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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hoheluft, Hamburg. Some sediment in the bottle. Hazy golden colour, large and lingering off-white head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, notes of citrus, flowers and honey, hints of oak and leather. Flavour is fairly malty and relatively sweet, well balanced with pleasant hops, some oaky and spicy elements. This is what a golden lager SHOULD taste like! Industrial junk pushers: See, smell, drink and LEARN!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Typical hefeweizen enormous head which lasts "forever", very cloudy golden. Typical h.w. aroma of cloves and ripe bananas. Flavour is relatively dry with the typical hefe character, notes of cloves and herbal spices, moderate hops. Another very nice and refreshing h.w.!

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Brown colour, large off-white head. Malty and fruity sweet aroma (raisins), some caramel and spices too. Pleasant flavour with vinous notes, hints of oak, malts are well balanced with the hops. I won’t need wood cutting as an excuse to drink this beer. Very nice!

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Chestnut coloured, decent light tan head. Rich malty aroma with notes of moderate roastiness, caramel, marzipan and bakery, hints of red fruits. Flavour is malty sweet but not overdone, notes of caramel and dark bread, but a decent hoppy bitterness in the finish makes it very drinkable and moreish. Good beer!

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

(700 ml bottle). Pours very dark with a moderate head. Aroma and flavour of liquorice, dark chocolate and roasted malts. A bit too much liquorice in my book. Still, this is a very good stout, but not a taste experience that much better than Carls Porter - not enough to live up to the price difference IMO. I guess some of the point with the Semper Ardens range is that Carlsberg want to show the world: "Hey, we can brew good beer too - but that is VERY expensive!" Price aside, you have to give them props for trying. After they killed Wiibroe Imperial Stout Porter, Carls Porter is the only surviving moderately priced quality Carlsberg beer - innovation is reserved for the Semper Ardens range, just pay and be happy!

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

500 ml bottle conditioned. The Trippel is finally for sale in some pubs and restaurants, not yet in Vinmonopolet stores. The beer pours hazy golden with a moderate head which vanishes after a while and leaves very little lacing. Very pleasant yeasty and fruity aroma with notes of oak and spices, hints of barnyard in the background. Flavour is sweet (a bit too sweet?) with an oaky and moderately spicy character. A certain alcoholic punch, not unpleasant. Subtle hops in the finish. I started drinking the beer a little colder than the recommended temperature, but liked it that way. Clearly another craft brew from the good people at Nøgne Ø, but I’d suggest a slightly less generous amount of demerara sugar in the next batch.

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

(Bottle, trade with joss in Germany). Organic! Reddish brown colour, very good head. Roasted malts, toast, caramel, oak and pine wood in the aroma, some smokiness. Flavour is all malts + a slight smokiness, nice bitterness, well balanced. This is a good dunkel!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 4.9%. Not to be confused with Unertl Mühldorfer Weissbier (different brewery, different town). Hazy orange-brownish colour, huge off-white head. Lovely aroma of ripe fruits with vinous notes, oak, bananas and cloves. Flavour is moderately acidic and lemony, with faint notes of wood, sour dough bread and cloves. Light bodied. Like most weissbiers a relatively short aftertaste. I drank it slightly too warm, must be very refreshing when colder, esp. on a fine summer’s day.

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

Draught at the brewpub. EBC 18.2, IBU 23. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, good thick head, moderate carbonation. Dominant Cascade aroma and flavour. Quite good IPA.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at KaDeWe, Berlin. Dark reddish brown colour, large tan head. Pleasant roasty and malty sweet aroma, notes of dark chocolate, prunes and leather. Lightly roasty and malty flacour, hints of chocolate, pumpernickel bread and mild coffee. Pleasant and easy-drinking bock.

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

330 ml bottle. Dark amber colour, pleasant aroma, hints of liquorice and spices. Excellent with traditional Scandinavian Yule/Christmas fare. This version (sold in Norway in Vinmonopolet stores only) is the way to go.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Hazy golden colour, huge white head. Fairly moderate but very nice spicy, wheaty and fruity aroma. Flavour is spicy / peppery and sweet, with distinct bitter hops, hints of oak. Warming mouthfeel, alcohol is evident but not dominant. Another good Trappist!

