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

330 ml can, from the brewery. ABV is 9.2%. Cloudy dark brown colour, small beige head, lots of unappetising floaties. Dry-ish aroma of coffee, chocolate and roast malts. The flavour is medium sweet, with the same elements, also notes of liquorice and pumpernickel bread, just a faint hint of smoked malts.

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

June 2015: 500 ml bottle, batch #272, from the brewery. BB date 07.2014. ABV is 7.7%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Aroma of liquorice and black rye bread, also coffee and fruity hops, just a hint of smoke. The flavour has roast malts, coffee and liquorice, also piney hops, black rye bread and a hint of smoke. Good beer. Gets even better as it warms up a little. I’m upping a point or two.

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

November 2012: 500 ml bottle, batch # 506, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.2%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of roasted malts, some fruity hints, also hints of woodwork and ashes. Fizzy mouthfeel. Dry and roasty flavour., notes of coffee and woodwork. A bit too dry for me to give a "top mark". Roasty and bitter aftertaste.

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

May 2015: Cask half pint at Wetherspoons, Victoria Station, London. Black colour, creamy beige head. Pleasant aroma of moderately roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, citrus and mild spices. Smooth flavour, citrus and spices on top of roast malts and coffee. Unusual, interesting - and good. Dry aftertaste.

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

March 2014: 500 ml clear bottle, probably from Voldby Købmandsgaard. ABV is 4.5%. BB date 03 2013. Some sediment in the bottle. Very dark brown colour, low beige head. Aroma of mild coffee, vanilla and chocolate. Light bodied and fairly refreshing. The flavour is not very sweet, again with notes of mild coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Some bittering hops (Northdown) in the finish.

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

440 ml can, as Monkey Brew Andromeda Stout, from Birk Bryggeriutsalg, Klepp. ABV is 4.7%. Black colour, large to moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts and oak, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. The flavour has the same elements, also hints of dark fruits and liquorice. Good beer.

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

440 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 5.8%. Black colour, large to moderate beige head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, roast malts and coffee. The flavour is moderately sweet, with the same elements. Moderate bittering hops.

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

March 2017: On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar (Moor Night), Stavanger. Black colour, moderate tan head. Roasty aroma, notes of mild coffee, hints of chocolate and wood, a whiff of smoke. Smooth mouthfeel. Moderately roasty flavour, medium dry, woody notes, again a whiff of smoke, while a slight fruitiness helps the drinkability. Moderate but noticeable hops in the finish.

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

April 2018: 500 ml bottle, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of moderately roast malts, chocolate and mild coffee. The slightly dry flavour has also roast malts, coffee and dark chocolate, hints of tar and liquorice.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Gluten free. ABV is 7.5%. Cola colour, moderate beige head. Aroma of dark malts, brown bread, brittle, caramel and burnt breadcrumbs. Moderately sweet flavour with the same elements as the aroma, moderate but noticeable bittering hops.

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

(700 ml bottle). Pours very dark with a moderate head. Aroma and flavour of liquorice, dark chocolate and roasted malts. A bit too much liquorice in my book. Still, this is a very good stout, but not a taste experience that much better than Carls Porter - not enough to live up to the price difference IMO. I guess some of the point with the Semper Ardens range is that Carlsberg want to show the world: "Hey, we can brew good beer too - but that is VERY expensive!" Price aside, you have to give them props for trying. After they killed Wiibroe Imperial Stout Porter, Carls Porter is the only surviving moderately priced quality Carlsberg beer - innovation is reserved for the Semper Ardens range, just pay and be happy!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 6

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV was 6.0%). Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate tan head. Moderate coffee aroma. Flavour and aftertaste is lightly roasted coffee and wet cardboard with a hint of damp basement and catpiss. I’m not particularly fond of wet cardboard and catpiss. I’d probably still prefer this beer to Vestfyen’s Pilsner, but that doesn’t take much. As far as stout goes, there are better alternatives.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Mahlers Vinhandel, Frederikshavn, Denmark. Unfiltered. Nearly black colour, large and creamy tan head. Lovely aroma of juniper berries first and foremost, roast malts and dark chocolate in the background. Flavour of roast malts, coffee and dark chocolate, maybe some liquorice too, the juniper berries are around but are not dominant. Moderately sweet, some faint acidic notes in the finish. Fairly bitter aftertaste, both from the roastiness and the hops. An excellent stout in my book, with an unusual but successful addition of juniper berries.

