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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, low head. Nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee, liquorice and dark chocolate. Roasty flavour with just a subtle fruity acidity.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. ABV was said to be 7.2%. Amber to copper colour. Lovely aroma of fruity American hops. The flavour has dominant American hops throughout, but is not overdone. Drank it too warm though.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Mahogany coloured beer with a nice beige head, no haziness. Malty aroma and flavour with notes of brown sugar, dried dark fruits and caramel, hints of spices. The aftertaste is spicy with a moderate hoppy bitterness. Not quite in the league of the trappists, but certainly a good beer.

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

500 ml bottle, thanks to yngwie. ABV is "only" 5.8%, but the beer tastes like a dopplebock. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate creamy beige head. The sweetish aroma has notes of dark münchener malts, caramel and bakery, some vinous notes too. Nice! Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour is very sweet and malty, to some degree balanced by decent hops. Also notes of chocolate, raisins and other dried fruits. I like it!

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV from 2008 is 7.1%. Clear orange colour, moderate white head. Pleasant fruity and sweetish aroma of American hops, distinct notes of citrus and blackcurrant leaves, also moderate notes of malts and toffee. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout (as expected from an American IPA), but the hoppiness is not overdone, which means that the bitterness is firm but not harsh. Furthermore, unlike many other IPAs this one is not too sweet, and seems pretty well balanced altogether. Definitely a beer I’ll buy again.

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

Lovely cloves aroma, typical hefe. Cloudy golden colour, pours with a large head. Fairly dry flavour, typical wheat/cloves, slightly peppery. A bit more hops would do, still this is a well made hefe.

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

I quite agree with all the positive things that has been said about this ale by others. Good stuff!

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). I’m a big fan of Monthy Python movies, which, however, is irrelevant when sampling this beer. Inside the gimmicky bottle is a decent English bitter, and decent English bitters are always welcome in my home (no cask ales available around here, I’m afraid). Colour is deep golden, pours with a good head which leaves a nice lacing. Decent hoppy aroma (oranges and some toffee), flavour has sufficient malts and a pleasant hoppiness that lasts through the long aftertaste. Maybe not a true masterpiece, but a nice beer indeed!

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

(33 cl bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV was 8.5%.). Cloudy brown with floaties, enormous thick creamy head. Lovely complex aroma of cherries, figs, prunes, spices, oak and sandalwood. Flavour is not quite as complex - malty, some fruit and spices, rather alcoholic, bitter finish. I wish the aftertaste had been as good as the aroma. A beer well above average, but not as good as I expected.

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). Amber colour, moderate head. Lovely hoppy aroma, hints of heather, tobacco and spices. Flavour is nutty and biscuity, a hint of toffee but not really sweet, good bitterness which lingers in the aftertaste. Very nice.

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). Cloudy brown colour, large lasting head. Aroma of brown bread and some spicy sweetness. Flavour is malty but not overly sweet, some spicy and subtly roasted edges. Smooth and mellow, nothing to blow your socks off, but still a beer it is a pleasure to drink. I had it on its own, must be good with a meal too.

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

Bottle conditioned, 700 ml. ABV is 5.8%. Cloudy brown colour, moderate head. Interesting aroma and flavour: caramel and toffee but not really sweetish, spices (cardamom, white pepper, salt of hartshorn), some alcoholic bite but not too much. Hoppy bitterness in the finish leaves a nice aftertaste. Good beer!

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

(500 ml bottle). Typical hefe in any aspect: Appearance cloudy golden, enormous head, lovely aroma of ripe bananas and cloves, refreshing crisp flavour with cloves. Very good.

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

(Draught) Good stuff - try it with a solid German meal! Rerate: I still think this is an excellent brew, but was too generous with the points the first time. Rerate bottle: Not as good as draught, but still good, even without a meal! - but I maintain that it's the perfect accompaniment with German pork dishes. Great lasting head, cloudy dark brown colour, moderate aroma and flavour of spices and lightly roasted malts. The guys who think it tastes like flat Coke should probably stick to Coke.

