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

Bottles, shared at Holmen Nanobryggeri’s annual Christmas/Yule beer tasting. ABV 7.0%. Cloudy deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Spicy attractive aroma. Spicy flavour with decent hops throughout. An enjoyable brew!

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 9.5%. Amber to orange colour, moderate off-white head. Very nice aroma, hints of oak, honey and coriander. Sweetish flavour, notes of honey, molasses and coriander, hints of oak.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Orange to amber colour, low off-white head. Extreme and intense aroma of American hops, on a background of sweet malts. Sweet flavour, too sweet maybe, the sweetness kind of overwhelms the intense hoppiness. Still, this is a top division beer.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, as Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Hazy golden colour, fairly pale for an American IPA. Big to moderate white head. Lovely aroma of floral and fruity hops (Centennial and Simcoe or Chinook) , notes of peaches and tropical fruits. The flavour is resinous and grapefruity, initially relatively smooth and inviting, but with an aggressive and nearly medicinal bitterness in the aftertaste. Relatively light bodied and dry.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by abemorsten. ABV is 8.5%. Dark ruby colour, moderate beige head. Nice spicy and vinous aroma. Spicy and herbal flavour, medium sweet, unusual and interesting.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by abemorsten. ABV is 11.5%. Beautiful ruby colour, moderate off-white head. Nice malty aroma, caramel and vinous notes, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. Warming mouthfeel. Oak, malts and caramel in the flavour. The alcohol is noticeable. Bitter finish.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 8.0%. Now, an ENGLISH doppelbock, that's not something I see every day! Medium brown colour, not as dark as i expected (the bottle was very dark). Medium sized off-white head. Distinctly malty aroma with loads of caramel, also notes of brown bread and pastry, hints of dark dried fruits. Soft and pleasant mouthfeel, relatively light bodied for an 8% doppelbock. The flavour is malty with caramel again, sweet, but not TOO sweet. There is also a nice fruitiness that helps making the beer very drinkable. Moderate hops in the finish. Maybe not the greatest doppelbock in the world, but definitely a beer I'd buy again.

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

600 ml bottle, from a corner shop in London. ABV is 7.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, hints of tar, coffee and cigar box, also a touch of burnt rubber. Roasty flavour, notes of coffee, a certain acidity. Hoppy and roasty bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, at the Durham Cathedral & Cloister Restaurant. ABV is 3.8%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Lovely aroma of fruity hops (citrus and tropical fruits). Distinctly hoppy flavour, notes of citrus and tropical fruits, good bitterness.

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

Cask at The Harp, London. Very dark colour, nearly black, reddish in the highlights. Low tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is roasty with coffee notes, medium dry. Decent enough.

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

Cask (hand pump), at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 4.6%. Very dark ruby colour, nearly black. Low beige head. Aroma of roasted barley and coffee. Roasty flavour, plenty of roasty and hoppy bitterness in the finish. Hints of English liquorice.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. ABV is 4.3%. Pitch black colour, low head, minimal carbonation. Nice roasty aroma with notes of coffee and chocolate, hints of liquorice. Dry roasty flavour, coffee notes, hints of liquorice, bitter finish.

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

Cask (hand pump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival 2011. Brown colour, low head. Nice malty aroma, hints of toffee and Scotch whisky. Dry flavour, malts and decent hops, a hint of Scotch whisky again. One of the better beers of the festival.

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

500 ml clear bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.2%. Beautiful copper colour, big off-white head. Very nice aroma of toffee and caramel. Fairly refeshing flavour, strong notes of caramel with a hint of fruit, but not too sweet. Moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Okay.

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

330 ml bottle, from Selfridge’s food store, London, as Whitstable Oyster Stout. ABV is 4.5%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. The aroma is roasty with notes of smoke, tar and salt water, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Smooth mouthfeel, light bodied. Dry flavour, roasty notes with coffee and smoke, moderate bitterness, slightly salty finish with a hint of liquorice. Pleasant to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 5.2%. Some sediment in the bottle. Deep golden to orange colour, hazy when the yeast is poured in. Large cream-coloured head. Nice aroma of fruity and resinous hops, hints of elderflowers and caramel. The flavour is medium sweet and fairly refreshing, some caramel and hints of orange marmalade, moderate resinous hops, hints of elderflowers. Decent beer.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, from Selfridge’s food store, London. ABV is 4.8%. Clear golden / yellow colour (not clouded at all), large white head. Fairly strong and nice aroma of grassy and herbal hops, also spices. The flavour is spicy and herbal, but not overdone - still quite interesting. Fairly light bodied and easy drinking.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Copper colour, large off-white head. Malty aroma, also strong notes of dark dried fruits and caramel, hints of oak. The fairly sweet flavour has notes of dark dried fruits, brown syrup and plenty of caramel, hints of oak. The bitterness is quite moderate, a little more wouldn’t hurt. Still a decent barleywine. I hate myself for not having some Blue Stilton cheese to go with it.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed by Bosteels. ABV is 8.4%. The glass fills completely by an enormous foamy head, and the golden beer below appears only slowly. Strong and attractive aroma of spices, Belgian ale yeast and some fruit. The flavour is also spicy and yeasty with some fruit, notes of white kandij sugar, but the sweetness is not too much. Moderate hops in the finish.

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

At Copenhagen Beer Festival. Golden colour, slightly hazy. Hoppy and fruity aroma. The flavour has plenty of zesty and fruity hops, but not too much. Some herbal and piney notes too. Very good.

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

At Copenhagen Beer Festival. Hazy deep golden to amber colour. Summit hops were a new aquaintance for me, and they are clearly present in both aroma and flavour of this brew. Fruity (grapefruit, peaches) and resinous notes, with a bitter and moderately sharp finish. IBU was said to be 111, but the beer felt not that extreme. Very drinkable, and my interest in trying Summit hops in homebrew has increased.

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

Sample from bottle, Copenhagen Beer Festival. Black colour. Both aroma and flavour have dominant roasty (coffee) and spicy notes, with hints of oak and American whiskey. Pretty good.

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

330 ml bottle, from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen. ABV is 8.8%. Mahogany coloured beer, large off-white head. Malty aroma, notes of caramel, but also some fruity and spicy notes. Gordon / John Martin are known for some pretty sweet beers, so I braced myself to tolerate an enormous sweetness. Well, their Xmas is sweet, but not more than I’m able to handle. Very rich and malty flavour, notes of caramel, dark dried fruits and mild spices. The sweetness is to some degree balanced by moderate hops in the finish. Not a beer to go with Christmas dinner, but excellent to savour on its own, or with Christmas cookies, chocolate and fruit. Will buy again, if I can find it for Christmas.

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

At Copenhagen Beer Festival. Hazy pale golden colour. Pleasant and fresh aroma of American (and New Zealand?) hops. The flavour has also notes of American hops, but not too much. Fruity, light bodied and extremely refreshing. The ultimate summer beer.

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

At Copenhagen Beer Festival. Dark brown colour. Both aroma and the medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like) flavour are dominated by coffee (Blue Mountain Java), but this is certainly not unpleasant, if you like good coffee.