Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

375 ml green "champagne" bottle, vintage 2009, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4%. Ingredients include 25% cherries, sugar and sweetener. Beautiful red colour, big pink head. Lovely aroma of preserved cherries and cherry candy. The flavour is of course also dominated by cherries, but is neither as sweet nor as sour as I expected. Pleasant to drink, but the finish may feel a bit "empty".

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

750 ml corked cottled, as North Coast Le Merle Saison (Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale), courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.9%. Slightly hazy golden colour, huge white head. Sweetish aroma of syrup, farmhouse yeast and rotting fruits / stale berries. High level of carbonation in the mouth. The flavour is better than the aroma, medium sweet and moderately spicy, decent hops in the finish. Quite nice to drink, should also go well with many foods.

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

330 ml stubby bottle, as Bocq Gauloise Ambrée, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, huge lasting head, slightly off-white. Pleasant and well balanced aroma of malts, brown kandi sugar and fruity hops, also distinct spicy notes. The mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin, and the beer is not very sweet. The flavour has some notes of brown malts and toffee, and the hops in the finish are very moderate. Easy drinking and undemanding.

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

330 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 9%. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, huge white head. Strong sweetish aroma of Belgian ale yeast, white kandi sugar, over-ripe fruits and mild spices. The flavour is sweet with a nice spicness and decent hops throughout, maybe too strong notes of white kandi sugar. Sweet enough to replace a sweet wine with many finer dishes, but has also enough bitterness to avoid being cloying, and retain some refreshing qualities.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden to amber colour, slightly hazy, moderate white head. Lovely aroma of predominantly fruity American and New Zealand hops, citrussy and piney notes. Rather thin mouthfeel. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, there is a moderate sweetness, but hardly enough malty backbone to support the hops. The bitterness is not extreme, though.

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

330 ml bottle, at The Chandos (a Samuel Smith’s pub), London. ABV is 5.1%. Red colour, moderate pale pink head. Strong aroma of preserved cherries / cherry liqueur / cherry chocolates with marzipan. Medium sweet flavour of cherries and almond essence / marzipan. A nice change-of-pace beer, when you are tired of the usual English bitters.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the Bree Louise, London. Chestnut colour, no head, minimal carbonation. Nice aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of toffee, caramel and butterscotch, but the beer is not very sweet. Hints of malt vinegar, without being sour.

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

Cask, gravity dispense, at the Bree Louise, London. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights, low beige head. Minimal aroma detected, some weak roasty notes. Roasty flavour, notes of coffee, quite dry.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Very dark reddish brown colour, low beige head. Moderate aroma, notes of lightly roasted malts, hints of mild coffee, some vinous notes. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of moderately roasted malts and mild coffee, not very sweet.

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

Cask (handpump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 4.5%. Golden colour, low head. Moderate aroma and flavour of fruity and piney American hops, in a more subdued English version of an APA. Quite nice.

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

Cask at the Number Twenty-2, Darlington. ABV is 4.2%. Copper colour, creamy off-white head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of toffee. Moderate malty and nutty flavour, "dusty" hops in the finish.

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

Cask (handpump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 4.4%. Very dark brown colour, cloudy, nearly black. Aroma of moderately roasted malts, thin coffee, fruit, chocolate and vanilla. The flavour is very fruity for a stout, moderate roasty notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Quite drinkable.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 3.8%. Deep golden to amber colour, low head. Nice aroma of toffee, with a touch of citrussy hops. Light bodied. Dry flavour, with a solid dose of unusual hops (Savinsky Goldings and Green Bullet), some citrussy notes and a sharp bitter finish.

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

Cask conditioned at The Quakerhouse, Darlington. ABV is 4.4%. Copper coloured beer, creamy off-white head. Malty aroma and flavour, hints of toffee and wood, fairly dry. Moderate hops in the finish. Smooth mouthfeel.

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

Cask conditioned at The Shakespeare, Durham. Copper coloured beer, low head. Malty aroma, notes of toffee and nuts. The flavour is fairly well balanced between the malts and hops, nutty notes.

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

500 ml bottle, thanks to my beerpal Olav, as Skagen Gl. Skagen India Pale Ale. ABV is 6.0%. Orange colour, moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of fruity and floral American hops. Sweetish flavour with hints of camphor, oranges and resin. Bitter finish.

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

250 ml bottle, from Selfridge’s food store, London. ABV is 5%. Hazy straw coloured beer, huge white head. Typical witbier aroma of wheat, citrus and coriander. The flavour is also wheaty and very refreshing, but the citrus and coriander elements are quite moderate. Low bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, from Selfridge’s food store, London. ABV is 4.6%. Brown to copper colour, large off-white head. Aroma of malts, toffee and caramel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty with toffee, caramel and a little fruit. A sharpish hoppy bite in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, bought by my wife on the DFDS ferry Oslo - Copenhagen. ABV is 6.5%. Beautiful copper colour, big off-white to beige head. Fairly strong and nice aroma of malts, caramel, mild spices and Belgian ale yeast. Malty flavour, medium sweet, some caramel and dark dried fruits. Bland finish, minimal bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.3%. Amber to brown colour, large off-white head. Fruity aroma, notes of marmalade, also malts and caramel. The flavour is malty and fairly sweet, some fruity hops, but not nearly as much as you expect in an American inspired IPA. Not unpleasant in any way, it’s just the "IPA" label that leaves you slightly disappointed. Hopheads should look to Midtfyns Double IPA in stead.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.1%. Deep red colour, large pink head. Strong aroma of ripe raspberries and raspberry jam. The sweet and sour flavour has loads of raspberry extract / concentrate throughout, slightly astringent finish, with a hint of hops. Certainly not my everyday beer, but drinkable on a day you’re in for "something completely different".

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.0%. Some sediment in the bottle. Hazy pale yellow colour, large white head. Typical hefeweizen aroma of ripe bananas and cloves, hints of citrus. Refreshing medium sweet flavour, strong notes of cloves, hints of banana and citrus. Very moderate hops. Thumbs up for Mack - this is a respectable hefeweizen, no more, no less.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #273, ABV is 8%. Very dark brown colour, big and lasting tan head. Nice aroma of smoked malts, bonfires, tar, smoked and cured meat , but also some fruity notes. The flavour is very smoky and ashy, quite dry. Meaty finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark reddish brown colour, creamy beige head. Woody and ashy aroma, hints of tobacco. The fairly dry flavour has malty and woody notes, roasty notes too. Ashes and medium bitter hops in the finish. Bitter aftertaste.

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

500 ml can, from Dagli’brugsen Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV of the pasteurised bottled/canned version is 4.7%. This is a premium bitter, not an Old Ale. Amber to copper colour, large off-white head. Moderate but nice fruity aroma, also notes of toffee. The flavour is fruity, with some caramel and decent hops in the background. Much better than I feared.