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

330 ml bottle, as Syndikatet Nonnen Abbey Ale, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 6%, IBU 22. Moderately hazy brownish-orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of malts, hints of brown kandij sugar syrup and dark dried fruits. Smooth and spicy flavour, hints of brown sugar but not very sweet. Easy drinking.

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

440 ml can, from Coop Extra, Sauda. ABV is 4.2%. Murky pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Nice aroma of pine, spruce and grapefruit. Citric mouthfeel, light bodied. Distinct and medium dry flavour of pine needles and resin, also grapefruit. Bitter aftertaste.

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

330 ml can, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 6.0%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of malts, caramel and alcohol, hints of floral hops. Malty flavour with moderate hops and some fruit, a little caramel but not too sweet, more like an English strong ale than an IPA. Nice enough to drink, though.

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

440 ml can, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 4.5%. Moderately hazy pale straw colour, moderate white head. Wheaty aroma with moderate notes of coriander seeds and orange peel. Citric and wheaty flavour, orange peel and moderate coriander, very moderate hops.

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

440 ml can, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 5%. Hazy orange colour, moderate to small white head. Strong aroma of banana, also notes of cloves. Citric flavour, moderate notes of banana and cloves, low bitterness.

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

Oct. 2016: 650 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.7%. Dark brown colour, large beige head. Aroma of rich malts and fruity and earthy hops. Medium sweet flavour, malty first, followed by fruity hops and a very resinous and earthy massive bitterness.

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

June 2013: Shared 750 ml green corked "champagne" bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. Reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate but nice aroma, malts, herbal hops and a hint of caramel. Harmonious flavour, not very sweet, herbal hops, highly drinkable. Better suited to accompany Christmas dinner than its sweeter Belgian counterparts.

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

April 2020, sampled again (from can) today: 500 ml bottle, from SPAR Hirtshals. ABV is 5.4%, IBU 25. Hazy golden colour, some floaties. Small white head. Moderate aroma of pineapple and other tropical fruits. Fruity and refreshing flavour, citrus and tropical fruits. Low bitterness.

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

Jan. 2018: 500 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 5.5%. Brown colour, slightly hazy. Huge and lasting off-white head. Malty aroma, hints of lightly roasted malts too, some fruity and piney hops. The flavour has also decent malts, but is rather dry. Fairly distinct piney and grapefruity (American?) hops. Decent beer, but the the style is not very "British", nor very "Christmassy".

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

April 2013: 500 ml bottle conditioned, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.2%. Plenty of sediment in the bottle. Hazy very pale yellow colour, like a witbier. Large and lasting white head. Moderate wheaty and yeast aroma with some spicy and zesty notes. Refreshing wheaty flavour, with citrussy, herbal and spicy hops. Nice bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. However, this is not a traditional English "bitter" by any stretch of the mind.

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

750 ml bottle, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 5.6%. Deep reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of malts, burnt caramel, burnt breadcrumbs. Soft mouthfeel. Malty flavour, some caramel, but the burnt notes are less distinct. Nice enough to drink.

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

April 2015: Cask half pint at Wetherspoons, Victoria Station, London. Reddish brown colour, small off-white head. Moderate fruity aroma. Very nice fruity and wheaty flavour, notes of blackcurrants, lime, lemons and grapefruit, some medium dark malts in the background. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

May 2016: 500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Verksgt., Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Hops are Challenger, Bobek and Aurora. Deep golden colour, moderate to low white head. Pleasant aroma of herbal and fruity hops, also hints of toffee. The flavour has herbal and earthy hops, also some fruity, nutty and toffee notes. Enjoyable.

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

April 2015: Cask half pint at The City Arms, Cardiff. Dark ruby colour, small beige head. Malty aroma, some mild roasty notes. Pleasant flavour of moderately roasted malts, some fruity notes too. A very drinkable dark mild! Would buy again.

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

Feb. 2018: 330 ml can, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 4.9%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy. Large white head. Moderate aroma of fruity and piney American hops, some dust and grain. Refreshing flavour, fruity and piney hops, softened by oats. Nice bitterness.

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

Oct. 2013: 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.6%. Hops are Cascade and Summit. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Strong aroma of grassy hops, a hint of apricots. Moderate carbonation in the glass, smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is not too sweet, and distinctly hoppy throughout. Some toffee first, followed by a distinct grapefruity and resinous bitterness. The finish and aftertaste are very bitter. A decent IPA.

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

March 2020: Cask pint at Wetherspoon's, Victoria Station. Golden colour, white head. Moderate aroma, some citrus. Distinctly citrussy and bitter flavour, decent malt body for a 3.5% beer.

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

Jan. 2013: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Deep golden colour, large white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops (citrus, tropical fruits), also hints of pine. The flavour is dry and distinctly hoppy, notes of pine / resin and grapefruit. Bitter finish / aftertaste. With 4.3% it is naturally light bodied, but has still plenty of flavour.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle No 04066, vintage 2022, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 13%. Amber to cognac colour, small off-white head. Aroma of malts, dust, damp basement, hints of molasses and fusel, not good. Smooth mouthfeel and flavour (better than the aroma), notes of malts, caramel, oak, raisins, old sherry.

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

Slightly sweeter than I expected (and would have preferred), this is still a very drinkable Hefe. Lovely aroma, generally a good beer but somewhat overrated.

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

My can (bought in Norway, ABV 4,8%) says 'Premium Irish Beer', but surely this must be more or less the same thing?? An easily drinkable ale, perhaps not all that much character, but good, GOOD (not great). I don't hate nitro cans, but would like to sample this one on tap. (Maybe I have, without noticing....) Rerate: ABV 4.2% version, 440 ml can says "Premium beer" but this is clearly the same stuff, just a little more watery version. Very smooth.

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

Amber/deep golden colour, good head. Smells and tastes like a cross-breed between an ale and a lager. Flowery perfumed aroma (not unpleasant), malty flavour (a tad too sweet), plenty of bitterness in the aftertaste - but COMPLEX is not the word I would use. Decent (and of course infinitely better than the BMC stuff), but I'm sure there are better American beers out there.

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

One of my favourite English session bitters (had it from cask in London).

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

I guess Belgian blonds are not my favourite style, the yeast becomes too dominant in both aroma and flavour, not least in this one. Of course it's better than any macro swill, but give me a darker beer, please!

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

This was my first Trappist ale, surely most of the others must be better?? Well, it's not a bad sipping beer, but I expected so much more. Lovely aroma when you open the bottle, diminishes considerably in the glass. I started drinking it too cold, but it didn't improve much as it warmed up. Sweetish aftertaste. Maybe I would have liked it more with a solid meal? Definitely not worth the price.