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

Some of the smoothest stuff you can pour from a can. Perhaps not too much character, but I like it anyhow. Easily accessible even in Norway, a lot better than most of the stuff we get here.

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

(Bottle, bought in Denmark). Deep amber (okay, chestnut) colour, moderate head. Too much CO2 for a bitter. Moderate aroma of toffee/caramel and malts, hints of dried fruits / fruitcake. Flavour is malty with a reasonable bitterness, finish is a bit watery. Easy drinking, nice enough - but nothing special either.

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

(500 ml bottle.) Beautiful copper colour, nice thick head. Aroma and flavour of cinnamon, vanilla, caramel and toffee. Christmas cake notes in the flavour, some hoppy bitterness. Relatively light bodied despite the "Christmasy" elements, doesn’t taste like 6% ABV. I’m not too fond of the strong sweetish vanilla notes in the aroma, but this is a pleasant enough Christmas seasonal to drink. Wouldn’t care much for this as an all year beer, though - but it isn’t. Cool label! Cheerio, Sophie me’ lass!

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

Cask conditioned at The Old Thameside Inn, Southwark, London, Christmas 2004. Dark brown colour, moderate head. Malty and sherry-like aroma. Flavour is nutty, caramel, treacle. Decent. Finish is a bit watery.

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

I liked the bottled version - even imported to Norway (my retailer stored it cool). Lots of taste, good to drink straight from the bottle with an afternoon snack! Rerate, can: Of some reason not as good as the bottle. Still a decent beer, not outstanding.

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

Barely discernible from McEwans Export. Some caramel in the flavour, well rounded, perhaps a bit thin. Drinkable stuff that shouldn't offend anyone. Rerate (can): I understand why this beer is classified as a Scottish Ale at some websites, instead of an IPA - hardly any hops are discernible at all. But the brewers insist on calling it an IPA, so I guess it should be rated as such.

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

(Draught / keg). It is debatable if this is a bitter or a Scottish ale. Copper coloured. Flavourful, rich malty taste. Low bitterness. Not bad for a moderate ABV "macro" keg ale.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I haven't had the bottled version yet, but it is reported to be somewhat different. ABV of the cask version is 4.4%. Golden colour. Flowery and candy-like aroma. Light bodied. Would benefit from a cooler serving temperature than was the case at the IBF. Flavour is moderately hoppy, would no doubt be refreshing if served cooler. As it was, it lacked some "freshness". Dry finish. BTW, it’s organic - "suitable for vegans" = no animals killed for the purpose of brewing this beer. Nice to know before you order your plate of bangers & mash.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Clear amber to brown colour, moderate head. Moderate aroma with notes of malts and bread, just some faint hints of caramel, sulphur and fruity hops. The flavour has some nutty malts, and the fruity hops are more pronounced. A hint of toffee too, and a moderate bitterness in the finish. It is quite obvious that this is not a "live" beer. Cask conditioned this is a mellow, easily drinkable bitter. Not the very best, but GOOD, to be sure. Available in most of Britain, partly because of Marston's contract with the nationwide pubchain J.D. Wetherspoon.

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

Sampled cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Amber colour. Malty ale, reasonable bitterness. Not brilliant, but good!

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The IBF programme description: "Biscuity malt and earthy hop flavours" seemed spot on to me. Decent.

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

ABV in Norway is 4.5%. I'm sure the (slightly stronger) export version is even better, if you get it fresh. This beer is basically a pilsener (Saaz hops), but brewed with a certain amount of Munich malts to give it some of the rounded flavour of a Munich dunkel. Not a bad marriage, I'd say.

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

(330 ml bottle). A "Swedish profile Bohemian pilsener" - whatever that may be, this is supposed to be it. Typical pils golden colour, moderate head. Above average hoppy aroma, good but not remarkable flavour, well above average bitterness. Not as good as the best Czech pilseners, but far better than the average "neutral" swill.

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

(500 ml bottle). Golden brown colour, good head, moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma with some caramel; malts and heavy bitterness in the flavour and aftertaste, perhaps too bitter in the finish. Not very complex. Decent effort, but the English do it better!

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Rerate: This time I had the beer from a fresh batch, and the dead yeast aroma and flavour was gone. Instead the aroma and flavour were now overpowering yeasty - but from fresh yeast this time(which is not unpleasant). Far better, but I still think the brewers use too much yeast in this brew. But the head of this beer is less enormous when poured than many other weissbiers. So far the least interesting of the Nøgne Ø beers I've had. Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Thick sediment in bottle. Like the brewers recommend, I turned the bottle upside down a couple of times to get the maximum out of the yeast, but having my experience with the Wit in fresh memory, I waited a little longer before opening the bottle this time! Pours with a large head, but not quite as large as some other Weissbiers. Colour is cloudy golden. Weird aroma, not typical hefe. The cloves are there, but the dominant smell is of dead yeast. Must have been over the top, despite "brewed date" being 21.06.03, and "best before date" being 21.06.04. I have a few bottles left, think I'll leave the sediment alone in those. Flavour is OK, but nothing special. Drier than most German Hefeweizens.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Deep golden colour, low head. Decent standard bitter, slightly nutty flavour, acceptable hops.

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

275 ml bottle, at The Beehive, Brentford, London. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Aroma like a decent standard bitter. Reasonably hoppy flavour. Not bad for a beer this low ABV.

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

Draught (keg) at Hogan’s, Darlington. Amber colour, low head. Moderate toffee aroma. Smooth, malty, easy drinking "bitter" in the North-Eastern style, low bitterness. Reminds me of Tetley’s.

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

Cask conditioned at the Spread Eagle, London. Smoother and less bitter than the canned version. Aroma and flavour have strong elements of english malt vinegar, but are not really acidic. Maybe the cask was a bit "over the hilltop"? Can, Norwegian version (4.7% ABV) - first rating: Most English 'bitters' are not very bitter at all - but this one is! Too bitter for my taste. Rerate: It's NOT too bitter for my taste! (What was I thinking the first time I had it? I must have been out of my mind!) The nutty bitterness is just right, great refreshment on a hot day. Not outstanding, but a GOOD ale, for sure.

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

Sure it's good, jamieg - but not THAT good! Rerate: I would say this is probably closer to a dunkel than a Vienna. Smooth, malty, caramel and roasted notes. Nice.

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

(500 ml bottle). Deep golden colour, good head. Nice hoppy and elderflower aroma. Elderflower is probably what I get in the flavour too, but I've never eaten elderflowers, so I can't really tell. There's some caramel and a reasonably decent hoppiness, but it's a bit too sweet IMO. A bit alcoholic too, despite only 5% ABV.

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

Tuborg Påskebryg 'Kylle Kylle' is an "Easter brew", a bit darker than a standard pale lager, may probably be classified as a Vienna. But seriously: What the hell IS an 'EASTER brew' supposed to taste like?? Or is that a theological question? Anyway, this isn't a bad try. And the Easter chicken (and possibly the chicks) might like it.

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

(Bottle in Amsterdam, the restaurant nearest the Concergebouw). Reddish amber colour, moderate head. Flavour and mouthfeel more of a premium lager than an ale, good beer but nothing to get excited about. Fairly malty, some caramel, lager-like carbonation.

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

Pilsener-like golden helles, decent head. A tad more malty than the average pilsener, probably more hops than the average helles, otherwise this is just a decent pils to me. Nothing wrong with it, but this style rarely gives me an orgasmic drinking experience.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Copper coloured, moderate malty and caramel aroma. This is a malty "bitter" in the Welsh style, i.e. with very little actual bitterness, just some dusty hops in the finish. A slight acidity keeps it from being too sweet.