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

375 ml corked & caged bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.5%. Aged in French oak, American oak and whisky barrels. Colour between mahogany and ebony, large off-white head. Aroma of oak, whisky, brown sugar, caramel, dark dried fruits and mild spices. Rich and malty flavour with the same elements as the aroma, warming mouthfeel.

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

330 ml stubby bottle, #167, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts, chocolate, mild spices, mild coffee, blackberries, blackcurrants, liquorice. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, the roasty notes are more pronounced now, and there is a distinct hop bitterness in the finish. Also a hint of smoke.

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

375 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 10%. Dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of brown sugar, caramel, Belgian ale yeast and malts, hints of dark dried fruits, oak and mild spices. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, low hop bitterness, well balanced and enjoyable.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 12.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Aroma of roast malts, chocolate, caramel and vanilla. The flavour is sweet, but not cloying, with the same elements as the aroma. Low bitterness.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 13%. Black colour, small tan head. Moderate aroma of roast malts, hints of chocolate. Moderate carbonation, easy drinking. The flavour is not too sweet, and is very well balanced throughout, with decent hops. Also notes of chocolate, prunes and mild coffee. A hint of liquorice. Remarkably good.

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

375 ml clear and corked slimline bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken, at an outrageous price. ABV is 9%. Clear amber colour, no carbonation. Aroma of concentrated apple cider. Very sweet and very concentrated flavour of apple juice / cider, hints of oak.

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

May 2015: Sample from 750 ml bottle. Slightly hazy golden colour, white head. Lovely aroma of brettanomyces, lemons and wine barrel. Excellent flavour too, brett notes, but not too sour. Spicy, vinous, tolerably well hopped. I want more of this!

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Herbarium. ABV is 7.7%. Opaque yellow colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of citrus, pine and spruce, hints of crushed gooseberries and tropical fruits. Lovely flavour with the same elements, moderate but decent bitterness.

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

330 ml slimline can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.3%. Hazy brownish-orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of guava, mango and pineapple. Citric mouthfeel and flavour, notes of said tropical fruits, hints of melon, moderate piney notes in the dry aftertaste. Very refreshing.

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

June 2018: 330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 9%. Pitch black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts, liquorice and chocolate, some vinous notes, a hint of oak. Smooth flavour, notes of roast malts, coffee and dark chocolate, again some vinous notes, a hint of liquorice. Moderate hops.

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

750 ml bottle. as Nøgne Ø Wegelage Kriek Reserve, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. (I also had a small sample on tap at Cardinal.) ABV is 11.5%, IBU 15. Very deep red colour, moderate to small pink head. Aroma of sweet and sour cherries, almonds and marzipan. Medium sour flavour with the same elements, oaky aftertaste.

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

500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Herbarium, Stavanger. ABV is 8.1%. Hazy yellow colour, moderate to small white head. Aroma of yellow stonefruits (particularly peaches) and tropical fruits (particularly pineapple), also hints of citrus and spruce. Citric flavour, also distinct notes of the above fruits, hints of pine needles, very refreshing. Good beer!

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

Two samples from bottle at Gladmatfestivalen, Stavanger. Like the "ordinary" Kvestad Issider it is an excellent drink, but is it better? Well, if you like distinct oaky notes and a touch of bourbon added to the concentrated apple sweetness, then it is.

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

440 ml can, will soon be available at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Opaque / murky yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Lovely aroma of lime and other citrus fruits, also passionfruit and other tropical fruits, hints of crushed green gooseberries and crushed white grapes. The flavour has also notes of said fruits, with a piney / resinous bitterness in the finish. A nice hopburn and some alcohol.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Herbarium. ABV is 8.0%. Murky greyish-yellow colour, moderate white head. Strong and lovely aroma of various tropical fruits, also citrus and sprucetips. Pine needles, resin and sprucetips in the flavour, also alcohol, grapefruit, tangerine and tropical fruits. Moderate to low bitterness.

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

Bottle, at Cardinal’s Ølsymposium. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely and well rounded aroma and flavour with all the typical robust porter porter qualities, but the roastiness is not overdone. Smooth and nicely balanced. Will give a more detailed review on the next occasion.

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

330 ml bottle, batch 174, a gift from gunnar, thanks! ABV is 9.5%. Cloudy orangey brown colour, big head, slightly off-white. Intense aroma of fruity and resinous American hops (tropical fruits, citrus, pine). The flavour is intensely hoppy (pine, resin, grapefruit) on a malty sweet (caramellized orange marmalade) background. Bitter finish of course, but not too extreme.

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

Bottle, 2009 vintage, kindly shared by gunnar. Black colour, hardly any head. Aroma of heavily roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Intense flavour of roasted malts, coffee and liquorice.

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

1 pt. 6 fl.oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.2%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, with a big white (or slightly off-white) head. Lovely aroma of Belgian ale yeast, white candi sugar and various spices (incl cloves), hints of leather. The flavour is spicy and zesty with a solid hoppy punch throughout, but I’d never have guessed that the IBU was as high as 101. Mixing Belgian and American ale styles is not always successful, but I think Le Freak is a very good try.

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

Cask at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Lovely vinous aroma, notes of port wine, caramel and nuts, hints of marzipan. The flavour is definitely on the sweet side, but not cloying. Vinous and very fruity notes (fresh and rum-drenched fruits), the sweetness is to some extent balanced by decent hops in the finish. An unusual and very nice Christmas beer, better suited to accompany fruits and nuts, rather than the robust traditional Nordic Christmas dinners. Might go well with turkey and cranberry sauce, though.

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

12.7 fl.oz. corked bottle, as Port Brewing Older Viscosity, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 12.0%. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Intense aroma of sweet malts, bourbon whiskey, vanilla and oak, also moderate roasty notes, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Very sweet (too sweet?) and intense flavour, sweet malts galore, notes of bourbon, oak and vanilla again, also notes of mild coffee, dark chocolate and liquorice. Moderate hops.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet (bestillingsutvalget). Batch #245. ABV is 8.2%. Brewed with cocoa nibs and ginger stems. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Very nice sweetish aroma of ginger, fresh Christmas cookies and cocoa. The flavour has strong notes of ginger, pepper and chocolate chip cookies. Some roasty coffee notes too, with a hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish. Maybe a bit too far out on the "cookies" side, but an interesting and tasty beer all the same. Had no problems finishing the bottle.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 10.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Nice aroma of dark malts and chocolate. Fine roasty flavour, notes of strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #315, ABV is 6%. Hazy deep golden colour. Huge and rocky head, slightly off-white. Lovely aroma of fruity (passion fruit) and resinous hops. The flavour is again fruity and resinous hops throughout, notes of tropical fruits, with a sufficient malty backbone. Excellent beer, very enjoyable.

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

180 ml red-waxed capped green bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bordeaux barrel aged. Bottle No. 484 out of a batch of 600 bottles. Brewed 31. March 2010, bottled 21. Sept. 2010. O.G. 1105, F.G. 1027. ABV 13%. 99.9 EBU. Bittering hops Premiant, final hops Saaz. Pitch black colour, very low and coarse tan head. Strong and intense aroma with roasty notes, also notes of sweetened strong coffee, chocolate, oak and claret. Minimal carbonation in the glass. Rich flavour, loads of malty sweetness and strong roasty notes, also strong oaky notes with just a hint of claret. Will probably benefit from a few years’ cellaring. Declared good for 25 years if stored cool and dark. Recommended serving temperature 15 degrees C.