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

440 ml can, brought home from Cyprus by my wife. Pale golden colour, large head. Sweetish aroma with notes of candy, grass, flowers and honey. The flavour is relatively crisp with a slightly spritzy mouthfeel, somewhat better than expected. Light bodied. Could have been worse.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

500 ml can. ABV is 4.6%. Deep golden colour, large head. Weak sweetish and "unfresh" aroma with notes of boiled vegetables, hints of cinnamon. Moderate carbonation. The flavour is like one of Ringnes’ other uninteresting and sweetish "modern" lagers, with some cinnamon added. Drinkable, but not a beer that will bring much happiness to your Christmas, that’s for sure.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Like all Svaneke / Bornholmer Bryg beers it is unfiltered, but the bottles are now pasteurised. (The beers are still available unpasteurised on tap in the brewpub.) Hazy golden colour, large and lasting off-white head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of floral hops, also notes of malts, hints of honey. The flavour has moderate but nice hops on a decent malty base, hints of nuts and toffee. Soft mouthfeel, very pleasant to drink.

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

On tap in a beach bar at Jurmala, Latvia. Pale golden colour, moderate head. "Neutral" aroma. Clean flavour, with a moderate hoppy bitterness on a pleasant but very moderate malty base, with some nice notes of fruit (pineapple). Easy drinking.

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

500 ml can, bought in Riga. ABV is 5.0%. Very pale golden colour, crystal clear, with a large and lasting white head. Very moderate aroma, slightly sweetish with citrussy notes. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Sweetish flavour, lemony notes, moderate hops. Pretty bad, but I’ve had worse pale lagers.

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

500 ml can, bought in Riga, as "Cesu Premium Alus Limited Edition", but I suspect the "Limited Edition" only refers to the design of the can, not the beer inside! ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, large and lasting white head. Fruity aroma with notes of candy. Fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied, thin. The flavour is fairly sweet with fruity notes, low bitterness. No masterpiece this one.

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

330 ml can, as Fjordfolk Norsk på Norsk Golden Cold IPA, from Vinmonopolet Odda. ABV is 6.0%, IBU 50. Golden colour, only slightly hazy, moderate to small white head. Aroma of citric American hops, also notes of raspberries and tropical fruits. Grapefruity flavour with a decent bitterness throughout, hints of raspberries again.

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Odda. ABV is 6%. Hops are Eldorado, Idaho 7 and Sabro. Deep golden colour, moderate but lasting white head. Aroma of citrus, tropical fruits and yellow stonefruits, also sprucetips. The flavour has the same elements, with a sufficient malt backbone, moderate sweetness, and a decent resinous bitterness in the finish. Good beer.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Clear golden colour, large white head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops. Lagerish mouthfeel. Well hopped flavour with a "clean" bitterness, no "fruit cocktail" here. Nothing "christmassy" about it, but a very drinkable beer.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Clear red colour, large off-white head. Moderate malty aroma. Smooth mouthfeel. Nice malty flavour, not too sweet, moderate but nice herbal hops. Not sensational, but enjoyable.

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

330 ml can, a gift. ABV is 5.5%, IBU 35. Brewed with 100% local malts from Jæren, and Nectaron hops. Pale golden colour, large white head. Aroma of sweetish malts, flowers and honey. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. Malty flavour, moderate floral and herbal hops. Okay.

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

April 2021: 500 ml bottle, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Nearly clear deep golden to amber colour, small and thin white head. Aroma of juniper, hints of black crowberries, stale jam, caramel, wort and stale bread. Fizzy and citric mouthfeel. Medium dry and dull flavour, hints of the same elements as the aroma. The juniper and crowberries should have had the potential to make the beer more interesting, but there is too little of them, and too much of not-so-nice grainy and bready elements. Hops are on the ingredients list, but I cannot say they are noticeable. As a result, the beer is utterly forgettable, and I will not buy it again.

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%, IBU 40. Slightly hazy golden colour, small white head. Low carbonation. Aroma and flavour of orange and tangerine oil, also citric hops. Noticeable hop bitterness.

