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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Pitch black colour, low tan head. Very nice roasty and hoppy aroma, some sweetish bakery notes in the background. Nice roasty flavour, not overdone, notes of good coffee, hints of dark chocolate. A very good stout in my book.

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

355 ml bottle in cardboard box, vintage 2017, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 8.5%. Black colour, large tan head. Aroma of roast malts, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Smooth flavour with the same elements, not too sweet, moderate hops. A very enjoyable beer.

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

330 ml paper-wrapped bottle, from Edeka Sophienhof, Kiel. ABV is 5.6%. Black colour, tan head. Aroma of roast malts and cold coffee. Light bodied. Roasty dry flavour, coffee notes, a hint of charcoal. Far from a sweet stout.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. Pitch black colour, moderate tan head. Pleasant aroma of moderately roasted malts, caramel, oats, mild coffee and woodwork, hints of chocolate and liquorice. Nice flavour too, medium dry, with the same elements as the aroma. Very moderate hops. Smooth mouthfeel.

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

330 ml can, as Black Isle Hibernator Organic Unfiltered Oatmeal Stout, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 7%. Black colour, large tan head. Aroma of roast malts and coffee, hints of liquorice and dark chocolate. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, and has the same elements as the aroma, also noticeable bittering hops.

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

330 ml can, as Bådin Svartisen Stout, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Black colour, large beige head. Aroma of roast malts and coffee, hints of dark chocolate. The flavour has some lactose sweetness, but not extreme. Notes of roast malts, dark chocolate and mild coffee again, hints of oatmeal. Moderate bittering hops.

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

Avdelingen for sære ølnavn! Også denne fikk jeg tatt en bitteliten smaksprøve av i dag, og kan love at den ga mersmak. Tydelig aroma av havre (Kjell mener den lukter kraftfor!), rund smak av havrekjeks også, samt innslag av mild kaffe, rosiner og sjokolade, men uten å bli sjenerende søt. Rerate, sampled on tap at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal, Stavanger. Smooth and pleasant to drink, definitely not too sweet. A nice oatmeal stout!

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

500 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Very dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of malts and caramel, a hint of mild Christmas spices. The flavour is not too sweet - malts, caramel and mild spices again, a hint of smoke, moderate hops. Decent mouthfeel for a 4.5% beer. A good choice if you want a shot of aquavit at the side.

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

330 ml can. ABV is 4.7%, IBU 22. Gusher can, enormous off-white head, the hazy reddish brown beer appears only very slowly. Aroma and flavour of malts, brown bread, caramel and brown sugar, a hint of dark rum. Moderate hops. Not too sweet.

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

Dec. 2016: 355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.6%. Reddish brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma of malts, oak, dark dried fruits, caramel, vinous notes. The medium sweet flavour has the same elements as the aroma. Slightly warming mouthfeel. Good stuff.

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

Oct. 2016: 650 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.7%. Dark brown colour, large beige head. Aroma of rich malts and fruity and earthy hops. Medium sweet flavour, malty first, followed by fruity hops and a very resinous and earthy massive bitterness.

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

Vintage 2012. Shared 660 ml bottle at local tasting, Aug. 2014. Very dark brown colour, nearly black, minimal tan head. Vinous aroma, notes of oak, hints of cider and calvados. Mild roasty notes in the background. Minimal carbonation. Warming mouthfeel. Very oaky flavour, roasty chocolate notes with hints of cider and calvados. Nice, but a little more carbonation would be an advantage.

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

Nov. 2017: Small sample from 660 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. Black colour. More of a stout than an old ale in my book, but decent enough to drink. Roasty and slightly spicy aroma and flavour. "Liquid Christmas pudding"? Not quite, which probably is an advantage for the drinkability.

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

330 ml bottle, batch #675, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.0%. Clear reddish amber colour, large head, slightly off-white. Aroma of caramel and brown kandij sugar syrup, grain and dust. Only a hint of orange peel. Smooth flavour, with the same elements, but the orange zest is slightly more distinct now. Moderately sweet, also fairly distinct earthy bittering hops in the finish.

