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

355 ml brown bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 5.0%. Chestnut coloured beer, large and lasting off-white head. Moderate aroma of hazelnuts, malts, caramel and chocolate. Malty flavour, moderately sweet with plenty of caramel, nutty finish with moderate hops. Nice enough, definitely better than Newcastle "Broon", but not really outstanding.

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

330 ml fancy & slim dark green bottle, as St. Paul Speciale, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 5.5%. Brown to amber coloured beer, huge beige head. Nice fruity and yeasty aroma, notes of cloves and other spices. Pleasant flavour, spicy and moderately oaky, notes of malts and caramel too. Not too sweet. Very moderate hops. The mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin, particularly in the finish. Not extreme in any way, but a quite enjoyable Belgian.

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

500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Cloudy yellowish grey to golden colour with a reddish hue. Fizzy head disappears instantly. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Lovely aroma of pears and oak, notes of fruit vinegar and farmhouse kitchen. The flavour is medium sweet, pears galore, oaky notes, hints of sulphur, slightly astringent finish. Not bad.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Vintage 2007, ABV was 5.9%. Dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Moderately malty aroma with mild roasty notes, hints of liquorice. Is this really a top fermented porter, or is it bottom fermented (technically more of a "Baltic" porter)? Very little fruitiness in the flavour. Malty with loads of caramel, some roasty bitterness, hints of liquorice.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad, as Onder de Linden Wagenings Bockbier. ABV was 7.7%. Amber colour, decent head. Fruity aroma, notes of farmhouse. Very fruity flavour, alcohol is noticeable but not too dominant. Tolerable hops in the finish. Nice.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 6.4%. Hazy golden colour, huge head. Pleasant aroma of blackcurrants and hops. Moderately fruity flavour (blackcurrants), light bodied for a 6.4% beer.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Amber ale, ABV was 6%. Nice hoppy aroma, hints of oak. Malty flavour with loads of caramel and a moderately hoppy finish. Not bad.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger, as (Marke) Weltenburger Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel. ABV is 5.3%. Despite using the "Marke Weltenburger" label of the Bischofshof-brewed beers, and not the "Weltenburger Kloster" label of the original monastery brewery, the rear label claims that this bottle has actually been brewed and bottled in the Klosterbrauerei. BB date 21.02.08. Hazy brown beer, huge off-white head. The moderate aroma has a strange combination of brown bread / bakery and citrussy notes, hints of cloves. The flavour has malty and bready notes, again combined with citrussy / lemony notes. Relatively light bodied and easy drinking. I had it on its own, probably nice with a light meal.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Reddish amber colour. Moderately spicy and slightly oaky aroma. Moderately spicy flavour with a distinct hoppy finish.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 7.0%. Dark brown colour. Sweetish malty and lactic aroma and flavour, mild roasty notes. A classic oatmeal stout, but stronger than most of them.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad, as Stoudt’s Old Abominable Barley Wine Ale, aged in a whiskey barrel. Hazy brown colour. Sweetish, malty and oaky aroma. Sweet, oaky and malty flavour, maybe too sweet.

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

(330 ml clear bottle). Pours with a good head, beautiful copper colour. Aroma of caramel, oak and spices. Flavour is malty and a bit alcoholic, more bitterness than most "juleøl" - but not very complex. Quite dry for a juleøl. Aass "klasse F Juleøl" is a better choice. Rerate 2007: More malty sweetness this year, but not overdone like Ringnes Juleøl. Nice.

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

375 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Also bought at Vaaland Ølutsalg, Bryne. Bottle conditioned, sediment in bottle. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, large head. Very nice and fruity aroma, moderately spicy. The flavour has also spicy and fruity notes, slightly more rounded than their Sparkling Ale. Inspired by English (Burton-on-Trent) pale ales, but there seems also to be a "Belgian" touch here. Very nice and drinkable.

