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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. "Best before" date: The Day of Judgement! ABV is 10.5%. Deep copper to brown colour, big beige head. Strong sweetish aroma, notes of raisins and dark dried fruits, oak, fortified wine, caramel and brown sugar. The flavour is very sweet and vinous, with basically the same elements as in the aroma. Moderate hops in the finish. Good, but sweet enough to make one small glass enough for one sitting. The 500 ml bottle is for sharing!

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

500 ml bottle, UK style barleywine, vintage 2008, kindly shared by my beerpal Christian. ABV is 10.6%. Beautiful ruby colour, big off-white to beige head. Strong vinous and oaky aroma, notes of dark dried fruits and caramel. Sweet flavour but not extreme, notes of dark dried fruits and oak again, hoppy bitterness in the finish. A good beer from the (now sadly defunct) Danish HaandBryggeriet.

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

500 ml bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Christian. ABV is 11%. Brew #20, "brewed 2006, bottled 2007, drinkable from 2008, good at least until 2012"". Very dark ruby colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Lovely aroma of dark dried fruits (incl. raisins), oak, dark malts, vinous notes. The flavour has much the same elements as the aroma, with tolerable hops in the finish.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by my beerpal Christian. ABV is 10.5%, IBU 90+. Hazy dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Intense aroma of bourbon barrel (vanilla and oak). Very oaky flavour, the alcohol is noticeable. Bitter finish and aftertaste.

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

650 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Copper coloured beer, big to moderate off-white head. Lovely aroma of fruity and piney American hops, some sweetish malty notes too, but not too much. Rich flavour of copious amounts of American hops and sweet malts, nicely balanced. Some vinous notes, also resin, caramel, oak and dark dried fruits. Definitely one of the better barleywines I’ve had.

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

330 ml bottle, vintage 2022, batch #690, from Vinmonopolet Odda. ABV is 11.5%. Slightly hazy deep brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of malts, wood and bourbon, hints of fusel. Medium sweet flavour, not cloying. Notes of malts, caramel, oak and bourbon, hints of dark dried fruits. Low bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, as Kinn Arktis Ekspedisjonsøl, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 12.0%. Deep reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Aroma of malts (some of it lightly roasted), caramel and dark dried fruits. Sweet flavour with the same elements, hints of oak, moderate hops.

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

December 2022: 500 ml bottle, batch #81, from Vinmonopolet Egersund. Gluten free. ABV is 9%. Very dark brown to black colour, hardly any head. Aroma of caramel, molasses, brown kandij sugar syrup, brittle and malts. Very moderate carbonation. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, only a hint of whisky, but also an unexpected sharpish bitterness. Won't buy again.

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

330 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 15.6%. Deep reddish brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Aroma of malts and dark dried fruits, some vinous hints. Flavour with the same elements, also distinct bittering hops. The alcohol is not as dominant as I feared.

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

August 2014: Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting. ABV is 9.6%. Dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Intense aroma of oak, molasses and alcohol. Distinctly oaky flavour too, but not as heavy and sweet as I feared. Warming mouth- and throatfeel. Not bad.

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

375 ml bottle, kindly shared by my beer pal Olav, who bought it at Nørrebro Bryghus. Dark brown colour, moderate tan head. The aroma has moderate notes of oak and bourbon, also hints of acidic fruits. The flavour is malty sweet with a noticeable fruity acidity, on a background of oak and bourbon.

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

375 ml bottle, kindly shared by my beer pal Olav, who bought it at Nørrebro Bryghus. Dark reddish brown colour, low head. Distinct aroma of oak and brandy, notes of raisins. The flavour is distinctly oaky, notes of brandy and rum-raisin. Good stuff!

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

Bottle, ABV 11%, at RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Orange to amber coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Aroma of oak, fortified wine, American caramel malts and American hops. The flavour has strong notes of bitter American hops throughout, also oak and alcohol.