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

On tap at Haket, Göteborg. Served too warm for my taste. ABV varies between 3.9-4.1%. Black colour, low tan head. Burnt and smoky aroma. Roasty flavour, notes of coffee. Very tasty for its strength.

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

Cask conditioned at the St. Radegund pub, Cambridge. Dark, nearly black colour. Fruity (plums) and some smoke in the aroma and flavour. Decent. More like a porter than a stout in my book, but who cares?

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. (Not mentioned in the festival programme, as far as I could see - must have been brought in last minute as an extra beer.) Pitch black colour, nearly impenetrable for light. Some natural carbonation. Dark chocolate aroma with some roastiness. Smooth roasty flavour with coffee and chocolate notes. Medium dry. Nice.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

(275 ml bottle.) Very dark/black, good tan head. Aroma is malts and coffee, flavour is sweet and malty with coffee and chocolate notes, hardly any bitterness. This beer proves that a low ABV beer can be flavourful, but it's just too sweet to be a favourite of mine.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black colour (no surprise). Aroma of raisins, cigarbox and coffee. Surprisingly fruity flavour for a stout (=surprising if I hadn’t read the IBF programme), dark fruits on a background of espresso coffee and dusty roasted malts. Interesting beer!

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

(700 ml bottle). Deep brown colour, but far from black. Probably the palest "stout" I’ve seen. But if you disregard the chosen style name, this is a drinkable and refreshing beer. Good head which leaves a nice lacing. Moderate malty aroma with a light roastiness, plenty of caramel but not really sweetish. Flavour is malts and caramel fairly well balanced with the hops, but the mouthfeel is a bit thin and watery. Reasonably hoppy aftertaste. OKish.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004. Black (= very dark brown) colour. EXTREMELY fruity aroma and flavour for a stout. Notes of dark chocolate and coffee too. Interesting beer, very good. And it’s vegan, for those who care.

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature). Low (natural) carbonation, some lacing. Black. Surprisingly fruity and flowery notes in the aroma. Roasted flavour with fruity tones, nice bitterness.

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature, low natural carbonation). Listed there as a stout (I would even say dry stout, though it's a tad sweeter than the Irish ones), but another local CAMRA website claims that a beer named Luddite has been judged as a "strong dark mild". I'll leave that to the category freaks. Anyway, this beer is pitch black with a delicious roast aroma and flavour, but the mouthfeel is a bit thin despite the relatively high ABV. Add a little nitrogen, and it would compete with draught Guinness (or rather: Beamish).

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

(Bottle). Extremely sweet low ABV (2%) Scottish stout, traditionally recommended for nursing mothers and convalescents to regain their strength. Scotsmen drink it mixed half & half with Guinness. Might be a good idea. I had it on its own at room temperature, and found it way too sweet, nearly undrinkable. Would probably be better at cellar temperature.

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

330 ml bottle, as Drum Brew The Gathering Stout, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 7.5%. Black colour, moderate to small tan head. Aroma of roast malts, caramel, mild coffee, chocolate, liquorice and fennel. Medium sweet flavour, with the same elements. Moderate hops.

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

Feb. 2016: 500 ml bottle, from Matkroken Stokka. BB date 28. April 2014. ABV is 4.4%. Black colour, moderate but lasting tan head. Sweetish malty and lightly roasty aroma, more malts and caramel than coffee, also notes of chocolate and vanilla. Smooth flavour, delightful lightly roasted quality malts, some sweetness but not too much, notes of chocolate, toast and mild coffee, moderate hops. Definitely a beer I’d buy again.