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.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

Woooah! Eureka! I found it! The worst beer in the world! Strange yellow/orange colour, like your morning urine when you have the flu and have been drinking too little. Smells and tastes like undefined nauseous industrial waste. (The hemp oil, I guess). Absolutely horrid, disgusting, abominable, appalling, detestable. Has anyone ever bought a SECOND bottle of this? Every school kid should be given a free bottle of this "beer" to keep them away from cannabis forever. Down the toilet it went (didn't want to contaminate the kitchen sink). I still shudder when I think of it.

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

(Bottle conditioned, 500 ml). Another new Yule/Christmas beer from the craft brewers of Nøgne Ø. Very dark brown to ruby colour, decent head. Nice aroma of dark malts, caramel and spices (cardamom and cloves). Unashamedly sweet with a velvety mouthfeel, but not cloying. Rich and malty flavour with caramel, distinct cardamom and cloves (also some ginger and nutmeg??). Sufficient hops and spices in the aftertaste. Very good beer! I’m sure it’s nice enough with cookies, but definitely a treat on its own!

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

500 ml clear swingtop & silk print bottle, bought in France. Deep golden to amber colour, decent head and lacing. Unusual sweetish fruity and candy aroma, notes of cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, herbs and boiled vegetables too. Sweetish and sugary flavour, notes of vanilla, cinnamon and other spices. Lagerish mouthfeel. I don’t quite know what to make of this beer - it’s something out of the ordinary, but in the end it’s just too sugary and weird for my taste.

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

330 ml bottle, bought at Mahlers Vinhandel, Frederikshavn, Denmark. Hazy golden to amber colour, moderate white head. Very nice yeasty, fruity and spicy aroma. Started drinking it too cold, but spices and herbs (various), moderate malts and fairly decent hops come through. Refreshing and pleasant, fairly dry. Not a bad beer.

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

330 ml bottle, as Storm Beer Iron Stout, in Bali. ABV is 5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate but nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee, hints of dark chocolate. Relatively light bodied. Medium dry flavour, distinct roasty notes of coffee, again with hints of dark chocolate. Fairly decent beer.

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

330 ml bottle, from a Bali supermarket. ABV is 5%. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Large to moderate beige head. Aroma of dark malts, mild coffee, caramel and palm sugar. The flavour is medium dry and only mildly roasty, again notes of mild coffee and dark malts, hints of caramel and palm sugar. Slightly acidic and thin finish. I cannot say that I am able to identify the ginseng.

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

Shared 330 ml bottle. Very dark brown to black colour, moderate beige head. Moderate roasty and malty notes in the dryish aroma, a hint of cocoa too. Thin mouthfeel. Dry roasty flavour, okay but not remarkable.

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

500 ml clear bottle, as Belhaven Black Scottish Stout, from a potential importer. ABV is 4.2%. Very dark ruby to mahogany colour, moderate beige head. Weak aroma but not unpleasant, hints of fruit and weak coffee. Fizzy mouthfeel, light bodied. The medium dry flavour has mild roasty notes, mild coffee and grain. Again: not unpleasant, but too little of everything. The 7% Scottish Stout is far better.