobacco, oak and leather. Nice malty and nutty flavour with some caramel but not too sweet, well balanced with sufficient hops, hints of spices. Easy drinking, refreshing, decent mouthfeel. Moreish.

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

500 ml bottle, unflitered and unpasteurised, bottle conditioned traditional Norse ale. Available at Ole Simon, Sandnes. Very dark brown colour, floaties from the sediment, creamy tan head with greyish tones. Distinct and unusual aroma of juniper, resin, fresh tar, woodwork and caramel, some less pleasant notes of ammonium too. Moderate natural carbonation. Very pleasant to drink, malty with lovely juniper notes, a subdued roastiness, hints of smoke, not too sweet. Pleasant aftertaste with roasty and resiny notes. Very interesting beer!

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

330 ml clear bottle. Berentsens surprise us again - they have made a slightly mellower version of a Baltic porter as their "klasse F" (Vinmonopolet) Yule/Christmas beer. Dark brown colour, nice and creamy tan head. Very nice roasty aroma with notes of oak, leather, dark bread and coffee. Flavour is moderately roasty and well rounded, elements of coffee, dark chocolate and oak. Tolerable hops. Could use a little more "bite", but this is definitely not a bad beer!

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

(700 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). Copper colour, slightly hazy, moderate head that doesn’t last very long. Lovely aroma of dark fruits and spices. Malty and slightly spicy flavour, could have been more complex but is still very good. Pleasant aftertaste. They have used Saazer hops for this beer, nothing wrong with that, but additional hop varieties would probably have brought the beer closer to "perfect". Still, quality is of course lightyears ahead of what most people know as "Carlsberg".

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger (Norway’s best beer bar, untill someone proves me wrong). Sampled side-by-side with its "sister brew", Nørrebro Bryghus Double Knot Brown Ale (pasteurised and unfiltered keg, see separate rating). ABV is 7.5%, 19 degrees Plato, 40 IBU. Very dark brown colour, moderate head. Darker than Nørrebro DKBA. Lovely malty aroma with plenty of aromatic hops, notes of chocolate and leather too. Rich and roasty flavour, plenty of malts and oak. Roasty long aftertaste. Excellent beer!

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

330 ml bottle, as "Kapittel Watou Dubbel" (no "Het" anymore), bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Chestnut colour, large light tan head. Lovely caramel aroma, also hops and dark fruits, hints of sherry, spices and oak. Flavour has also caramel sweetness with lightly roasted malts and moderate oaky and spicy elements, nice. Moderate hops in the finish. A pleasant beer to drink, will appeal to people with a "sweet tooth".

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

Sampled RBESG 2006, bottle. Hazy amber colour. Lovely vinous aroma with notes of barnyard. Funky and moderately oaky flavour. This is a very good beer.

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

RBESG 2006, bottle. Dark amber coloured. Lovely sweet and vinous aroma, notes of sherry and oak. Sweet, oaky and vinous flavour. A very fine beer from Nils Oscar.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Dark brown colour, low tan head. Very nice roasty aroma with notes of fresh coffee beans, oak and aromatic hops. Fine flavour of sweet coffee, nicely roasted, vinous notes. Very good beer.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Hazy amber colour, moderate head. Lovely hoppy aroma, fruity notes. Enticing hoppy flavour, notes of flowers and grapefruit. Good beer!

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Pitch black colour, low tan head. Very nice roasty and hoppy aroma, some sweetish bakery notes in the background. Nice roasty flavour, not overdone, notes of good coffee, hints of dark chocolate. A very good stout in my book.

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

500 ml brown bottle, Vinmonopolet. Batch #46. Bottle conditioned. Dark brown colour. Huge and creamy long-lasting tan head. Pleasant aroma of roast malts, dried fruits, mild coffee and chocolate. Flavour has also plenty of roast malts, moderately sweet, with coffee and dark bitter chocolate in the long aftertaste. Good beer, but Nissefar is even better

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Pours with an enormous head. Colour is deep golden to brown (amber), slightly hazy. Very nice aroma of fresh and dried fruits, spices, oak and exotic wood. Flavour is slightly spicy and peppery on a malty sweet basis with brown sugar and oaky elements. Not bad.

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

750 ml corked & caged dark bottle, as Timmermans 1702 - Oude Schaarbeekse Kriek Griotteke, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.7%. Deep red colour, off-white to pink head. Distinct aroma of sour cherries and almonds / marzipan, also notes of farmhouse kitchen. Sour flavour with sour cherries galore, brettanomyces and hints of lemons.

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

440 ml can, as Salikatt Timeless 2023 Barrel-Aged Dark Lager, from Vinmonopolet Sola. ABV is 7.3%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Large tan head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements, pleasant and well rounded. Moderate bitterness. Enjoyable.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Shared 375 ml waxed bottle at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 13.9%. Pitch black colour, small head. Chocolate dipped raisins in aroma and flavour, also notes of fusel in the aroma, but not in the flavour. An exclusive and delightful "box of chocolates", to be enjoyed in small portions.

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

440 ml can, as FrauGruber Shakerato Imperial Stout Biermischgetränk, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 10.6%. Pitch black colour, large and creamy brown head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Roasty and moderately sweet flavour with distinct notes of coffee, vanilla and chocolate, moderate bittering hops.