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

500 ml bottle conditioned, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.2%. Golden colour, slightly hazy, large white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops on a sweetish malty background. Medium sweet flavour, distinctly malty, but also with strong hoppy notes and a resinous and bitter finish. The alcohol is evident, and I’d easily believe that the beer was even stronger than it actually is. American Columbus hops are hardly part of a trustworthy "re-creation of the White Stout style", but never mind the name - this is a decent and quite enjoyable strong ale, more American than English in its character.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Named "Corsendonk Pater - Dubbel". ABV is 7.5%. Bottle conditioned. Deep brown colour, large beige head. Pleasant aroma of dark fruits, caramel, candy sugar, spices and oak, a hint of smoke. Pleasant flavour of oak and malts, some candy sugar and caramel but not too sweet, moderate hops. Nice.

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

500 ml bottle, bottle conditioned. Orangey brown colour, moderate head. The first time I had it I found the aroma fairly moderate and slightly spicy with some fruit, the second time the lovely fruity hops came more in front. The pleasant flavour is nicely balanced: oak, fruit, spices, hoppy finish. Good beer!

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

Cask conditioned at The Golden Lion, York. Served at correct temperature. ABV was 5.5%. Deep golden colour, creamy head. Pleasant malty aroma, hints of malt vinegar and fruity hops. Fairly rich and smooth flavour, well balanced between the malts and hops.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Large tan head. Very nice aroma of chocolate (reminds me of the Norwegian "Kong Haakon Konfekt"), roasted malts and coffee. The flavour is roasty and fruity with a moderate acidity. Notes of coffee, chocolate, prunes and liquorice. Relatively light bodied, but nice.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.0%. Bottle conditioned. Mahogany coloured beer, large and lasting tan head which leaves a nice lacing. Excellent aroma with vinous notes, there’s oak, malts, rhum-raisins, treacle, some perfume too. The mouthfeel is (relatively) thinner than what the aroma makes you expect. The flavour is oaky and spicy with notes of dark fruits and caramel, but not exceedingly sweet. Dry finish. Good beer - recommended!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 8.4%. Deep golden colour, huge head. Lovely aroma of hops, orange and oak. The flavour is hoppy and fairly sweet, notes of bitter oranges and spices, the alcohol is noticeable. Bitter finish and aftertaste. Must be a great accompaniment with mature cheeses. Nearly too powerful on its own.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Riga , as "Lacplesis Tumsais Dzivs Alus - No Lielvardes". This beer operates on the borderline betweeen dunkel, schwarzbier, dunkler bock and Baltic porter - but it sure as hell is no Vienna!!! ABV is now 5.8%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Creamy and lasting large head. Lovely malty sweet aroma, strong notes of Danish pastry, chocolate and marzipan. The flavour is also malty with a pronounced roastiness, fairly sweet, but not as sweet as the aroma made me expect. Hoppy finish. Not bad!

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

250 ml bottle, as "Leireken Bio Witte Spelt / Epautre Blanche", now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, bestillingsutvalget) - at an outrageous price. ABV is 5%. Made of organic ingredients. BB date end of 2007. Sediment in the bottle. Very pale and cloudy / milky straw coloured beer with a huge white head. Very nice wheaty, citrussy and spicy (cloves, coriander?) aroma. The flavour is distinctly spicy and wheaty with a quite rich mouthfeel, but also very refreshing. Spicy and hoppy bitter finish. An excellent beer in my book.

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, as Meantime Chocolate Porter, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. The beer tasted even better now than the first time, and the chocolate is not too much. Lovely! I’m upping it a couple points. Original rating: 330 ml bottle, bought at Peckham’s, Glasgow (£1.99). ABV is 6.5%. Nearly black opaque colour, dark brown / ruby in the highlights. Large tan head, does not last forever. Distinct aroma of chocolate / cocoa, also notes of roasted malts and vanilla. The flavour is quite smooth and sweet with a very moderate roasty bitterness, again with distinct notes of chocolate / cocoa and vanilla - a bit too much for me. Still a nice "change of pace" beer.

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

Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Nice roasty and oaky aroma and flavour, hints of plums and chocolate. Quite good this one!

