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

Bottle at local tasting, kindly shared by gunnar. Dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops. Hoppy flavour, fruity and resinous notes. Some alcohol in the finish. Has not much in common with a German dunkel, nor dunkelweizen / weizenbock, but this is a good beer all the same.

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

500 ml bottle, from Super Cor, La Manga (Spain). ABV is 5.1%. Hazy dark brown colour, large off-white head. Strong aroma of banana and cloves, hints of brown bread in the background. The refreshing flavour has notes of brown bread, banana and cloves, some citrus in the finish. A pleasant surprise to find this in the Spanish lager desert!

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

500 ml bottle, from Dagli’brugsen Skødstrup. ABV is 6.5%. Some sediment in the bottle. Black colour, large brown head. The aroma has notes of coffee, bonfires and smoked meat. Smooth mouthfeel. The flavour has notes of mild coffee and smoked meat, a touch of fruit and chocolate in the finish. Hints of liquorice in the aftertaste, but only after a while. Decent stuff, but maybe a bit too much smoked malts for an otherwise smooth and tender stout.

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

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy brown colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of ripe bananas, cloves and brown bread. The flavour has also notes of brown bread, hints of banana and cloves, but is far drier than the aroma makes you expect. Minimal bitterness. Refreshing and easy drinking - could easily be recommended even for pale lager drinkers who think that everything darker than piss yellow must be dangerous.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Egersund. ABV is 15.5%. Black colour, no head, minimal carbonation. Aroma of roast malts, molasses, bourbon and oak. Flavour of the same elements, also dark dried fruits. Warming mouthfeel. A bit more carbonation would help a lot.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Bottle, RBESG 2005, Grand Tasting. Strong aroma of Christmas spices, sweet malts and vegemite. Very SWEET flavour, molasses galore. Far too sweet in my book.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

Some initially pleasant oak and malts flavours are soon overwhelmed by a revolting alcoholic syrupy sweetness, making it almost impossible to finish a bottle. The eisbock style is not something I'll sample again - unless it's for free.

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

(330 ml bottle). ABV of my bottle was 9,2%. Nearly black (= dark ruby when held to the light), good to moderate creamy tan head. Started drinking it too cold, surprisingly weak initial aroma, improves as the beer warms up - malty, but not very complex. Flavour is malty sweet with burnt notes - not nearly as cloying as EKU 28 (thank God!) but also less complex. Alcohol is well hidden. OKish mellow aftertaste. Good beer, but it doesn't exactly take my breath away.

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

11.2 fl. oz. bottle, bought in Denmark. Bottle number 054113. Pours murky brown with sediment / floaties, enormous head that soon subsides. Delightful intense aroma of yeast, over-ripe bananas, brown sugar, caramel, treacle, oak, alcohol and spices. Flavour is very powerful, malty and sweet with plenty of brown sugar, oak and spices, and a tremendous alcoholic punch. I guess I’d prefer the ordinary Aventinus on a regular basis, but the Weizen-Eisbock is definitely a treat for the dark winter nights, or whenever you want to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Simply called "Elgood’s Winter Warmer" at the festival, and the ABV was listed as 7.2%, not 7.5%, but I take it that this must be the same beer? No other winter warmer is mentioned at the brewery website. The brewery had kept a cask of this winter seasonal for the festival in May. Brown to mahogany colour, minimal carbonation, no head. Caramel, leather and dark fruits in the aroma. Warming mouthfeel, sweet but not cloying. Spices, dark fruits and treacle in the flavour. Hoppy finish. Not bad.

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

Bottle, vintage 1990, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Intensely vinous oak and sherry aroma. Flavour is also intensely oaky and old sherry-like, incredible alcoholic punch, very sweet. Mature flavour, but no sign of it being oxidised. Will probably be good for another 15 years (at least).

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

Draught at the brewpub, RBESG. Fresh and aged versions. I liked the fresh one better, so my ratings are for that one. Comments aged version: Cloudy brown colour, decent head. Yeasty and strong wort aroma, smells kind of "unfinished / immature". (5/10) Flavour is worty sweet, again "unfinished / immature". (5/10) Not my favourite this one. Overall 11/20. Comments fresh version: Cloudy brown colour. Aroma is malty and "fresher" than the aged one, fruity elements. Some oaky notes too. Flavour is malty / worty sweet - too sweet. Still better than the aged one.

