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

330 ml green bottle. Very dark reddish brown colour (not entirely black), fine tan head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and wood. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. The roastiness in the flavour is very moderate for a stout, some coffee notes, there is also a noticeable fruitiness with a light acidity. Easy drinking. Not the greatest stout in the world, but a nice try from Aass.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 10%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Unusual perfumed aroma, dark fruits, liqueur, some oak, chocolate and liquorice. Very intense perfumed and sweet flavour, surprisingly moderate roastiness, notes of liquorice, hints of tar. Moderate hops in the finish. Not an easy drinking beer, but definitely something out of the ordinary.

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

500 ml can, on the Air Baltic flight from Stavanger to Riga. ABV is 4.8%. Amber colour, large head. Pleasant fruity and malty aroma. Relatively malty flavour with low bitterness. This is supposed to be a "live beer" (= unpasteurised).

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

This is a new beer from Grosch, February 2007. On tap at Gladmatfestivalen, Stavanger, July 2007 (at Bjørn Hansen’s stand - possibly with the aliases "Himmeløl / Hansens Specialøl"). The ABV is not mentioned in the brewery's website - it is probably around 5%. Amber colour, creamy head. Moderate malts and caramel in the aroma. Malty flavour with some caramel, smooth and mellow, low bitterness.

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

Draught at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Dark copper coloured beer, creamy head. Malty aroma with some caramel. Malty and well rounded flavour with a moderate but sufficient bitterness, which becomes very distinct in the finish.

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

Draught at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of roasted malts and liquorice. Roasty flavour with strong notes of coffee, fairly dry. Moderate bitterness in the finish.

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

Cask conditioned at The Three Judges, Glasgow, as "Craigmill Brewery Strathaven Ales Duchess Anne Light Ale". Golden colour, moderate head. Surprisingly malty aroma with notes of butterscotch, and some unusual notes of dishwater and sweat. Smooth and malty flavour, butterscotch again, noticeable hops in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, at The 78, Glasgow. My notes say "Black Isle Organic Yellowhammer IPA, ABV 4.5%" - but I might have been "under the influence" ... Deep golden colour, large and lasting head. Unusual fruity aroma, very complex. The mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin - I drank it too cold though. Reasonably fruity and hoppy flavour, but not very exciting.

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

Cask conditioned at the Halfway House, Edinburgh. Deep golden colour, moderate creamy head. Moderate aroma, some hops and malt vinegar. Hoppy flavour on a tolerable malty base, quite nice.

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

Cask conditioned at The Cask & Barrel, Edinburgh. Served too warm. Amber colour, creamy head. Very nice aroma of fruity and zesty hops, hints of blackcurrants and maybe some balsamic vinegar. The flavour did not take advantage of the beer being served too warm. Biscuity flavour with tolerable hops, but not very exciting.

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

Cask conditioned at The Barony Bar, Edinburgh. Amber to copper coloured beer, creamy head. Oaky / woody aroma, notes of farmhouse and cellar. The flavour is also woody and moderately malty, fairly dry. Dusty hops in the finish.

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

Cask conditioned at The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. Deep amber to copper coloured beer, creamy head. Nice hoppy and fruity aroma, nearly vinous. Moderately fruity and malty flavour, moderate bitterness, dusty hops in the finish.

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

Cask conditioned at Blackfriars, Glasgow, as Craigmill Strathaven Avondale. My half pint was near the end of the barrel. Deep golden colour, low head. Aroma of malts and butterscotch, some caramel. The flavour has also malts, butterscotch and caramel, but there is also a noticeable hoppy bitterness throughout. Okay.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Golden coloured beer, large head. Pleasant hoppy and yeasty aroma, slightly oaky, nearly a vinous character. The flavour has the same characteristics as the aroma, but is less vinous.

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

Bottle, RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Dark brown colour. Extremely woody aroma, seems a bit unbalanced. The flavour is also very woody with coffee notes, alcoholic. No match for Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Moderately roasty aroma with some vinous notes. Fizzy mouthfeel, some fruity notes, not very "Irish" to me.

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

Can, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Dark reddish brown colour. Aroma and flavour of moderately roasted malts. Quite nice. Maybe not a piece of genius, but certainly much better than your average swill in a can.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. 2006 vintage, bottle #459. Reddish brown colour, off-white head. Strong aroma of rhum-raisin, malts, aromatic hops and alcohol. Malty sweetish flavour, somewhat alcoholic.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Golden colour, large head. Malty, oaky and vinous aroma. Malty sweet flavour, sugary, alcoholic. Too much on the sweet side.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Beautiful red colour. Nice hoppy aroma. Malty sweet and hoppy flavour, somewhat alcoholic. A bit too much on the sweet side, but decent.

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

Cask conditioned at The Three Judges, Glasgow. Reddish brown colour. Nice malty aroma with toffee notes. Malty flavour with plenty of caramel / toffee, but also a noticeable presence of hops.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Real Foods, Edinburgh (an organic food store, but there’s no mentioning on the label that this beer is organic). ABV is 4.2%. The basis of this beer is Williams Gold, with added tayberries and left to mature for a few weeks. Williams Bros Róisin Tayberry Beer pours with a clear pinkish red colour and a decent pale pink head. Strong aroma of ripe tayberries (which appears to be a crossbreed between raspberry and blackberry, much like boysenberries). The flavour is also dominated by tayberries, but the beer is not very sweet, nor very sour, and there are noticeable hops in the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thin though. Still a nice change-of-pace beer.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. ABV is 5.0%. Orange to amber colour, decent off-white head. Sweetish malty aroma with notes of marmelade, hints of oak and fortified wine. The flavour is also sweetish and fruity, hints of oak, moderate hops in the finish. Not bad, but a bit too much on the sweet side.