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

On tap at the brewpub. ABV was said to be 4.7%. Black colour, dark ruby in the highlights, low head. Moderate roasty aroma, notes of chocolate. Roasty flavour, nice but fairly mellow, notes of chocolate but fairly dry. Good, but too "modest" in its touch.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Dark brown colour, huge tan head. Nice aroma - some fruit, notes of malts, caramel and bakery, hints of spices. The flavour is malty sweet with plenty of caramel, also raisins (a certain fruitiness) and chocolate. Some hops in the finish. A good beer, but slightly too much on the sweet side.

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

330 ml green bottle, thanks to Ole_R. I also bought a couple bottles at Fenaknoken, Oslo. ABV is 4.65%. Batch #81, BB 26.09.08. Unfiltered and unpasteurised, sediment in the bottle. The beer is intended as an accompaniment to "rakfisk" or "rakaure", = half-fermented trout (or other freshwater fish). Olav Wangensten AS produces this strange smelling but lovely tasting treat, and has commissioned this beer from Atna to go with it. Amber coloured beer, very cloudy when the sediment is poured. Moderate creamy head. Nice aroma of yeast, fermenting fruit and farmhouse kitchen. The flavour is quite yeasty with a moderate fruitiness and pleasant hops. Maybe a good idea to pour carefully and leave the sediment in the bottle with this one. I’m sure the beer goes well with rakfisk, but it is worth drinking on its own too.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Labeled a "Tradtional Pilsner". ABV is 4.1%. Brewed with lager malt and Caragold malt. The hops are Sovereign and Lubelski. Golden colour, decent white head. Very nice and strong aroma of honey, flowers and butterscotch. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, but there is also a substantial malty sweetness. Bitter finish and aftertaste. Has the character of a well-made pilsener, but is apparently top fermented?

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

500 ml bottle, as HaandBryggeriet Dobbel Dose IPA, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Batch #108, brewed Nov. 07, BB Nov. 09. ABV is 8.5%. Very cloudy orange-brown colour, big off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma, notes of flowers and orange marmalade, a hint of oak too. The flavour is sweet (too sweet) and somewhat alcoholic, with a substantial dominance of hops (as expected from a Double IPA), but not quite as extreme as I feared. Bitter finish. When pouring the last sediment in the glass the beer becomes extremely muddy, but the flavour also becomes more complex and interesting.

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

On tap at Oslo Mikrobryggeri. Reddish amber colour. Lovely aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of malts, tobacco, caramel and butterscotch. OKish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 9.2%. Copper coloured beer, decent off-white head. Strong and very nice aroma of fruity American hops, some hints of spices of too. The flavour is first malty and slightly sugary sweet with notes of caramel, then an intense harsh and overwhelming bitterness takes over. Overkill, too bitter and harsh for me.

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

Cask (gravity dispense) at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 6.5%. Deep golden colour, no head. Very nice aroma of distinctly fruity hops, notes of blackcurrants. Distinctly hoppy flavour with an assertive bitterness, notes of pine / resin and some grapefruit. Good beer, but I’d like even more fruitiness in the flavour.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, dark brown in the highlights, low head. Moderately roasty aroma with some winey notes. The flavour is smooth and moderately roasty, with a moderate bitterness in the finish. Easy drinking, quite nice.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Cloudy golden colour, low head. Lovely aroma of yeast,fruits, spices and honey. The flavour is yeasty and spicy / peppery, fairly dry, slightly medicinal in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Norway. A new beer from Adnams, developed from their long gone Champion Pale Ale. Amber colour, big off-white head. Biscuits, some malts and a moderate fruitiness in the aroma. The flavour has fruity hops on a decent malty base, and the mouthfeel is very good for a 3.4% beer.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. ABV was 5.5%. Golden brown colour, no head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops, notes of blackcurrants. The flavour is first malty with notes of honey and caramel, then a hoppy bitterness takes over and lasts through the aftertaste - fruity hops first, then a "dusty" finish.