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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Norway). Filtered wheat beer, like the name says crystal clear, very light golden, enormous head. Strong aroma of ripe bananas (or rather: the artificial "banana" filling you get in some chocolates + bubble gum), cloves too. Banana, cloves and hops in the flavour - but there's just too little of everything. Why filter away the goodies? Very short aftertaste.

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

This one has traditionally been the thinnest of Norwegian "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers - the brewery made a slightly darker brew this year. Not as bad the ratings in Norwegian newspapers tell you. Reasonably malty, nutty, some caramel/toffee.

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

For a "klasse D" (= too low ABV, for the Norwegian grocery store market) Christmas brew this is not too bad. Reddish brown colour, good head, mild spices in the aroma. Very well balanced light malty sweetness vs. hoppy dryness. But of course, the inevitable watery mouthfeel of a "klasse D" Christmas brew is there. Lacks "punch" - it's not a brew that will kick off knife-fights, like an "Olde Norse" Yule/Christmas brew should(!) Still better than Mack Juleøl (klasse D), but not as good as their Juleøl (klasse F).

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Pale golden colour, low to none head. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Some hops in the aroma and flavour, but not remarkable. This is an ale for the girls!

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

33 cl bottle, now available in Norway. Website www.anthonymartin.be Deep golden nearly orange colour. Large head. Aroma of sweet malts, molasses and rotting fruits, hints of spices and leather. Flavour is well hopped, but unfortunately there is an everpresent molasses and dark syrup sweetness in the background, making the beer too cloying to be something I’ll buy again when I have finished my 4 bottles.

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

Rerate can: I overrated this beer grossly the first time. This is not much more than an average strong pale lager. Original rating, bottle at the Carlsberg Brewery guest room in Copenhagen: Probably the best medium-strong lager I've had. Lots of taste. Well done Carlsberg!

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

Not bad, but Carlsberg Sort Guld is a better alternative in this ABV category of Danish golden lagers. Very popular in the "duty free" trade. Rerate bottle: Good head, acceptable flavour, not outstanding.

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

Decent on tap (except that all Danish draught beers are served too COLD in their home country). Dark golden colour, moderate head. Fairly malty, lacks hops. Hints of caramel, but not really sweet. Tolerable beer.

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

Organic strong lager, moderate head. Deep golden colour. Strong enough but not what I would think of as a Christmas brew. Too light bodied despite the strength.

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

A middle-of-the-road, reasonably decent Danish pilsener. Not very different from its "økologisk" (organic) counterpart. A good regional alternative to Carlsberg and Tuborg. Rerate on tap: Drinkable but always served too cold. Generally Danish beers are served ice (and I mean ICE) cold, even if Danish summers normally are far from hot.

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

Fairly dark golden beer, apparently made with some caramel malts / colour malts. Pleasant, slightly sweet flavour, a bit thin. Could use more hops. The old Viking king or earl or whatever pictured on the can would want something more powerful than this.

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml, bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. Batch No. 040510atpp. Pours with next to none head, beer is totally flat with no carbonation whatsoever. Very dark reddish brown colour. Nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee and leather. Flavour is lightly roasted malts and lemons. Acidic and thin mouthfeel. Unremarkable aftertaste. Drinkable, but disappointing.

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

Cask conditioned at The Pickerel, Cambridge. Deep golden colour. Very nice honey and flowery aroma. Flavour is moderately honey sweet, minimal bitterness. Some malts too. A bit thin mouthfeel, though. Not my favourite this one.

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

(500 ml can.) Mack Bryggeri in Tromsø, the worlds northernmost commercial brewery (there’s a brewpub further north) is a macro brewery by Norwegian standards (not by American!), but they have recently also bought a full micro brewery equipment in order to brew "niche" beers (= ales, mostly) as a welcome change in the Norwegian pale lager desert. You have to give them props for trying, even if the results are not remarkable (and I’m not sure that the "micro" varieties, all named "Ludwig" something after the founder of the brewery, will help them out of their financial problems). Their attempt at an English brown ale has a deep golden brown colour and pours with a large head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (apples). Flavour is very mellow, some maltiness but not much else. Minimal hops. Flat and bland finish. If Mack’s purpose is to brew a truly GREAT brown ale, they have a long way to go ....

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Reddish brown colour, good lingering head and lacing. Very moderate aroma and flavour of malts and some caramel, pretty much on the soft and bland side but not offensive. Minimal bitterness, but not very sweet either. Easy drinking. No masterpiece, but not as bad as I feared.

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

Draught at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Hazy golden / amber colour, decent head. Not very exciting aroma, just some faint notes of malts, hay and apples. Flavour has some malty sweetness and weak spices. Rather alcoholic. This is no masterpiece to offer a real Norwegian troll - and I should know what I’m talking about!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. Brewed in the Oettinger Group's brewery in Mönchengladbach (one of their 5 German breweries). Clear brown colour, large creamy offwhite head. Moderate malty aroma with notes of caramel, hints of berries. One-dimensional malty flavour with moderate hops, mouthfeel is a bit dusty and metallic. Not a great altbier, but drinkable.

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

From 2005 brewed at Berentsens Brygghus' own facilities in Egersund. My comments while it was still contract brewed by Aass Bryggeri in Drammen: (330 ml bottle). Deep copper brown colour, darker than most Norwegian "klasse D" grocery store juleøl (Christmas/Yule beers), moderate head. Malty aroma. Clean malty flavour, not too sweet, thin mouthfeel as expected, not very complex. OKish.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Amber colour, large white head. Moderate malty aroma with notes of toffee and some fruity hops. Flavour is moderately malty with some caramel and tolerable hops, but this is really not much more than "average" beer. Some metallic notes in the aftertaste.

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

It's been a while since I had this - a Northern German pilsener with a substantial hoppy bitterness that lasts through the aftertaste. Together with Jever pilsener it has defined the "Northern German Pilsener style". Also available in the classic fliptop/swingtop bottle.

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

Bottle, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Brandy colour. Hoppy and medicinal aroma. Fairly dry and bitter flavour, but not much else going on. A bit disappointing.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Clear amber colour with a reddish hue. Very good lasting head and lacing. Malty aroma with notes of toffee and plums. Malty flavour with some caramel but not really sweet, like cris_o says: "earthy". Wet cardboard notes in a slightly sourish finish. Drinkable, but certainly no masterpiece.

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

Draught at Carlsen’s Kvarter, Odense. Golden colour, slightly hazy. Traditional hefeweizen aroma with an unusual hint of vomit and rotting fruits. Flavour is much better than the aroma, but unusually sweet for a hefe, plenty of cloves though.

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

(500 ml can). Golden colour. Pleasant aroma. Clean, well balanced flavour. Not a bad lager. Better than Trio Pilsner. "Fatøl" is Norwegian for "draught beer", but this beer still comes out of a can!

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

Incorrectly named "fatøl" (= "draught beer") - comes out of a 500 ml can. Among the better Norwegian lagers, slightly darker than a traditional pilsener, rather malty with German aromatic hops.