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

Vintage 2004, 250 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Bottle No. P 08270. I know I should have cellared this beer for 25 years, but I just couldn’t wait. 25 years from now - I might have been dead a long time by then. Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. No head, minimal carbonation. Intense sweet aroma of raisins, also notes of molasses, oak and leather. VERY sweet flavour, oak, molasses and raisins again, alcoholic and "raw" in the edges, notes of pipe tobacco. Not nearly as good as the 1990 vintage I sampled at the RBESG 2005, which proves that this beer really NEEDS to be cellared for at least a decade. Its "old sherry or port"-like qualities are not there yet. The brewers are not just teasing you when they recommend cellaring - they actually mean it. But even at this "raw" and unfinished stage it is clear that this beer has capabilities. Be prepared for a substantial sweetness even after many years of cellaring, though.

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

RBESG 2006, bottle. Dark amber coloured. Lovely sweet and vinous aroma, notes of sherry and oak. Sweet, oaky and vinous flavour. A very fine beer from Nils Oscar.

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

Vintage 2003. 275 ml bottle at the White Horse at Parsons Green, London. Unusual, overwhelming and lovely aroma of port wine, raisins and dried figs, hints of barnyard. Very sweet, like drinking a sweet sherry with carbonation. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from an 11.5% beer. It’s definitely not a beer I’d drink every day, but it sure was an interesting experience. The sweetness makes this an alternative to sherry or port, rather than another beer. 275 ml is definitely enough for one sitting. I understand that some people find it cloying, but with a beer this rich in aroma and flavour, I accept the sweetness.

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

330 ml bottle, batch # 096(?, print unclear), Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.5%. Chestnut colour, large cream-coloured head. Medium strong aroma of peat-smoked malts, not much else comes through. The flavour is medium sweet with notes of peat smoke and ashes, moderate hops in the finish. A bit one-dimensional. Why the heck must a delicate hop like Nelson Sauvin fight an impossible battle with Laphroaig peat-smoked malts?

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

Shared bottle. Very dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Nice malty and oaky aroma. The flavour is malty and distinctly oaky, Not too sweet. Decent hops in the finish. Pleasant to drink.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. Reddish colour. Aroma and flavour of red berries, hints of oak. A decent beer - not your "typical" barleywine, but that is probably still the closest style.

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

180 ml red-waxed capped green bottle, as De Molen Mooi & Machtig Cognac B.A., courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 027 out of a batch of 624 bottles. ABV is 17.4%. OG 1150, FG 1030. Brewed 9. Oct. 2009, bottled 20. Sept. 2010. Bittering hop Premiant, final hop Czech Saaz, 51.3 EBU. Cloudy brown colour, low off-white head. Strong aroma of malt sugar, molasses, alcohol and cognac oak barrel. Very moderate carbonation in the glass. Very sweet flavour, with malts, molasses, alcohol, fortified wine and oak galore. The bitterness seems very moderate. A bit too far out on the sweet side for my taste, but definitely worth sampling.

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

375 ml bottle, at local tasting. ABV is 11.2%. Dark brown colour, moderate off-white head. Very malty aroma and flavour, with oaky and vinous notes. Quite good

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV 19%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Just a little tan foam on top, not what you would call a "head". Malty and roasty aroma, hints of salty liquorice, old rope and oak. The flavour is intensely malty and roasty, with loads of sweetness and salty liquorice. The alcohol is clearly present. Interesting beer, but a bit too far out on the weird side. 15% ABV (2010 version) was strong enough ... Original rating: Sample at Ølfestivalen Nærbø. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Strong and intensely malty aroma and flavour, moderate roasty notes. Also notes of fortified wine. Decent hoppy bitterness too. Warming mouthfeel, of course - but the beer feels surprisingly balanced, and not extremely alcoholic for its 19% ABV. Will rerate as soon as I get a whole bottle.

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

Bottle, vintage 2010, at local tasting, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV 10.1%. Bottle No. 543 out of 804. I drank it a bit too warm. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Strong malty and vinous aroma, oaky notes. Sweet flavour, malty and oaky. Decent hops in the finish.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Deep brown colour, big off-white head. Pleasant malty aroma with notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon whiskey, vanilla and oak. The flavour is malty and medium sweet, balanced by decent hops. Again notes of dark dried fruits, bourbon and oak. Good bitterness in the aftertaste. Another excellent beer from Lervig’s head brewer Mike Murphy.

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

250 ml bottle conditioned, 2010 Vintage, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 12.9%. Cloudy brown colour, minimal beige head, minimal carbonation. Intense and extremely malty and sweetish aroma, notes of oak, and molasses, hints of dark dried fruits. Warming mouthfeel. Intense flavour, strong notes of molasses, oak and extremely thick malt extract, also notes of cough syrup, liquorice and cigar tobacco. Some hoppy biterness in the finish. This a beer that probably requires 5 - 10 years’ cellaring to (hopefully) obtain a rounded and harmonious character. As "raw" as it is now, it is just too extreme.