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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Pitch black colour. Intense but pleasant roasty aroma and flavour, notes of leather and tar. Strong and powerful, but carries its strength well.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget). Imported to Europe by Hamana Ltd. Herts, England. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 5.2%. Golden colour, nearly clear (just a faint haziness), rich head. Lovely hoppy aroma, notes of citrus and tropical fruits. The flavour is distinctly hoppy but not too bitter, citrus again, on a base of moderate but nice malty sweetness. A very nice pale ale!

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Nearly black colour (very dark reddish brown). Intense and lovely aroma of various subtropical woods, winey notes. The mouthfeel has lots of alcoholic warmth as expected. The flavour has notes of oak and fortified wine. Very good.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 3.8%. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights. Lovely complex aroma, roasted malts, oak, dark fruits, chocolate and liquorice. Nicely balanced flavour between the malts and hops, there is an assertive bitterness but it is not overdone.

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

330 ml bottle, ABV is 9%. A strong top fermented Yule/Christmas beer from Aass, nice. Very dark brown colour, creamy and lasting tan head. Pleasant aroma of dark malts, caramel, brown sugar and oak, hints of Christmas spices. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour is malty sweet with loads of caramel, also notes of chocolate, to some degree balanced by acceptable hops. A decent barleywine, will go better with fruitcake and nuts than the traditional Norwegian Yule/Christmas dinner.

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

1 pt. 9.4.fl. oz. corked "champagne" bottle, as Mikkeller Monk’s Brew, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Very dark brown colour, slightly hazy, huge tan head. Malty and vinous aroma, notes of brown sugar, oak and spices. Rich and warming mouthfeel. The flavour is sweet and malty, again notes of brown sugar, oak and spices, nicely balanced with the hops. Hints of chocolate and coffee. Maybe not quite a trappist, but nearly there. If Mikkel is as skilled at paternosters and avemarias as he is at brewing, he may sign up as a trappist monk any day!

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.9%. Some sediment in the bottle. Deep golden to orange colour, slightly hazy. Big and lasting off-white head. Pleasant aroma of Warrior hops, not quite as strong hop aroma as in the Cascade Single Hop IPA, but nice, with some complexity. Notes of various fruits (incl. citrus) and mild spices. The flavour lets first some cara-crystal malts come through with a moderate sweetness, then the hops take over with notes of citrus, herbs, spices and some resin. A firm and peppery bitterness in the finish, but not overdone. I’d say this is a fairly well balanced IPA, and it has certainly made me interested in using the Warrior hop variety in homebrew.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #100, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%, 26 P, 50 IBU. Very dark brown colour, nearly black, with a moderate but lasting tan head. Aroma of salt water, tar, smoke and some coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. Excellent flavour, lots of chewey malty sweetness, roasted notes, coffee, tar, some liquorice, pine needles, salty finish, noticeable hops with just the right bitterness. Very well balanced. Another great achievement from Nøgne Ø.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Black colour, huge brown head. Sweetish aroma with strong notes of chocolate / cocoa, also notes of vanilla. Silky mouthfeel. The flavour is moderately sweet, again with dominant notes of chocolate / cocoa and vanilla, but also a distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Not bad at all.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. Bottle conditioned. Chestnut coloured beer, huge and creamy lasting tan head. Nice aroma of caramel, spices and dark fruits. Rich and full mouthfeel. The flavour is malty, rich and sweet, with loads of spices - but I’d have trouble identifying which ones, if I didn’t know. I would also have guessed that there was some aniseed or liquorice in there. There is a distinct hoppy bitterness and more spices in the finish. Interesting stuff!

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, 2007 vintage, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.7%. Dark reddish brown colour, slightly hazy, big beige head. Strong aroma of sweet sherry, oak, malts and caramel. The flavour is very sweet and malty, again with strong notes of sweet sherry and caramel, ending in a hoppy bitterness. Powerful stuff, a beer to sip slowly. Should not be drunk too cold.

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

375 ml bottle, kindly shared by Ole_R. ABV was 14%. Pitch black colour, low brown head. Lovely roasty and vinous aroma, notes of calvados and blackcurrants. Extremely sweet and very roasty flavour, notes of liquorice, dark cherries and dark chocolate, distinct hoppy bitterness and tar in the finish. Alcohol is noticeable. Combined with the strong flavour elements, this leaves the impression that the beer is even stronger than it actually is - I might have guessed 18-20%.

