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

Draught in Prague, called Krusovice Vycepni Tmavé on the menu, but must be the same beer. Black (= very dark brown) colour, large head. Lovely malty aroma with strong elements of leather and cigarbox. Pleasant flavour of roasted malts, some caramel but not too sweet, very well balanced with the hops. For the style freaks: This is a Schwarzbier IMO, not a dunkel - but who cares, as long as the beer tastes good? I’d think the ABV was stronger than it actually is - another evidence that flavour and strength are not necessarily the same thing. Great with food or on its own. A truly enjoyable beer. Rerate bottle: I just realised I had written separate notes of the BOTTLED beer named Krusovice Cerne - I could SWEAR it was a different beer from the draught Vycepni Tmave. Notes bottle: Deep reddish brown colour. Large tan head, moderate carbonation. Moderate malty aroma. Typical dunkel flavour with low bitterness. Relatively light bodied, refreshing. Overall 13/20.

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

Draught at U Fleku. Served too cold. Very dark brown, nearly black colour - impenetrable for light. Moderate creamy tan head. Lovely aroma of leather and oak, dark chocolate and liquorice. Flavour is malty and moderately roasty, notes of dark chocolate and coffee. Never mind the inflated prices (by Czech standards), this beer is a must (at least once). And the liqueur we were forced to buy (which I drank AFTER the beer) actually tasted not-too-bad.

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

On tap at Pannrummet. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate head. Pleasant aroma of toffee, caramel, biscuits and moderate hops. Moderate brown bread, biscuits and caramel in the flavour. Okay dunkel, but not very exciting.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting, as Krajan Irlandzkie Mocne. ABV is 6.5%, malt content is 14%. Malty sweet aroma and flavour, bready and pastry notes. Okay, but too sweet and one-dimensional to make me excited.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Reddish brown beer with a good head. Weak aroma. This is supposed to be some kind of Munich Dunkel, but isn't nearly as good as the best Dunkels ("Bayer" in Norway). Pils + colour is not enough to make a good Dunkel, a decent amount of malts is needed too! Thin and watery mouthfeel like most CB beers. Still, there's more flavour in this one than in CB's bland pilseners. Not as sweet as I expected, at least you can taste the hops. Drinkable, but not much more.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

(330 ml bottle). Deep reddish brown colour, good head. Aroma is initially liquid dishwashing soap, later the malts come through. Flavour is very malty and a bit too sweet, calls for a higher ABV. Borg (Sarpsborg) make the Christmas beers of two closed Østfold county breweries, Moss and Fredrikstad, besides their own product. At least they have the decency to use different recipes, and not just change labels.

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

Medium brown colour, moderate head, typical Munich dunkel malty and slightly spicy aroma, well balanced malty flavour, very close to the ordinary Frydenlund Bayer. Pleasant aftertaste. Very good for a "klasse D" (moderate ABV) beer. (Frydenlund was Ringnes' Oslo competitor, which they bought and closed about 15 years ago. At least they kept the recipes and the yeast - this is one of the beers that Ringnes now brew under the Frydenlund label.)

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

The last few years Ringnes have, in addition to their normal 'klasse F' Christmas beers, brewed a 'Juleklassiker' (Christmas classic) which changes every year, and allegedly is based on old recipes from the various breweries that have been engulfed (and in many cases closed) by the Ringnes group. Last year it was Aktiebryggeriet i Oslo, this year it's Ringnes' own recipe. As a gimmick every bottle is numbered, I had number 37089! This beer is not 'golden' like the label says, it is reddish brown (the label mentions that Ringnes brewed its first pilsener in 1877 - irrelevant information, as this is definitely not a pils!) - its flavour is very close to the weaker Frydenlund Bayerøl (Munich dunkel) though some may prefer to call it a Vienna (who the hell cares - the term 'Vienna' is unknown in Norway, even if our numerous Christmas beers belong to the borderland between dunkels and Viennas). Anyway this is a good beer, but it could use some heavier malts for its strength (6,5%). Not as spicy as the normal 'klasse F' Christmas beers. Good with food though.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A new "klasse D" Christmas brew from Aass, much better than the "Julebrygg" they introduced last year. Beautiful deep copper colour, very good and thick head. Aroma of malts, oak and spices. Malty flavour, a bit thin as expected from a "klasse D" beer - still one of the best Norwegian beers of this ABV class. Sweet, but not too much. Decent.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought at the brewpub. Colour of this unfiltered and unpasteurised beer is hazy reddish brown. Pours with an enormous light tan head, which soon diminishes. Aroma is very malty (typical dunkel) with caramel and hints of oak and yeast. Quite flavourful for a beer this low ABV, plenty of malts and toffee, but low on hops. Smooth and easy drinking. The bottles were overpriced by Czech standards, but a Norwegian won’t mind!