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

Bottle, as Schlafly Reserve (Ale aged on oak) Barleywine Style Ale 2008, ABV 10.2%, at RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Orange to amber colour, low head. Aroma of alcohol and oak, some American hops and caramel too. The flavour is very oaky and alcoholic, notes of vanilla and coconut.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Batch #435, ABV 10%. Deep brown colour, slightly hazy, big beige head. Pleasant aroma of brown malts, notes of rum-raisin and fortified wine, hints of spices and oak. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and alcohol, notes of dark dried fruits and oak, hints of spices (esp. anise) and liquorice. There is a firm hoppy bitterness in the finish. Powerful beer, a bit "raw in the edges", will probably benefit from a year or two (perhaps more) in the cellar.

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

330 ml green bottle, ABV 9%, from Vinmonopolet. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Huge to big tan head. Nice aroma, notes of dark malts, hints of dark syrup and burnt caramel. Rich mouthfeel. The flavour is very malty and moderately roasty, notes of burnt caramel again. Sweet, but not over the top. The alcohol is not disturbing. Moderate hops in the finish, I wouldn’t mind if there had been more of them.

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

Sample from bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Beautiful chestnut colour. No carbonation, and accordingly no head. INTENSE aroma of port wine, dark dried fruits and fusel alcohols. The latter unfortunately detracts from the aroma score. Intense, concentrated and sweet flavour of old madeira, raisins / rum-raisin and oak.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Nearly black colour (very dark reddish brown). Intense and lovely aroma of various subtropical woods, winey notes. The mouthfeel has lots of alcoholic warmth as expected. The flavour has notes of oak and fortified wine. Very good.

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

330 ml bottle, ABV is 9%. A strong top fermented Yule/Christmas beer from Aass, nice. Very dark brown colour, creamy and lasting tan head. Pleasant aroma of dark malts, caramel, brown sugar and oak, hints of Christmas spices. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour is malty sweet with loads of caramel, also notes of chocolate, to some degree balanced by acceptable hops. A decent barleywine, will go better with fruitcake and nuts than the traditional Norwegian Yule/Christmas dinner.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, 2007 vintage, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.7%. Dark reddish brown colour, slightly hazy, big beige head. Strong aroma of sweet sherry, oak, malts and caramel. The flavour is very sweet and malty, again with strong notes of sweet sherry and caramel, ending in a hoppy bitterness. Powerful stuff, a beer to sip slowly. Should not be drunk too cold.

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

660 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 10.5%. Deep copper colour, large tan head. Interesting aroma, sweet and malty, but also notes of various berries, esp. blackberries, and molasses, caramel and bakery. Intense flavour, very malty and sweet with loads of caramel, partly balanced by a distinct hoppy bite. Spices and alcohol are present too (alcohol maybe more than I appreciate). Quite good, but not easy drinking - the bottle is for sharing!

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

275 ml nip bottle, at London Pub, Aalborg. ABV was 8.1%. Dark ruby colour, minimal beige head. Low carbonation. Intense aroma of malts, molasses, caramel and oak. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness, molasses, fruity, vinous and oaky notes (port wine, sherry), low bitterness.

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

750 ml corked, wired and waxed bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 28 out of a batch of 429 bottles. Brewed 7. Oct. 2009. ABV is 15.2%. OG 1150, FG 1041. Nugget and Saaz hops, 53.9 EBU. Pours reddish brown without any visible carbonation and no head. Intense and attractive aroma with vinous and oaky notes, also notes of dark dried fruits, curacao liqueur and tangerine. The flavour has an overwhelming sugary and malty sweetness, with some fruity and vinous notes. The absence of carbonation makes the mouthfeel oily and cloying, and the alcohol is noticeable. The relatively high EBU kind of disappears behind all the sweetness. Declared fit for 25 years of cool and dark cellaring - sounds like a really good idea, if you are of the patient kind, and have faith in your own life expectancy.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 7.2%. Mahogany coloured beer, big beige head. Vinous aroma, notes of raisins and other dark dried fruits, also hints of caramel. The flavour is fairly malty and moderately sweet (but not as sweet as I expected), with hints of dark dried fruits and caramel again, while the finish is biscuity dry with noticeable hops. Fairly bitter aftertaste.