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

500 ml bottle, from Seven Cellars. ABV is 5.2%. The crowncap had leaked a little during shipping, but most of the content and carbonation was intact. Crystal clear and very pale yellow colour, large white head. Nice sweetish aroma of malts and floral hops. Floral and herbal hops in the flavour, on a background of medium sweet malts. Low bitterness.

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

330 ml can, as Whitewater Helles Lager, from KWM Wines & Spirits. ABV is 4.2%. Pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. "Dusty" and grainy aroma, a hint of old jam. Citric mouthfeel, but not too fizzy. The flavour is malty and slightly citric, low bitterness, fairly refreshing.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.1%. Clear and pale golden colour, moderate white head. Nice aroma of light malts and floral, grassy and herbal hops. Moderate carbonation, slightly citric mouthfeel. Refreshing flavour with the same elements as the aroma, moderate to low bitterness.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, brewed at Staropramen. From Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.7%. Clear golden colour, large to moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, a hint of broth in the background. The flavour is more malty than hoppy, but not too sweet. Drinkable, but not very interesting.

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

May 2017: Shared 500 ml can at local tasting. ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, white head. Sweetish floral aroma. Fairly bland and grainy flavour, slightly sweet. Nothing to write home about.

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

330 ml bottle, shared by my son. ABV is 5.2%. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Strong aroma of light malts and floral hops. Distinct herbal and floral hops in the flavour too, sufficient malts, good bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, from Hos Walter, Ebeltoft. ABV is 5.8%. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts and herbal German hops. Soft mouthfeel. Good malty flavour, with distinct bittering hops in the finish. Refreshing.

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

500 ml bottle, as Weltenburger Kloster Hell, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 4.9%. Clear and pale golden colour, moderate white head. Aroma of floral hops, some grain in the background. The flavour is slightly citric with moderate floral and herbal hops.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.1%. "Naturtrüb und ungefiltert". Like all Pinkus beers, it is organic. Pale golden colour, big and lasting white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Fairly unremarkable but not unpleasant sweetish aroma, hints of flowery hops and honey. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is delicate and tender, with a neat balance between the malts and hops. No "flavour bomb", but still much better than most of the industrial "fizzy and yellow" stuff.

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

500 ml bottle, at a pub in the Nordstan shopping centre, Göteborg, as "Spaten München - Original Munich beer". ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, moderate head. Pleasant aroma of flowery hops. The flavour is fairly bland and boring, but there are no unpleasant off-flavours.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Unpasteurised. ABV is 5.1%. Golden colour, big white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Fairly strong sweetish aroma, notes of grass and maize. The flavour is sweet but also well hopped, somewhat alcoholic, appears to be stronger than its fairly moderate ABV. Better than Swedish industrial lagers in the same class (doesn’t take much, really), but this is not a beer I’ll buy again. Jämtlands have better beers than this one.

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

500 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. A new beer from Ringnes - I thought this was supposed to be a Münchener dunkel, but it is more of a Münchener helles. Deep golden colour, decent head. Very moderate aroma, some fruity hops and boiled vegetables. Flavour has some dusty hops and a hint of caramel - and is otherwise utterly boring.

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

On tap in Latvia. (I think I brought home a bottle too.) Golden colour. Moderate malty aroma. Relatively malty flavour, moderately sweet, moderate hops. Pretty average beer.

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

500 ml bottle, a gift from Germany. ABV is 5.5%. Clear golden colour with a large and lasting head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops. The flavour is quite well balanced between the malts and hops. Hoppy finish. Relatively soft and pleasant mouthfeel for a 5.5% golden lager. Definitely drinkable.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Soft and pleasant mouthfeel. Moderately malty aroma and flavour with some butterscotch. A drinkable helles, but no masterpiece.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.6%. Contract brewed for Weltenburger Kloster by Brauerei Bischofshof in Regensburg. Crystal clear and very pale golden colour, huge and lasting white head. Moderate sweetish aroma of flowers and honey. Smooth and soft flavour of pilsener malts, moderate fruity and honey sweetness, very moderate hops. Drinkable of course, but not very exciting.

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

August 2017: 330 ml bottle at The Wild Boar, Aberdeen. ABV is 4.6%. Hops are Perle and Hallertauer Tradition. Extremely pale straw colour, white head. Strong aroma of newmown grass. The flavour is slightly sweet with some bittering hops. Not great.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

330 ml can, from the ghost brewers. ABV is 6.2%. Moderately hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of yeast and pilsener malts, some floral notes. Citric mouthfeel. The flavour is malty and yeasty, some herbal hops in the finish.

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

500 ml swingtop bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Crystal clear golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate floral and herbal aroma, some grain and malts in the background. Fairly crisp flavour, floral and herbal notes again, a slight malty residual sweetness, moderate to low bitterness. A decent summer refreshment.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5%. Very pale golden colour, only the slightest haziness. Moderate to small white head. Moderate aroma of malts, flowers and honey. Crisp and refreshing flavour, slightly on the dry side (still with some residual sweetness), moderate but nice herbal hops.

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

500 ml bottle, as Arcobräu Mooser Liesl Helles, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.3%. Clear and pale golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of pilsener malts and grassy and floral hops, hints of honey. Smooth flavour, some sweetness, floral hops, low bitterness, a little citrus and honey.

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

Nov. 2014: 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of fresh German aromatic hops, notes of flowers, newmown grass and herbs, sweetish hints of honey. The flavour has a moderate sweetness, and subtle German hops throughout. With slightly less alcohol (4.8 / 4.9% in a normal helles), this would be a nice beer for the summer months - there is not really anything very wintery about it, except for the snowy label and slightly higher ABV.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 5.9%. Pale golden colour, large and lingering white head. Fruity and grassy aroma, some malty sweetness too. Soft mouthfeel, moderate carbonation, moderate but decent hops well balanced with the pale malts. I am rarely "swept away" by a helles (nor by any other type of pale lagers, for that matter), not by this one either - but the Andechser Spezial is a well made and very drinkable helles, as far as helles go. Kloster Andechs is probably one of Germany’s best breweries overall.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Pale golden colour, decent head. Moderate carbonation. Moderate aroma of aromatic hops, some fruity and grassy notes. Flavour is reasonably hoppy but the malty base is very moderate. Fairly dry mouthfeel, bitter finish. OKish helles.

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

Rerate, June 2019: 500 ml swingtop bottle, from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, large white head. Aroma of malts, honey, flowers and grass. Moderately sweet but still refreshing flavour, notes of malts and honey, hints of caramel, moderate hops. Original rating 2005: 500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate carbonation, good mouthfeel. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with strong notes of butterscotch and honey. Flavour has also butterscotch notes, but also a decent hoppy bitterness well balanced with the malts. Very drinkable.