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

650 ml bottle, shared by Ole Anders. Black colour, moderate to low beige head. Strong aroma of smoked meat and Østbye’s ski wax (pre-WW II). Plenty of smoke in the flavour too, accompanied by moderate roasty notes. Too much smoke for my taste.

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

330 ml bottle, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 5.4%. Black colour, low beige head. Aroma of chocolate, bonfires and smoked meat - a weird combination. Easy drinking, smooth mouthfeel. The smoke is there, but does not dominate. Chocolate malt and some fruity tones, moderate hops. Nice enough.

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

650 ml bottle, 2012 vintage, kindly shared by abemorsten. Black colour, moderate tan head. Lovely and balanced aroma between the smoked and roast malts. Roasty and smokey flavour too, but here the notes of "smoked sausage" come through a bit too strong for my taste.

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

July 2016: RBESG 2016 in Barcelona. On tap at the Garage. Black colour. Very malty aroma and flavour, a bit unfresh, too moderate hops. Not much smoke though. Did not blow my socks off this one.

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

Damn Americans and their peat smoked "Scottish / Scotch ales"! Very dark reddish brown colour. Peat smoke in both aroma and flavour, and malts of course. Some hops in the finish. The beer is actually quite well made, but as you might have guessed, peat smoke is not really my thing. (Beer No. 6 of my 7 beers flight at the brewery tap.)

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 10.5%. Hazy dark reddish brown colour, large off-white to beige head. Pleasant aroma of smoke, wood, malts and dark dried fruits. The flavour has distinct notes of smoked malts and smoked sausage, hints of dark dried fruits again, but not too sweet.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Brownish orange colour, moderate off-white head. The aroma and flavour have notes of smoke, juniper, red wine, oak and alcohol.

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

July 2012: 750 ml swingtop bottle, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 5.9%. Amber colour, huge white (or slightly off-white) head. Sweetish malty, herbal and "spicy" (the chicory?) aroma. The flavour is pleasant, smooth and easy drinking, not too sweet, notes of caramel malts, chicory and moderate hops. Might buy again.

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

August 2017: Shared bottle at local tasting. Dark reddish brown colour. Spicy aroma, notes of cardamom, cinnamon and allspice. Some dark fruits too. Sweet and spicy flavour, strong notes of said spices.

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

500 ml bottle, from EkoMarket Stavanger. ABV is 4.6%. Hazy honey-coloured beer, small white head. Aroma of malts, grass and honey. Sweet flavour of honey and malts. Some bittering hops in the finish. Not too bad.

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

On tap at Cardinal, Stavanger. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Small beige head. Aroma of roast malts and burnt breadcrumbs, hints of figs and cinnamon. More distinct figs and cinnamon in the flavour, also roast malts, burnt breadcrumbs and moderate bittering hops in the background.

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

330 ml can, from Meny Hundvåg. ABV is 4.7%. Very dark brown colour, large to moderate beige head. Aroma of malts, Christmas spices and orange peel. Smooth flavour with malts and caramel, but not too sweet. The Christmas spices are distinct, but not overdone. Only a hint of orange peel. Very moderate hops. Pleasant to drink.

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

June 2013: 330 ml bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård. ABV is 6.5%. Beautiful deep reddish brown colour, large beige head. Nice and medium sweetish aroma of hazelnuts, caramel, malt sugar and chocolate. Sweet and distinctly nutty flavour, also distinct notes of caramel and chocolate, hints of spices. Moderate hops in the finish. Would buy again.

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

January 2017: 500 ml bottle, batch #1713, from Coop Xtra, Sauda. ABV is 4.5%, IBU 20. Slightly hazy pale golden colour, moderate to low white head. Aroma of coriander and various Christmas spices, including anise or liquorice. Also some citrussy / wheaty notes. Citrussy / wheaty flavour, said spices are there, but in moderate amounts. A nice and unusual Christmas brew, suitable to accompany the season’s fish dishes.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.0%, IBU 15. Moderately hazy reddish brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma of lime, lemongrass and spices. Citric flavour, distinct notes of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, moderate notes of chili and other spices. Low bitterness. A moderate but nice chili burn in the aftertaste.