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

On tap at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal, Stavanger. Very pale and clear straw colour, white head. "Clean" lager aroma and flavour, moderate hops. Slightly thin mouthfeel.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.5%. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of citrus, peaches and tropical fruits. Citric flavour, also notes of tropical fruits. Smooth and easy drinking. Low bitterness. Some pine in the aftertaste.

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

440 ml can, from Coop Mega Madla Handelslag. ABV is 4.7%. Golden brown colour, moderate white head. Aroma of caramel, yeast, juniper twigs and pine. The flavour is not too sweet, but has a hint of caramel. Distinct notes of yeast, juniper twigs and pine. Medium bitter. Not a beer I'll buy again.

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

440 ml can, as Salikatt Lakeside Cold IPA, from Vinmonopolet Madla. ABV is 6.5%. Slightly hazy golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of oranges, lime, peaches and tropical fruits. Lagerish mouthfeel. The flavour has again notes of said fruits, some sweetness but not too much, a distinct hop bitterness in the finish.

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

June 2021: 500 ml bottle, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. The glass fills completely by off-white foam. A deep golden to amber beer appears very slowly. Aroma of grain and dust, some unfresh notes, hints of sweat, only a hint of juniper branches. The flavour is better than the aroma, malty with a slight fruitiness, decent notes of juniper branches, very moderate bittering hops in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, from Helgø Meny Hundvåg. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, moderate to small white head. Interesting aroma of birch shoots. Citric and lagerish mouthfeel. Medium dry flavour with birch shoots and hints of citrus, moderate bitterness.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml bottle, as Bira 91 Lager, from Helgø Meny Stokka. ABV is 4.5%. Clear pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Strong sweetish aroma of pilsener malts, cooked rice and newmown grass. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma made me fear, fairly crisp and refreshing like the label says, but the hop bitterness is too moderate.

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

500 ml can. Deep golden colour, moderate head. A fairly decent standard pale lager with some caramel added, but without the typical Grans offensive side-flavours and metallicness. Not a typical Norwegian juleøl (it is not intended to be), but fairly drinkable, and a good choice for the lager louts who think that a standard juleøl / julebrygg is "too dark" (sic).

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Take an American standard with its corn sweetness, add a little more hops + alcohol and just a touch of spicyness (nutmeg?) - and you have this "Yule/Christmas brew". Not nearly as bad as I expected, this is still far from the quality of a Norwegian "klasse F" Christmas beer. I have no idea why they imported this stuff to Norway - in Denmark at least it's cheap, here it's expensive.

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

250 ml bottle, bought in France. Amber colour, large off-white head. Strong sweetish aroma with notes of whisky (or rather: whisky liqueur). Flavour is very sweet and sugary, the notes of peat-smoked malts are there, but seem somehow displaced in this sugary environment. Besides the sweetness and smoked malts the beer is relatively light-bodied, without much complexity. Won’t be my favourite tipple this one, but it is not undrinkable. A 250 ml bottle is enough, though.

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

Rerate, filtered and pasteurised, can: The size is not printed on the can (ommitting this is illegal in Norway), I suspect the size is 440 ml, not the usual 500 ml. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden colour, decent head. Pleasant aroma of butterscotch and aromatic hops. Moderate carbonation. Flavour has toffee and butterscotch but also tolerable hops in the finish. Not bad. Original rating: Draught, at Cardinal, Stavanger. Unpasteurised, and allegedly unfiltered - but the beer was crystal clear. The pasteurised and filtered bottled version will be available from May 1. 2006. The unpasteurised keg was 1 week old upon sampling. Deep golden colour, like a Danish "Classic". Moderate head. Aroma and flavour of butterscotch (diacetyl), mellow and well rounded. Served by accident with a 100% CO2 carbonation, would normally be served with a 20% nitrogen and 80% oxygen mix. Will rerate if the bottled version is significantly different.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger, as Zywiec Original Beer. ABV is 5.6%. Yellow/golden colour, decent head. Strong sweetish aroma, notes of candy, pilsener malts and a certain fruitiness. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is not as sweet as the aroma makes me fear. There is a noticeable maltiness, with very discrete hops in the finish. OKish, easy drinking. Original rating: Draught in Krakow. I think it was called Zywiec Pils on the (English) drinks list, but I presume this is the same beer. Golden colour, moderate head, moderate carbonation. A fairly decent standard pils in my book.