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

500 ml twistcap bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Typical dunkel reddish brown colour, decent pale greyish brown head. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with notes of caramel, toast and bakery. Mellow nutty flavour with notes of dark bread and caramel, tolerable hops for a dunkel (Hallertau, Spalt and Tettnang). Nice.

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

750 ml corked "champagne" style bottle, packed in metal gift box. Now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Very dark reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. Moderate tan head. Very nice aroma of Christmas spices, oak, raisins, old sherry, toffee and treacle. Flavour is very malty sweet, plenty of caramel and some spices, hints of smoke, tart/bitter finish. Fizzy mouthfeel - due to the aggressive carbonation and tart finish this beer was not a "silky smooth" experience for me. I actually preferred du Bocq’s Regal Christmas to this one (haven’t tried them side by side, though). R.C. is also somewhat less expensive.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of "Venner av Nøgne Ø". Like all NØ beers bottle conditioned. This beer has just been released for sale in some pubs, will be for sale in Vinmonopolet stores in May. I might rerate in May, if there is any significant development of the flavour profile by then. Pours (or rather: gushes out of the bottle) with a large white head, beer is hazy pale golden. Very nice fruity (citrus, green apples) and yeasty aroma, hints of spices, oak, leather and barnyard. Flavour is moderately sweet with a distinct spiciness and decent hops. Shouldn’t a saison have slightly more acidity? After a light and refreshing start there is a solid wormwood-like bitterness in the finish, not unlike Saison Dupont.

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Pale yellow colour, huge white head.Sweetish aroma, floral, spicy / herbal and grassy notes. The flavour is crisp and not too sweet, spicy and herbal notes again, decent hops in the finish. Original rating: Draught in Nice, France. Listed simply as "Affligem" on the menu, but I presume it was the Blond. Served in appropriate glass. Golden colour, low head, moderate carbonation. Very pleasant and spicy aroma and flavour, notes of oak and yeast too. Good beer!

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

330 ml clear bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. Beautiful golden brown colour. Large and creamy off-white head, long lasting, decent lacing. Unusual aroma and flavour, very woody, Scotch whisky elements, but also notes of toffee, vanilla, cinnamon - and even shrimp and the dark meat of crabs(!). Relatively sweet, but the finish and aftertaste are woody, dry and hoppy. Something out of the ordinary, and I have trouble deciding how well I really like this beer. Definitely worth a try!

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

750 ml corked bottle, bought in France. Golden nearly clear colour, large lasting white head. Pleasant flowery and fruity aroma, also notes of honey and leather. Flavour is spicy and somewhat alcoholic, with a peppery finish. Well worth sampling.

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

500 ml bottle, available in Norway at Vinmonopolet (partiutvalget). This unfiltered beer is slightly hazy, pale golden colour. Huge and lasting white head. Strong flowery aroma of aromatic hops, notes of honey and grass too. Nice. Flavour is fairly sweet, notes of honey and caramel, but the beer is still fairly light bodied and refreshing. A faint hoppy bitterness in the finish. A little more bittering hops would have been nice, though.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Poland. Beautiful dark mahogany colour, large and lasting creamy tan head. Aroma of rye bread, caramel and toasted malts, hints of leather. Flavour is very rich and malty sweet, you might say VERY sweet. Notes of caramel and plenty of lightly toasted malts. Hints of coffee. Just enough hops in the finish to balance the sweetness. Interesting beer!

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

500 ml screwcap bottle. Bought at Otto Duborg, Flensburg, Germany. ABV is 5.3% (label), brewery website says 5.2%. Unpasteurised but filtered. This is their ordinary Dunkel, not to be confused with their unfiltered Engel Kellerbier Dunkel. Beautiful clear chestnut colour, large and lasting off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with strong notes of bakery, chocolate and caramel. Moderate carbonation. Malty sweet flavour with a moderate roastiness, notes of Danish pastry, hints of over-ripe berries. Some hops in the finish.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle ("Bügelflasche"), bought at KaDeWe, Berlin. Organic. Pale golden colour, slightly hazy, large white head. Unfiltered, "hefetrüb". Strong flowery aroma with notes of honey, very nice. Moderate carbonation, soft mouthfeel. Flavour has very good hops on a background of slightly sweet and mellow malts. Hoppy bitter aftertaste. This is a good Zwickel/Keller/Landbier!