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

Aug. 2016: Rerate, 500 ml bottle, Cardinal pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Beautiful copper colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Aroma of malts with toffee notes, also hints of herbal english hops. Herbal English hops in the otherwise malty flavour too, medium dry. Moderately bitter aftertaste. Nice to drink, moreish - not least for an old man like me. Original rating: Shared 500 ml bottle (bottle conditioned) at local tasting, from Prima Beer, Hobro. ABV 4.8%. Deep golden to amber colour, moderate white head. Aroma of herbal English hops, with unusual hints of juniper berries and juniper needles. Very herbal hops in the medium dry flavour, highly drinkable. One of the few beers of the tasting where I wanted to drink the whole bottle. Will buy again.

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

Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011 in Oslo. "Anno 2010 Anniversary". 25% of this ale had been aged in bourbon barrels, the remaining 75% were not barrel aged. Sampled at a time of the tasting when I was slowly getting slightly inebriated, and the 14.5% ABV of this beer did not help much ... Cloudy brown colour. Malty sweetish aroma, loads of molasses and alcohol. Rich malty flavour, a certain fruitiness balances the sweetness. Moderate but noticeable hops.

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

355 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. ABV is 9.8%. 50 IBU. Cloudy brown colour, low beige head of poor retention. Sweetish malty aroma, notes of caramel and oak, hints of dark dried fruits and alcohol. Not as sweet flavour as I feared, malty and oaky, caramel and dried figs, well balanced with the hops, a nice bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Would buy again.

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

500 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Pitch black colour, large brown head. Mildly roasty, nutty and malty aroma, hints of honey and chocolate. Smooth and rich flavour with loads of malty sweetness, but not cloying. Roasty notes / mild coffee, also notes of chocolate, honey and nuts. Decent hops in the finish and aftertaste, which also has faint notes of peat smoke. Excellent beer!

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

Cask at Copenhagen Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Amber colour. Malty aroma with some fruitiness. The fairly sweet flavour has a nice balance between the malts and hops, with some discrete roasty notes, and a moderate fruity acidity. Good beer.

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

Shared bottle at local tasting, as AleSmith Decadence Anniversary Ale, English Style Old Ale (2010), thanks to gunnar. Dark brown colour, low beige head. Intense malty aroma, notes of molasses, hints of oak and dark dried fruits. Rich and warming mouthfeel. Rich and intense malty flavour, notes of molasses and dark dried fruits. Decent hops in the finish.

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

Cask at the Number Twenty-2, Darlington. Very dark brown colour, creamy beige head. Both aroma and flavour are excellent blends of malts and dark ripe fruits, also hints of caramel and nuts, nice bitter finish.

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

500 ml can, from Dagli’brugsen Skødstrup, Denmark. ABV of the pasteurised bottled/canned version is 4.7%. This is a premium bitter, not an Old Ale. Amber to copper colour, large off-white head. Moderate but nice fruity aroma, also notes of toffee. The flavour is fruity, with some caramel and decent hops in the background. Much better than I feared.

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

500 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 7.5%. Mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Very nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and dark dried fruits, also some oaky and vinous notes. The flavour is malty sweet and rich, notes of caramel and dark dried fruits again, vinous and oaky notes too, moderate hops in the finish. A lovely strong ale!

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

500 ml clear bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 6.0%. Mahogany coloured beer, big to moderate off-white to beige head. Nice aroma of "dusty" and fruity English hops, hints of caramel and berries. The flavour is malty with hints of caramel, honey and some fruit. Some "dusty" hops in the finish, but not much bitterness.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.0%. Mahogany coloured beer with a thick off-white to beige head. Strong and dominant sweetish aroma of chocolate and vanilla, not unpleasant, but pretty close ... The flavour has loads of cocoa and vanilla, on a malty base with some vinous notes, but the beer is not nearly as sweet as the aroma made me fear. There are some moderate hops in the finish. This is a nice change-of-pace beer, but I would normally prefer the "ordinary" Old Tom.