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Typical dunkel reddish brown colour, large lasting off-white/beige head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel and leather, maybe some dark fruits too. Low carbonation, a bit thin mouthfeel, malty sweet with notes of molasses, minimal bitterness. Nice enough to drink, but I’d really like some more hops to balance the sweetness. Must be another beer for the target group "convalescents and nursing mothers".

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

(330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark.) Forget that they call this a porter - this is a dunkel, and as such middle of the road, if I’m being kind. Copper colour, moderate head, weak malty aroma, flavour is smooth and easily drinkable, malty sweet with next to none bitterness. There are better German (and Norwegian!) dunkels around - no need to export this from Russia.

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

Draught at the Randers Regnskov café. Served ice cold, like Danish draught lagers normally are. And most Danish beer places have no "rain forest" air temperature, even in summer! This makes a fair rating difficult, as the icy temperature of the liquid will mask most qualities or flaws the beer might have. Well, this one was drinkable like other Danish "Classic" beers, but nothing really stood out. Some caramel malts, nice deep amber to brown colour. Average at the best.

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

(500 ml bottle). Reddish brown colour, hazy (unfiltered). Very good thick head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel. Flavour is malty and slightly spicy, not too sweet. Well balanced with a nice hoppy bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is a bit watery, but tolerable. Not bad this one.

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

Pleasant but not very strong aroma, malty flavour characterized by caramel and spices. More hoppy bitterness than other Norwegian bayers. An excellent accompaniment with beef and game dishes, also as an ingredient in the very same dishes!

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, as Primátor Premium Dark. ABV is 4.8%. Will be imported to Norway. Mahogany coloured beer, big beige head. Nice aroma of brown bread and caramel. Malty flavour with notes of brown bread and caramel again, slightly roasty, low bitterness. Original rating: (500 ml bottle, bought in Sweden). I somehow managed to delete my original comments here, damn! But this is still a nice dunkel, deep reddish brown colour, decent head. Flavour is malty and bready with a moderate but nice roastiness, notes of caramel, moderately sweet. I would like some more hops in the finish, but that’s the Czech dunkel style, I guess.

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

(500 ml bottle). Moderate head, dark reddish brown colour. A very flavourful dunkel despite the low ABV - malty, rounded caramelly sweetness, low bitterness. Not bad - would like to try it on tap. Rerate draught in Prague, compared to Krusovice Cerne: Sweeter than KC, smaller head, more carbonation, less hops, less roastiness, lighter body.

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Sweden). Reddish brown colour, decent head. A drinkable dunkel, not outstanding but decent for a Swedish commercial brewer. Good with food.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

(500 ml bottle, in Helsinki). Dark brown colour, good head, moderate but decent aroma - and then: Bland, boring flavour when you expect the richness of a good dunkel. Short aftertaste. Disappointing. All Norwegian dunkels are better than this Finnish stuff.

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

330 ml bottle, in France. Deep brown colour, decent tan head. Flavour is malty with some caramel, fairly sweet. Smooth and nice to drink. Hardly any bitterness at all.

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: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

500 ml swingtop bottle, under its alias "Das Echte Altbayreuther Braunbier", bought at KaDeWe, Berlin. Reddish brown colour, large and lasting off-white head. Rye bread / bakery aroma, notes of lightly roasted malts and caramel too. Mouthfeel is surprisingly watery, flavour is rather bland and bready, lightly roasted malts with minimal hops. Slightly sourish finish. By all means a drinkable beer, but I expected more flavour than this.

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: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml can, called "Premium Dunkel", but must be the same beer. ABV is the same. Adding "premium" to the name of most of their beers will not hide the fact that Harboe is one of the least interesting discount breweries in Northern Europe. Brown colour, very thin for a dunkel. Decent head. Moderate malty aroma. Flavour has a very moderate maltiness, very thin and slightly metallic mouthfeel. Another poor brew from Harboe.