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

500 ml bottle in cardboard box, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5%. Hops are Opus, Archer and CF185. Clear copper to amber colour, large off-white head. Aroma of malts, caramel, toffee and peach candy. The flavour has the same elements, also notes of caramelised marmalade, and decent bittering hops in the finish. Good beer, but not the very best vintage in this series. The mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, might profit from a year or two in the cellar.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Hazy brown colour, moderate off-white head. Oaky and malty aroma. Oaky, malty and hoppy flavour, good bitterness, slightly spicy.

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

Feb. 2018: 330 ml bottle conditioned Strong Ale, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 8.5%. Amber to brown colour, clear first, hazy when the yeast is poured in. Moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, dark dried fruits and caramelized orange marmalade, also nutty notes. Medium sweet and malty flavour, again notes of dark dried fruits, caramel, nuts and caramelized marmalade. Moderate hops in the finish. Slightly warming mouthfeel.

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

July 2020: 750 ml bottle, crown-capped with swingtop for re-sealing. From Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Reddish brown colour, large to moderate off-white head. Malty and spicy aroma, hints of jam and over-ripe fruits. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, hints of caramel, moderate hops.

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

May 2017: 330 ml can, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 6.4%, IBU 55. Hazy brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of malts, citrus fruits and earthy hops. The flavour is first malty but not too sweet, with hints of rye bread, then citrussy and earthy hops come forward. Medium bitter finish. A fairly decent winter ale.

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

Jan. 2015: 330 ml clear bottle in cardboard box, from Vinmonopolet. BB July 2014. ABV is 8.3%. Cloudy reddish amber colour, pours fizzy with a small short-lived head, slightly off-white. Sweetish aroma with notes of caramel, raisins and dark dried fruits, notes of "oak" (cherrywood, of course). Sweet flavour, too sweet maybe, loads of caramel, maple syrup and dark dried fruits, also cherrywood, minimal hops. Okay, but probably not something I would buy again.

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

May 2013: 500 ml bottle at Lompa Friluft, Oslo. ABV is 5.0%. Beautiful reddish brown, colour, low off-white head. Moderate malty aroma with toast and a hint of chocolate. Soft mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. Lovely flavour, well balanced between the malts (brown bread, toast, lightly roasted notes of chocolate and coffee) and hops (elderflowers, grapefruit, pine). Smooth to drink.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Attractive chestnut colour, moderate off-white head. Decent malty aroma, notes of caramel and brown sugar. The flavour is also malty with caramel, but not overly sweet. The hops (First Gold) are very moderate. Still a quite drinkable Christmas ale.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo, ABV 6.1%. Bronze colour. Well hopped aroma and flavour. This is a nice strong ale in a "typically English" style, well balanced between the malts and hops: Very good. This is a kind of beer I always appreciate - even in the course of a long tasting with lots of beers.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.8%. Deep golden to amber colour, slightly hazy. Big off-white head. Light and sweetish pleasant aroma, fruity, spicy and floral, with notes of orange peel, coriander and cardamom, hints of honey. Moderately sweetish flavour with distinct spicy notes, hints of orange peel and honey, and a distinct and dry hoppy bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 5.3%. Copper to amber colour, big to moderate off-white head. Malty and nutty aroma, also notes of toffee and caramel. The flavour has a moderate malty sweetness and nutty and biscuity notes, hints of raisins and caramel. "Dusty" hops in the finish, bitter aftertaste. Quite good.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned, as Fuller’s Past Masters XX Strong Ale. This is the first beer in their Pasters Masters Heritage series. ABV is 7.5%. Clear amber colour, big to moderate head, slightly off-white. Moderate but nice aroma, notes of dark fruits and berries, also toffee. Fairly rich and slightly warming mouthfeel. The alcohol is not well hidden, but that doesn’t bother me much. Feels even stronger than it actually is, though. Rather sweet flavour, malts + dark fruits and berries again, distinct English hops in the finish and aftertaste. Well worth sampling.