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

500 ml can, from Joker Vatlandsvåg. ABV is 4.7%. Hazy pale yellow colour, large to moderate white head. Aroma of tangerine and mild spices, particularly cloves. Nice flavour of citrus, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and other spices. Moderate hops. Much better than I feared, might buy again.

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

330 ml can, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 11.7%, IBU 29. Moderately hazy brown colour, moderate off-white to beige head. Nice aroma of malts, caramel, brown sugar and mild spices. The flavour has the same elements, also some fruitiness (dried and fresh figs), and is not too sweet. Good beer.

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

Bottle, at Haket, Göteborg. Deep reddish brown colour, creamy head. Herbal aroma, quite nice. Sweetish and herbal flavour, sourish in the finish. Not bad, but is it worth the price? Traquair House Ale is better!

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

(330 ml bottle). This beer is contract brewed by Aass by the initiative of Mr. Arvid Ystad. I had a nice conversation with him about the background of his initiative. He also sent me a memo about the use of herbs in Norwegian traditional brewing. However, this beer is not an ale like traditional Norwegian farmbrew, it is based on a standard Aass pale lager with juniper berries, caraway/cumin and tarragon (estragon) added in the brewing process. These are herbs recognizable by modern Norwegians from the flavouring of aquavit, and Mr. Ystad emphasizes that they were already well known in Norway from the art of brewing, when aquavit was invented at a much later stage. Balders Brygg (named after Odin’s son Balder, Norse mythology) looks like a standard pale lager with a moderate head, but the aroma and flavour are much better due to the herbs used. The tarragon and caraway (to some degree reminiscent of aniseed) dominate both aroma and flavour, while the juniper berries are more subdued. Mr. Ystad himself thinks that the tarragon is more dominant than he intended, I would also like the juniper berries to stand out more than they do. But these herbs can't hide the fact that the basis of this beer is a pale lager with a rather thin mouthfeel. Props to Mr. Ystad for his initiative, but Aass Bryggeri should clearly have taken a leap forward and made an ALE with these herbs. As it is, Balders Brygg is at least a nice change of pace from the standard pilseners / pale lagers that dominate the Norwegian beer scene.

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

750 ml bottle, corked "champagne" style. A beer brewed with algae, what’s next? This one pours deep amber / orange with a large pale orange head. Pleasant fruity aroma (oranges, apples), also notes of honey, flowers and hay. Flavour is also fruity / slightly acidic with some strange notes I can’t identify, probably the algae. Acidic and salty finish / aftertaste. Not the best beer I’ve had, but interesting. At least it’s something out of the ordinary ...

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

Draught at the brewpub, Beer of the Month for August 2005. Brewed with malurt (wormwood). Pale straw coloured. Aroma and flavour reminds me of the dark meat of Norwegian crabs. Very strange, a bit sickly. Not good.

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

330 ml clear bottle. Ringnes intend to present a new recipe for their Bryggerimester Spesial each year, and the 2005 edition is definitely VERY different from the 2004 edition (each vintage is listed separately at BeerPal). Beautiful deep amber colour, decent head. Aroma is dominated by strong anise / cough medicine notes, not a perfect marriage with the weaker notes of caramel malts. Hints of thyme. Flavour is also dominated by anise, vanilla notes are much weaker. Fairly light bodied, malts do not come up front. Some faint hops and anise again in the aftertaste. The 2004 edition was quite good for its moderate strength, the 2005 is not. Definitely not my cup of tea, sorry: beer. Experiments are okay in the world of beer, but there’s no guarantee that they will be successful. This one isn’t. To be avoided. Better luck next year.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

(33 cl bottle, in Denmark.) Good head, beautiful dark brown colour, pleasant aroma, flavour and aftertaste are dominated by an overwhelming sweetness. Too sweet for me.

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

A medium strong golden lager, out of the ordinary due to the bog myrtle (porse) used in stead of hops, interesting brew - but hardly my first choice for daily consumption. Well worth sampling, though. RERATE: After repeated sampling, I've upgraded the score, and regret one of my remarks: If it was more easily available, I would NOT mind having this beer for "daily consumption"!

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Moderately spicy aroma and flavour, citrus (= lemongrass) is there of course. Light bodied, refreshing.