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

Version I (not in the festival programme), at HaandBryggeriet Beer Festival, Drammen. Cloudy dark ruby colour, low beige head. Complex vinous aroma, notes of red wine vinegar, mild spices and oak. Moderately acidic flavour, notes of red wine vinegar, lacks hops.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 2.8%. Pale ale with hops Nelson Sauvin and Citra. Ingredients include sugar and oats. Hazy pale straw colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of citric hops, hints of crushed white grapes. Light bodied as expected. Refreshing citric flavour, with a decent bitterness in the finish. Good beer for its low ABV.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 4.5%. Clear deep golden colour, moderate to small white head. Moderate aroma of herbal and earthy hops, an initial whiff of fruit. The flavour has distinct notes of herbal and earthy English hops, some piney hints in the distinctly bitter finish.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar. Orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of piney hop and orange marmalade. The flavour has loads of piney and grapefruity hops, again with notes of orange marmalade. Very bitter.

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

355 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 5%. Very pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a short-lived white head. Aroma of sour and tart aplles, hints of sulphites. Medium sweet and medium sour flavour, cider apples (sweet, sour and bitter), notes of malic acid.

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

500 ml bottle, soon available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy. Moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts and a little fruit / orange zest. Smooth flavour, medium dry, malts and a little orange zest, moderate hops in the aftertaste.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 5

750 ml corked and waxed bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Hazy deep golden to amber cour, large white head. Very interesting spicy and exotic aroma, notes of incense, does indeed fulfill the brewer’s intentions of bringing some the smells of the Middle East. Also notes of yeast. Interesting flavour too, complex spicy notes, fairly refreshing. The spiciness is never sharp nor burning. Intentionally lightly hopped to bring the spicy notes up front, but a little more hops would not hurt. The finish is too perfumed and "soapy", and ruins much of the pleasure for me.

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

250 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 8%. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Moderate aroma of malts, yeast and banana. The flavour is very sweet (too sweet), with notes of brown malts, caramel and squashed bananas, minimal bitterness. Drinkable if you have a sweet tooth, but not a beer I’ll buy again.

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

341 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 9%. Hazy yellow colour, moderate white head. Strong aroma of apricots, candy and Belgian ale yeast. Fruity flavour, again notes of apricots and Belgian ale yeast, hints of citrus peel, some hops in the finish. Not a beer I'll bother to buy again.

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

650 ml bottle, shared by Ole Anders. Black colour, moderate to low beige head. Strong aroma of smoked meat and Østbye’s ski wax (pre-WW II). Plenty of smoke in the flavour too, accompanied by moderate roasty notes. Too much smoke for my taste.

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

750 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.6%. Orange to amber colour, huge off-white head. Distinct aroma of rye whiskey oak barrel, hints of caramel and dark dried fruits. The flavour has a slight malty sweetness, again followed by notes of rye whiskey or bourbon oak barrel, caramel and brown sugar, dark dried fruits and mild spices. Moderate hops. Overcarbonated, fizzy mouthfeel.

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

750 ml corked & caged bottle in the Smokestack Series, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.3%. BB date 01/06/2014. Deep brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Aroma of malts and coffee, hints of chocolate and some fruity hops. Malty flavour with strong notes of coffee, a bit too much coffee for me. Some acidity, again hints of fruity hops.

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

330 ml bottle, as Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge, brewed by Brouwerij Bockor. BB date 26.08.14. From Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.5%. Deep reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of oak, red wine, red wine vinegar and brettanomyces / farmhouse. Sweet and sour flavour, notes of red wine vinegar, sour cherries and lemon. Don’t think I’ll buy this one again.

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

330 ml can, from the brewery webshop. ABV is 4.2%. Golden colour, large white head. Aroma of sweetish malts, floral hops and honey. Malty flavour, some sweetness, moderate herbal hops in the finish.

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

440 ml can, as Fierce Heffen Heff, Small Batch Edition 25.0, from the brewery webshop. ABV is 5.0%. Hazy orange colour, moderate white head of poor retention. Distinct aroma of over-ripe to decaying bananas, cloves and malts, a hint of solvent. Moderate carbonation. Fairly refreshing wheaty flavour, with some citrus, banana and cloves.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. ABV is 5.0%. Moderately gushing bottle. Copper colour, large to moderate off-white head. Earthy, woody and spicy aroma, also hints of blackcurrants. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is quite dry, again with earthy and woody notes, and a spicy and hoppy medium bitter finish. Would buy again, and drink it fresher.

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

Cask half pint at The Justice Mill (JDW), Aberdeen. I thought the ABV was 3.5%, but I might be mistaken. Brewed exclusively for JDW. Very dark brown colour, small beige head. Moderate fruity and malty aroma. Fruity flavour, smooth to drink, some liquorice in the background.

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

Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting. Black colour. Moderate aroma of tar and seaside, only hints of peat smoke. Roasty flavour, fairly dry, moderate notes of smoke.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Hazy deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of over-ripe pineapple and slightly decaying tropical fruits, also old orange marmalade. Lacks the characteristics I've come to expect from Nelson Sauvin and Motueka. The flavour has also an unfresh character, with notes of stale or decaying fruits. Some lactose(?) sweetness. Low bitterness. Clearly drinkable after all, but not as good as expected.

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

Shared 500 ml bottle at local tasting, from Getränke Hoffmann, Harrislee. Hazy deep golden colour, large white head. Moderate aroma, some malts, some fruit, some dust. Smooth flavour, some malty sweetness, a hint of fruit, low bitterness.

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Jørpeland. ABV is 6%. Opaque yellow colour, like a smoothie or a juice with pulp. Large yellow head does not last very long. Aroma of mango and passionfruit, some unfresh sidenotes. Moderately sour flavour, distinct notes of mango, weaker notes of passionfruit. Minimal bitterness.

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

330 ml paper-wrapped bottle, from Edeka Sophienhof, Kiel. ABV is 5.6%. Black colour, tan head. Aroma of roast malts and cold coffee. Light bodied. Roasty dry flavour, coffee notes, a hint of charcoal. Far from a sweet stout.

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

440 ml can, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 5.2%. Moderately hazy golden colour, large white head. Aroma of floral and herbal hops, hints of berries and melon. Flavour of herbal hops on a decent malty base, but not very sweet. Fairly distinct bitterness in the finish.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

440 ml can, from the brewery webshop. ABV is 4.5%. Deep red to purple colour, moderate pink head. Aroma of blackcurrants and lactic acid as expected, also some unexpected hints of broth, meat and spices. Light bodied. The flavour is not very sweet, but not extremely sour or tart either. Moderate notes of blackcurrants, fairly refreshing.

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

500 ml can, from Bunnpris Sauda. ABV is 4.7%. Gusher can. Slightly hazy pale yellow colour, huge white head. Aroma of citrus, grass, stone fruits and herbs (Saphir hops). The flavour is dry, herbal, spicy and moderately fruity. A good pilsener, if it wasn't overcarbonated.