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

Stylish bottle, at Håndverkerstuene, Oslo. ABV was 8.8%. Amber colour, hazy, big white head. Very nice aroma of Belgian yeast, notes of coriander, cloves and other undefined spices. The flavour is sweet and sour (? - can’t read my own handwriting) with notes of coriander, orange peel and undefined spices. Good beer.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Amber colour, big off-white head with an orangey hue. Excellent complex aroma of American hops, notes of pine, oranges, grapefruit, tropical fruits. The flavour has loads of American hops from start to finish, with fruity (grapefruity), piney and resinous notes, but it is not too bitter (despite respectable 85 IBUs), as the hoppiness is nicely balanced by a sweetness of malts and orange marmalade. Resinous bitter aftertaste.

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

750 ml corked and capped bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Vintage 2007, ABV is 5%. 300 gram of Schaerbeek cherries are added per liter beer. Aged in oak barrels. Deep red colour, huge pink head. Intense aroma of ripe cherries, hints of red wine vinegar. Equally intense flavour of sour cherries, not as lemony as the Lou Pepe Framboise. Drank it a bit too cold, still refreshing and pleasant to drink.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, a gift from Mikkeller/Nøgne Ø via Cardinal. Black colour, big brown head. Strong roasty and smoky aroma, notes of tar and old rope rather than bacon (well yes, some uncooked bacon too). The flavour is roasty with notes of strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate and tar, also distinct smoky notes, but not quite as extreme as I expected. Hints of liquorice too, not very sweet. Ah, beer - so much more than a breakfast drink!

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 7.5%. Mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Very nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and dark dried fruits, also some oaky and vinous notes. The flavour is malty sweet and rich, notes of caramel and dark dried fruits again, vinous and oaky notes too, moderate hops in the finish. A lovely strong ale!

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 10.5%. Black colour, big to moderate brown head. Lovely roasty aroma, notes of roasted barley, coffee and dark chocolate, hints of dark syrup and liquorice. The flavour is intensely sweet and roasty, strong notes of dark syrup and brown sugar, dark malts, coffee, raisins and dark chocolate. Warming mouthfeel. Moderately bitter aftertaste. Good, but a bit too far out on the sweet and syrupy side to get a full score.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%, IBU 28. Brewed 22.06.10, bottled 03.08.10. Black colour, big to moderate tan head. Lovely vinous aroma, notes of red berries and dark fruits, hints of vanilla, spices, leather and oak. Soft and warming mouthfeel. The flavour has moderately sweet malts (not much roastiness), chocolate and dark fruits, moderate bitterness, hints of spices and liquorice in the finish. A soothing beer indeed.

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

375 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, lactose, roast malts and mild coffee. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is sweet but not cloying, notes of roast malts, chocolate, lactose, coffee and decent bittering hops. Good beer.

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

Cask pint at The Archibald Simpson, Aberdeen. Dark ruby colour, nearly black. Off-white to beige creamy head, nice lacing. Aroma of ripe dark fruits and blackcurrant leaves. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is fruity with hints of blackcurrants, mild roasty notes with hints of chocolate. Excellent beer, a strong dark mild in my book.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8%. Hazy "dirty yellow" colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of various tropical fruits and citrus fruits, a hint of spruce. Equally pleasant flavour with fruity / juicy notes, moderate bitterness in the piney finish. Might well buy again.

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

375 ml bottle, shared with my son at ZIP 4020. Golden colour, moderately sparkling. Remarkably fresh, "spicy" and well balanced aroma and flavour of Rubinstep apples and crushed red gooseberries. Might well buy again, at the cidery or at Vinmonopolet.

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

A small sample from 750 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. Black colour. Distinct notes of oak and whiskey in aroma and flavour. Warming mouthfeel. Very sweet, but there is still a kind of balance here. A real treat - but the big bottle is for sharing!

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

440 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 12%. Pitch black colour, large and creamy brown head. Aroma of roast malts, dark chocolate and orange peel. The flavour has the same elements, also notes of coffee, some sweetness but not too much, distinctly bitter finish, both from the roastiness and the hops.