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

500 ml bottle, Vinmonopolet. Batch No. 31. On the first pour my weissbier glass fills completely with brown foam, which very slowly subsides to form a large and creamy head, on top of an opaque dark brown beer. First a very nice aroma of dark fruits, bakery / rye bread, bananas and cloves, then some less pleasant sidenotes of pepper and artificial candy set in. Flavour is sweet and alcoholic, notes of roasted malts and slightly burnt toast. Fairly bitter finish. This weizenbock is no Aventinus, but still a nice try.

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

On tap at the Suomenlinnan Panimo brewpub on the island of Sveaborg/Suomenlinna at the seaward approach to Helsinki (a UNESCO World Heritage site). This is an English style ale, golden to amber colour, slightly cloudy, moderate to low head. Moderate yeasty and hoppy aroma, some yeastiness and cloves in the well rounded flavour. Sufficient body to be a treat, light enough to be refreshing. Pleasant bitterness in the aftertaste. I'd say the brewer has done a good job with this one.

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

300 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. ABV is 6.8%. Top fermented blonde ale, brewed since 1994, allegedly replicated from a city of Haarlem recipe from 1501. Cloudy golden colour, huge head. Yeasty and fruity aroma, notes of barnyard and rotting/fermenting apples and pears. Flavour and aftertaste are fruity and mildly acidic, hints of oak and spices. Good beer!

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

250 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, large head. Nice hoppy aroma, some yeasty and wheaty notes too, hints of citrus and pineapple. Flavour has dominant hoppy notes but not much else, relatively tart and bitter finish. Alcohol is well hidden, a refreshing beer despite its strength.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark, as "Kapittel Watou Blond". "Het" seems no longer to be part of the beer’s name, or have they different labels for different countries? Anyway, the beer pours hazy golden with a large head. Typical Belgian blond ale elements in the aroma: Yeasty, fruity, spicy, oaky, hints of barnyard. Flavour is mildly spicy and hoppy on a moderately sweet and malty background. Not a "big" beer, but nice.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Served at correct cellar temperature. Deep golden to amber colour, creamy head, leaves a nice lacing. Moderate but nice aroma of toffee and butterscotch. Flavour is moderately malty and mellow with "dusty" hops (East Kent Goldings). Some bitterness in the finish / aftertaste. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to make it stand out from your average bitter either.

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

Sampled RBESG 2006, bottle. Deep golden to amber colour. Lovely hoppy aroma. The flavour is less outstanding, but still good. Not a bad try from Nils Oscar.

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

Bottle, at Plain Kitchen, Göteborg. Beautiful chestnut colour, low head. Malty aroma with notes of honey and hayloft, some oak too. Flavour is also malty sweet with notes of rye bread, molasses and Danish pastry. Dusty finish.

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

500 ml bottle, under its new name "Adnams The Bitter", bought at Ole Simon, Sandnes. Amber colour, large and lasting creamy off-white head. Moderate toffee aroma, hints of nuts and oak. Flavour is nutty with a distinct hoppy bite in the finish. Not bad.

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

75 cl bottle, at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Dark brown colour. Aroma of dried fruits, leather and oak. Sweet and moderately malty flavour, hints of woodwork.

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

Bottle, at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Amber to copper colour. Vinous aroma. Notes of blackcurrants, redcurrants, oak and bakery in aroma and flavour. Good beer.

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

250 ml bottle (2006), ABV is now 6%. Previous vintages seem to have been up to 7.5% ABV. Now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Deep chestnut hazy colour, huge and creamy tan head. Pleasant aroma of dried fruits, candy sugar and oak, vinous notes. Flavour is slightly less complex, moderately spicy and herbal with some oaky and vinous notes, definitely acceptable but not quite as good as top notch Belgians. Mouthfeel could have been fuller.

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

600 ml bottle, a gift from Tom, thanks! ABV is 5.2%. American-inspired "pre-prohibition" lager, brewed with Cascade hops. Deep golden colour, a slight haziness, moderate but rich head. Cascade, flowers and honey in the aroma. Moderately malty flavour with hints of heather honey and caramel, but not really sweet. Moderate but pleasant hops throughout. Hoppy aftertaste lasts "forever". Not a bad beer this one!

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Clear golden to amber colour, moderate but lingering head. Lovely hoppy aroma with distinct notes of flowers and tropical fruits. Moderately malty flavour with "dusty" / biscuity and citrussy hops. Moderate bitterness, fairly dry. Moderate carbonation, easy drinking.

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

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Very dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Moderate aroma of caramel and toasted brown bread, hints of dark dried fruits. Decent flavour, caramel and toasted brown bread again, a hint of fruit, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced and pleasant to drink.