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. 19 degrees Plato. Refermented in the bottle, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Ingredients include sugars, thyme and curacao. Hazy reddish dark brown colour, huge tan head. Pleasant but fairly moderate aroma with vinous notes, notes of oak and spices, hints of farmhouse. The flavour is distinctly spicy and oaky, with a substantial but not overwhelming sweetness from the malts and sugars. Some yeasty notes. Distinct hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. Warming mouthfeel, but the 10% ABV does not dominate. As a Christmas beer, this one is better suited to accompany an English Christmas pudding than a main course of meats or fish - but is also nice to drink on its own.

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

330 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, pub, Stavanger. Chestnut to mahogany colour, moderate creamy head. Aroma of moderately roasted malts, a hint of smoked malts, mild spices, caramel and oak. The flavour has caramel, spices, a hint of smoke again, moderate hops in the finish. Lervig’s best product so far.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 8.5%. Beautiful copper to ruby colour, decent head. Intense oaky, malty and vinous aroma and flavour. Good beer.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 8.5%. Bottle no. 32629. Amber colour. Slightly less sweet and aromatic than the 2005 vintage. There was also a more hoppy finish in this one.

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

355 ml bottle, vintage 2007, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. BB Sep.09. Very dark reddish bown colour, nearly black. Large and lasting tan head. Nice vinous and sweetish aroma, notes of malts, herbs, oak, spices and caramel. Malty flavour with moderate notes of caramel and herbs, moderate hops and spices in the finish and aftertaste. A very pleasant beer to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.3%. Colour somewhere between mahogany and black, large and lasting beige head. Moderate but nice aroma of roasted malts and bakery, hints of oak and leather. Very malty and well rounded flavour, medium sweet, notes of mild coffee and black bread. Moderate but sufficient hops, fairly smooth and easy to drink for a 7.3% beer. Nice one!

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.3%. Black colour, moderate to low greyish brown head. Nice aroma, some roastiness, coffee and chocolate, hints of tobacco and dark fruits. The flavour is moderately roasty, coffee and chocolate again, with a slight fruitiness. Smooth and pleasant to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. BB date Oct. 08. ABV is 5.2%. When opening, the beer started gushing out of the bottle. Deep golden to amber colour, slightly hazy, big white head. Nice hoppy aroma, citrus and floral notes, a hint of toffee. The flavour is distinctly hoppy and grapefruity throughout, but never too bitter. The hoppy fruitiness also has a sufficient malty base, and my bottle had a hint of brettanomyces. Long aftertaste of hoppy bitterness. Good stuff!

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

500 ml bottle, at Gladmatfestivalen 2008, Stavanger (where it also was available on tap). Served too cold. Unlike other Norwegian "sommerøl", which are crappy pale lagers, this one is an ale of respectable quality. Ingredients include some wheat malts. Orange colour, hazy, with a thick and lasting head. Nice hoppy aroma and flavour, fruity / citrussy notes, maybe some spruce too. Refreshing and very good.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 9.0%. Pitch black colour, big brown head. Very nice aroma of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. The flavour has heavily roasted malts galore (bordering on cremation), also liquorice, tar and extremely strong coffee. There is also a huge hoppy bitterness from start to finish, and the alcohol is noticeable. The flavour is overall a bit of an "overkill", could have been better balanced. Still quite impressive, a small glass of this beer could stand in for a cup of espresso after dinner. Improves a bit as the beer warms up, a certain sweetness comes through, to balance (some of) the bitterness.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Pitch black colour, no head. Intensely roasty aroma, some undefined perfumed notes too. The flavour is sweet, winey and roasty. Good beer.

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

Cask conditioned at the Great British Beer Festival 2008, gravity dispense. Copper coloured beer, minimal head. Nice hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of blackcurrants.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Golden colour, low head. Lovely aroma of tropical fruits, notes of flowers and honey too. Nice hoppy flavour, moderate malts and fruit, then an assertive bitterness takes over.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, as York Pure Gold (ABV 5.0%). Golden colour, moderate head. Hoppy aroma with notes of grapefruit and tropical fruits. The flavour has distinct notes of grapefruit, but there is also a considerable sweetness. Bitter finish.