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

500 ml clear bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 7.0%. Beautiful clear amber colour, big head, slightly off-white. Aroma of light-struck hops and toffee, with hints of Christmas spices. The flavour is initially fruity and spicy with noticeable alcohol, but is not as sweet as expected, and ends in a rather sharp and peppery hoppy bitterness. Dry and "dusty" bitter aftertaste, nearly metallic. Not as "rich and smooth" as promised on the label, and not very well balanced. Must be better cask conditioned?

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

330 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Golden colour, moderate white head. The aroma is first Heineken-like and grassy ("thanks" to the clear bottle), then some sweetish vanilla notes come through. The flavour is fairly sweet with citrussy notes, also strong notes of vanilla, moderate notes of wood. Very moderate hops in the aftertaste.

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

Bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Interesting fruity and hoppy aroma, hints of marmalade and oak, some vinous notes too. Hoppy flavour, good bitterness, moderate malty sweetness, hints of oak.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Copper coloured beer, big beige head. Moderate aroma, hints of Christmas spices and caramel, maybe also a touch of lemon peel. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, notes of caramel and Christmas spices again, some fruit, moderate hops and peppery notes in the finish. There is also a faint touch of liquorice root, but I’d hardly be able to identify it if I did not know that it was supposed to be there. Not a bad beer.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Brown colour, decent head. The aroma is caramel, caramel and some butterscotch - and caramel again. The flavour is caramel first, and caramel in the finish - and, if you you are in doubt: also caramel (and butterscotch) in the middle. For good measure, you get caramel in the aftertaste too. If this leads you to think that the beer is cloyingly sweet, it is not - it just has this caramel flavour throughout. Lucky me - I happen to like caramel ...

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, ABV 8.3%, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger: Copper colour, big to moderate cream-coloured head. Malty aroma with strong notes of raisins and other dark fruits, brown candi sugar and treacle. Warming mouthfeel. Flavour of dark dried fruits, brown sugar, malts and alcohol. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish. Original rating: On tap at Cardinal’s Juleølsymposium. Matured with raisins. Dark brown colour, moderate head. Aroma of brown malts, brown sugar and raisins. The flavour has the same elements, but is not too sweet. Moderate hops, very drinkable.

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

550 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. 2009 brew, BB June 2012. ABV is 9%. Copper to chestnut coloured beer, large off-white head. Strong sweetish malty and vinous aroma, notes of raisins, caramel and oak. The flavour is also malty, oaky and vinous, with notes of old sherry, treacle and raisins, tolerable hops in the finish. Harmonious, elegant and very enjoyable.

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

600 ml bottle, as Aarhus Bøgeøl, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 6.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, large white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity hops, berry notes, hints of toffee. The flavour is medium sweet and malty, but also with distinct notes of fruity hops, again with a touch of berries and toffee. "Dusty" aftertaste. Quite nice beer.

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

500 ml bottle, from NETTO, Denmark. ABV is 6%. Organic. Mahogany coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Nice aroma of malts, caramel and brown bread, some burnt notes in the background. The flavour has also notes of malts and caramel, but is not very sweet. Burnt notes and dusty hops in the finish. Not exceptional, but still one of the better beers I’ve had from Rise.

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

500 ml bottle, from SuperBest Hjørring. ABV is 5.6%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate but nice aroma of fruity hops, hints of orange marmalade, also notes of caramel and toffee. The flavour is medium sweet, notes of caramel and bitter orange marmalade again, plenty of fruity and piney hops, ending in a solid bitterness which is surprisingly sharp and distinct for a Welsh ale.

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

Cask (handpump) at the Darlington Spring Thing Beer Festival. ABV is 7.2%. Amber colour, moderate head. Fairly nice aroma, some fruit and malts. The flavour has also fruit and malts, but is not too sweet. Decent hops in the finish.

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

Cask (handpump), as Heart of Wales Inn Stable, at the Darlington Spring Thing beer festival 2011. ABV was 6.8%, according to the festival programme. Cloudy orange colour, low head. Aroma of unfermented wort, fruity and grassy (or rather: hay-like) hops. Poor condition, the flavour seems "unfinished" and "raw". Some caramel, hops and fusel alcohols, quite dry. Not much to brag about.