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

Can, RBESG 2006, Grand Tasting. ABV is 9.5%. Dark reddish brown colour, low head. Aroma and flavour: bakery full of rye bread and pastry, definitely malty with a moderate roastiness and distinct oaky vinous notes.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. 750 ml bottle. Fruity and vinous aroma, hints of oak. Flavour is fruity with notes of cherries, redcurrants and raspberries, hints of blackcurrants.

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

330 ml bottle, like all "klasse F" juleøl (Yule/Christmas beers) sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. One of the best Norwegian Christmas specials. Deep reddish brown colour, caramel and some spice in aroma and flavour. Good with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare.

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

Like all "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers, it is sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. This is it - forget the weaker ("klasse D") version! A good Christmas beer, great with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare. The quality varies a bit from one year to another, but is never bad.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. "Conditioned in the bottle". ABV is 6%. Copper coloured, slightly hazy. Moderate beige head. Very nice aroma, vinous notes, also notes of rum-drenched raisins, oak and Christmas pudding. Rich flavour with substantial malts, hints of Christmas pudding, caramel, spices, oak and port wine. Decent hops dominate the finish and the bitter aftertaste. A very nice Christmas ale!

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. bottle conditioned, ABV is 4.5%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Decent and lingering creamy tan head. The slug-like "trail" of the head down the side of the glass as you drink has allegedly given the beer its name - together with the fact that the brewers had to "fight" slugs coming into the brewery at the old premises. (As we know, slugs LOVE beer.) Pleasant aroma of prunes, mild coffee and chocolate. Roasty flavour, fairly dry, notes of coffee, dark bread and chocolate. Some fruity notes in the finish, "coffee" aftertaste. A decent porter with a moderate ABV.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. British porters often have an aroma and flavour reminiscent of plums, but this one is actually made with real plums. Dark brown colour, moderate tan head. Pleasant aroma of roasted malts, plums/prunes, bakery and mild coffee, hints of smoke. Rounded, smooth and mellow flavour with a very subdued bitterness, notes of gently roasted malts, just a hint of plums. Nice.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.2%. Brewed at the Ram brewery, shortly before closing, BB date 20. Sep. 2007 (will probably be good much longer than that). Code L6263 07:57 Y. Hazy deep brown colour, large and lasting tan head. Nice aroma of malts and hops (no surprise), hints of vanilla, chocolate, raisins and leather. The flavour is perfectly balanced between the malts and hops, both elements being present in generous amounts. Notes of caramel, toffee and oak. Sweet, but not too much. I drank it colder than the recommended room temperature, and don’t regret that. A hoppy bitterness + oak in the aftertaste. A very nice beer - I hope "Wells and Young’s" will keep it in their portfolio.

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

April 2009: Rerate, 500 ml bottle, as Okells Aile Smoked Celtic Porter, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is now 4.7%. My comments are basically the same as for "Branded Drinks Coal Fire Porter", so the two beers must indeed be identical. A lovely drop! Original rating: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger, under its alias "Branded Drinks Coal Fire Porter". (Are you sure they are exactly the same beer?) ABV is 4.6%. BB date Oct 08. Pitch black colour, large tan head. Lovely aroma of chocolate, roasted malts and plums, with a hint of liquorice. Distinctly roasty flavour with notes of coffee, hints of peat, smoke and tar, bitter finish. The mouthfeel could have been fuller, but this is still a good beer!

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

330 ml bottle with red wax top, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 10.8%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Aroma of roast malts, oak, red wine and whiskey. The flavour has the same elements, and is fortunately not too sweet. Noticeable bittering hops in the dry and slightly salty finish.

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

330 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Opaque pale yellow colour, moderate white head. Aroma of fruity (citrus, tropical fruits, crushed gooseberries and white grapes) and spicy NZ hops. The flavour is fairly sweet, with the same elements as the aroma, balanced by a decent bitterness. Enjoyable.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.8%. Murky yellow colour, moderate white head. Nice aroma of citrus, crushed gooseberries and tropical fruits, hints of pine and spruce. Refreshing citric flavour, not too sweet. Low bitterness, a bit more would not hurt, but the beer is a great refreshment as it is.

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

Dec. 2020: 500 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.1%. DDH DIPA, hops are Mosaic, Simcoe and Galaxy. Cloudy / opaque yellow colour, moderate white head. Distinct aroma of tropical fruits, citrus and spruce. Medium sweet flavour with the same elements, moderate bitterness in the finish. Good beer.