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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Golden colour, minimal head. Lovely strong aroma of butterscotch and caramel. The flavour has notes of butterscotch and malts, but is still fairly dry, with a reasonably hoppy finish.

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

Cask (hand pump / beer engine) at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 4.4%. Copper coloured beer, minimal head. Malty aroma with decent notes of fruity hops (dark fruits). Malty flavour, notes of caramel but not really sweet, moderate "dusty" hops in the finish.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights. Distinctly roasty aroma with notes of tar, liquorice and wood. Roasty flavour with notes of coffee, but fairly light bodied.

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

Cask conditioned at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) 2008. Golden colour. Nice and moderately hoppy aroma and flavour, with notes of flowers and tropical fruits.

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

Sampled bottle, at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) 2008. Copper coloured beer. The aroma and flavour are very malty, alcoholic and oaky. Clearly a craft beer though.

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

Cask conditioned at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) 2008. Black colour. Very nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee. The flavour is malty and roasty, with a light mouthfeel.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, hand pump / beer engine. Black colour, dark reddish brown in the highlights, low head. A moderate nuttiness in the aroma, hints of mild coffee. The flavour is smooth with a slight roastiness and some nutty notes.

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

12 fl. oz. / 355 ml bottle, bought at the GBBF 2008 for takeaway. ABV is 5.2%. Amber colour, moderate head. Interesting aroma, notes of ripe berries, flowers, caramel and some wood. The flavour has first a noticeable malty presence, then slightly subdued fruity American hops take over (a little more hops would not hurt!), leading to a moderately bitter and piney finish and aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Copper coloured beer with a big and lasting beige head. Nice aroma of malts, caramel, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. The flavour is malty sweet with some unwanted metallic sidenotes, also notes of caramel and brown sugar, hints of spices, moderate hops in the finish. Alcohol is noticeable throughout. Not in the league of the trappists this one.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Extremely pale yellow colour, huge white head. Strong sweetish aroma with notes of Belgian yeast, ripe fruits (incl. bananas) and spices (incl. cloves). The flavour is moderately spicy and relatively dry, notes of Belgian yeast again, very light bodied and refreshing for its strength (which means that the alcohol is well hidden). Nice, but I’ve had more complex Belgians than this one, though.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.0%. Cloudy brownish yellow colour, huge white head. Very nice aroma of banana and spices (cloves, coriander e.a.), candisugar and Belgian yeast. The flavour is fairly sweet (maybe too much), fruity, spicy and yeasty. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, brew #834, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, big to moderate creamy greyish brown head. Nice roasted aroma with notes of chocolate and coffee, some cheesy and slightly acidic notes too. The flavour is moderately sweet and roasted with a certain fruitiness, notes of coffee as expected. Ashy dry finish. Could have been better, could have been worse.

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

500 ml bottle, brew #830, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden to brown colour, slightly hazy, with a big head. The aroma has malts, some caramel, fruit and hops, also wood, juniper and resin, a hint of spices, maybe a faint hint of smoke too. The flavour is woody and resiny with decent hops, again with a hint of smoke. Has a flair of "traditional homebrew" this one. I like it!

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

330 ml stubby bottle, brew #2, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Black colour, huge and creamy brown head which lasts too long, it takes ages before you actually reach the beer below. Very nice roasted aroma, notes of coffee, chocolate and pine forest. The flavour is rather acidic and citrussy for a stout, but not vinegary. There is also a distinct roastiness with notes of coffee. Not entirely successful, and there is nothing here to associate this beer with Christmas/Yuletide for me.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy golden colour, moderate head, nice lacing. Pleasant aroma of coriander, citrus and Belgian witbier yeast. The flavour has notes of coriander and also cloves, and is distinctly citrussy throughout. A nice and refreshing witbier.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV of the bottled version is 4.2%. Extremely pale and crystal clear yellow colour, moderate white head. Very nice hoppy aroma with strong notes of oranges and tropical fruits. The flavour is zesty and well hopped throughout, with a nice grapefruity bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. A typical "summer ale" which I, however, was quite happy to drink on a dreary January night.

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

750 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Beautiful copper colour, good beige head. Moderate caramel malts aroma, some aromatic hops too. Clean tasting dunkel, mellow caramel malts flavour but not too sweet. Decent enough to drink, but not worth the high price.

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

330 ml fliptop / swingtop bottle, bought in Germany. Copper coloured, large and lasting offwhite head, nice lacing. Pleasant malty, slightly roasty and caramel aroma, notes of rye bread, some aromatic hops too. Flavour is reasonably malty and slightly roasty, hints of smoke and caramel. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Allegedly this beer is brewed according to an authentic 16th century "Braunbier" recipe (those were most likely top fermented, though - this one is bottom fermented) - at any rate it is well worth sampling!

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

Bottle, at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Strong fruity aroma with notes of oak, farmhouse, caramel and spices. Sourish flavour, some oak and spices. Not the best gueuze I’ve had.

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

750 ml bottle, corked "champagne" style, labeled Grain d’Orge Tradition, bought in Denmark. I presume this is the same beer - ABV is the same. Clear golden to amber colour, large to moderate head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (raisins, cider apples), hints of leather and oak. Mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, flavour is spicy and reasonably hoppy with a noticeable alcoholic bite.

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

750 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. I had to try this one, despite being sceptical to the gimmicky name: IMO, most good beers are worth "to dine for" (with a possible exception of the very sweetest ones), so why should this one be different? It isn’t - it’s basically a decent standard golden ale, where the Tettnang hops (more commonly found in German lagers) shine through nicely. Citrussy aroma, notes of flowers and honey. Pleasant lightbodied flavour with a moderate but decent hoppiness throughout, nice but nothing spectacular. No doubt good with food (I must admit that my "dining" was limited to a couple slices of pizza), but again: so are many other beers.

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

Cask conditioned at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen. Golden / amber colour, low head. Moderate malty aroma with fruity hops. A moderate but nice and crisp hoppiness in the flavour, well balanced with the malts. Easy drinking. A nice little beer this one!

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

750 ml "champagne" bottle, RBESG 2005, Grand Tasting. Dark brown colour. Aroma of roast malts, oak and spices. Surprisingly moderate roasty flavour. Not bad, but I expected more.

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

Bottle conditioned, RBESG 2005, Grand Tasting (courtesy of the brewery). Lovely hoppy aroma (Cascade?), notes of grapefruit and very subtle oak. Flavour is somewhat less impressive, fairly light bodied and bitterness is not overwhelming - still, this is another decent beer from Haandbryggeriet

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Hvide Sande, Denmark. Deep golden colour, decent head. Moderate aroma with some malts and fruity aromatic hops. Flavour has some decent hops and notes of toffee, bitter finish. This is an okay premium bitter in my book, but not really outstanding. Like all beers from Fur Bryghus, it is overpriced