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

Rerate, cask conditioned at the Robin Hood & Little John, a large Greene King pub in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. The Old Speck’ was in perfect nick, even better than the bottled version which I think is fairly decent for a pasteurized beer. Nut brown colour, low head. Aroma and flavour of nuts, toffee and caramel with a nice but not overdone hoppiness throughout. A solid pint from this ever-expanding regional (now national) brewery, much better than the cask Abbot Ale that I had afterwards. Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Beautiful brown / dark golden colour, moderate to low head. Moderate malty aroma, malty flavour with a good bitterness. A decent ale I always come back too, as it's now available in Norway.

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

500 ml oldfashioned milk bottle - nice design. Copper coloured, moderate head. Lovely hoppy aroma, hints of ripe fruits and caramel. Bramling Cross hops account for a distinct bitter flavour and aftertaste, quite dry - I'd like some more malts to balance the hops, but that's the style, I guess. Still, this is a nice beer - will definitely buy again.

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

Sampled cask conditioned in Scotland. This is a very pleasant and refreshing British IPA / golden ale, with numerous CAMRA awards. Moderate ABV. Not over-hopped like American IPAs, but a popular and very nice pint indeed. Rerate bottle, ABV 4.4%: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Golden to amber colour, decent lasting head. Pleasant hoppy aroma with fruity notes (citrus, pineapple). Flavour is moderately hoppy and refreshing, grapefruity in the finish. Not quite as good as the the cask version, but even from a pasteurised bottle it is a pleasant session beer without any obvious flaws.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black colour (no surprise). Aroma of raisins, cigarbox and coffee. Surprisingly fruity flavour for a stout (=surprising if I hadn’t read the IBF programme), dark fruits on a background of espresso coffee and dusty roasted malts. Interesting beer!

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

(500 ml bottle). Pitch black (= very dark brown) colour, low head. Aroma of liquorice, coffee and roasted malts. Extremely dry (not even a hint of sweetness) roasted and well rounded flavour, good bitterness - perhaps slightly too tart and salty in the finish. Not easy drinking, but a good beer.

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

(500 ml bottle). Beautiful dark reddish brown colour, low head. Interesting strong aroma, initially it's overwhelming horse stable / fresh horse droppings(!), later the caramel, molasses and malts come through. Malty sweetness is well balanced by the hops, pleasant mellow aftertaste. I'll leave it to the "style police" to discuss if this is Vienna or Munich dunkel - IMO the Swedes have done a reasonably good job with this beer.

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

(500 ml bottle conditioned). Finally available bottled, this amber ale comes from the micro brewery that make all other Norwegian commercial brewers look ridiculous. ABV bottled is 6.0%. Colour is deep amber to reddish and cloudy. Very good thick head. Lovely complex fruity and flowery aroma - roses and flowers I can't even remember the name of. Flavour is first treacherously pleasant malty, fruity and slightly spicy, then the hops brutally take over with a very bitter (too bitter?) and salty finish. Definitely not a beer for the Corona generation.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Amber colour, good head. Very nice barnyard aroma. Typical English bitter flavour (Goldings hops + a hint of toffee) , a bit thin mouthfeel, good bitterness in the aftertaste. A great quaffing beer. This Norwegian micro is a very welcome addition to our rather miserable brewery scene!

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

Cask conditioned (hand pump) at Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby, at their Heavyweight Beer Festival February 2005 (but this one is possibly one of their regular beers). Dark ruby colour, low head. Fruity, chocolate sweet aroma and flavour, moderate roastiness. Very nice.

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

(500 ml bottle). The Nøgne Ø micro brewery is in a class of its own (at least by Norwegian standards), so this beer is by far the best Norwegian "klasse D" (= grocery store market) Christmas/Yule beer you can get (all others are Vienna lagers). Deep copper colour, moderate head. Malty, oaky and toffee aroma with hints of spices. Malty flavour balanced by a decent bitterness. Rerate Christmas 2004: Colour seems even darker this year, plenty of yeast floaties. Flavour is maybe a tad spicier, well balanced hops. Impressively tasty for a Yule beer with a meagre ABV of 4.5%

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

Cask conditioned this is just an excellent ale. Enough said. Rerate May 14 2002: Had this one again today from can + bottle (bottle slightly better) in Norway, not nearly as good as cask conditioned, but still a very drinkable ale. Could use a little more aromatic hops. Rerate 2: I take back what I said about can vs. bottle. I found a retailer who stores the cans cold, and they're a helluva lot better than the frequently skunky (clear!) bottles, which are stored warm at my other retailer's. Well kept, I just love the nutty freshness of this ale.