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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5. Deep golden colour, large head. Nice aroma for a golden lager: fruity and floral hops with moderate malts. The flavour is fairly malty and well rounded, some sweetness, balanced by moderate hops. Soft mouthfeel. A decent lager, well above average.

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

(330 ml bottle). Beautiful red colour, good thick head. Malty aroma with plenty caramel, hints of Christmas spices. Flavour is not very complex or exciting, mouthfeel a bit watery as expected from a "klasse D" (grocery store version) juleøl. A slight hoppy bitterness in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.4%. Deep golden brown to amber colour, large off-white head. Moderately spicy aroma, quite nice, with some notes of bakery, also a certain fruitiness. The flavour is quite fruity but also distinctly malty, notes of toffee and mild spices, decent hops in the finish. A lager well above average! A bit too much carbonation for my taste though.

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

500 ml can. Another beer from Mack for the target group teenagers+ (who are presumed not to be able to drink beers with traceable hops), but this time they have decided to make a beer that (at least) LOOKS like a normal Christmas beer. And unlike their "smrprty" beer, this one even has a bit of aroma and flavour (but not much hops, of course ...). Amber colour, huge head which lasts a while. Weak aroma, some caramel sweetness and Christmas cookies. Soft and thin/watery mouthfeel, some malty sweetness with hints of caramel and Christmas cookies. Hardly any bitterness at all. Not offensive, but very boring!

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

600 ml bottle, a gift from Tom, thanks! ABV is 5.2%. American-inspired "pre-prohibition" lager, brewed with Cascade hops. Deep golden colour, a slight haziness, moderate but rich head. Cascade, flowers and honey in the aroma. Moderately malty flavour with hints of heather honey and caramel, but not really sweet. Moderate but pleasant hops throughout. Hoppy aftertaste lasts "forever". Not a bad beer this one!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

500 ml can, sold only in REMA 1000 stores. ABV is 4.7%. Clear amber colour, moderate off-white head. Weak aroma, notes of caramel, baby porridge and over-boiled vegetables. Thin and watery mouthfeel. The flavour has some caramel and malts, but is otherwise fairly bland and boring, not very sweet. Minimal hops, hardly any bitterness.

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

Sample from 500 ml can, Aass Brewery stand at Smak 09. ABV is 4.7%. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Moderate notes of caramel in the aroma. The flavour has moderate caramel malts and a moderate bitterness in the finish. Drinkable, but not very exciting. You’d think they would come up with something better for a jubilee.

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

500 ml can, thanks to OleR. ABV is 4.7%. Brown to copper coloured beer, big and lasting cream coloured head. Moderate aroma of caramel, malts and nuts, hints of bakery and some fruit. The flavour is malty and nutty, notes of caramel but the beer is not too sweet. Low bitterness. The mouthfeel reveals that this is a "grocery store strength" juleøl, but as such it is not too bad at all.

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

500 ml can, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Deep golden to amber colour, big head, slightly off-white. Very moderate aroma, slightly malty, nutty and dusty, hints of caramel. Flavour of a standard lager with some extra caramel malts added, the "dusty" malts dominate the flavour but the beer is not very sweet, fairly dry finish. Moderate hops in the aftertaste. Definitely drinkable, but CB could have come up with something more exciting for their 150th anniversary.

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

330 ml bottle. Dark reddish brown colour, moderate orange to beige head. Moderate aroma of brown malts, hints of caramel and "dusty" hops. The flavour has a moderate malty sweetness with notes of caramel, a noticeable fruitiness, low bitterness. Drinkable, but lacks the character of a "proper" (strong) Yule/Christmas beer.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.7%. Copper coloured beer, big off-white head. Malty and bready aroma, notes of caramel, hints of spices. The flavour is moderately malty and bready, "dusty" character, not too sweet, hints of caramel. Very moderate hops in the otherwise boring finish. Drinkable, but no masterpiece.

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

500 ml green bottle, a gift from my son Steinar, bought in Poland. ABV is 5.3%. Dark brown colour, big to moderate beige head. Rather boring aroma of malts and brown bread with some "boiled" notes, hints of caramel. Fairly nice flavour of malts with notes of rye bread and lots of caramel, but the beer is not too sweet. A hint of burnt malts and burnt sugar in the finish, with very moderate but noticeable hops. A pleasant dunkel to drink.

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

500 ml brown bottle, as Pripps Jul, from Systembolaget post-Christmas 2009. ABV is 5.0%. Mahogany coloured beer, big off-white beige head. Sweetish fruity aroma, also notes of caramel malts, hints of Christmas spices. The flavour has notes of münchener and caramel malts, baked goods, sweet and slightly spicy, also with a certain fruitiness. Very moderate hops in the finish. Overall surprisingly decent for a beer from Pripps / Carlsberg Sweden.

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

330 ml bottle, at Café Luna, Aalborg. Brewed at Refsvindinge for Medici Beers. ABV was 4.8%. Served in a "Royal Beer" glass. Copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Some fruit and toffee in the aroma. The flavour is moderately fruity with notes of berries, but is otherwise fairly bland. Low bitterness.

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

On tap at Oslo Mikrobryggeri. Reddish amber colour. Lovely aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavour of malts, tobacco, caramel and butterscotch. OKish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml green bottle, from REMA 1000. ABV is 4.7%. Clear brown colour, decent off-white head. Unpleasant "industrial" rubbery aroma, some malts and caramel but also some of the sickly "boiled" notes (over-cooked vegetables, baby porridge) that you normally find in n/a beers. The flavour has some caramel, but is otherwise very bland and boring with minimal hops and a "dead" and slightly metallic finish. In a blind test I would probably have guessed that this was a "malty" variety in Ringnes’ n/a Munkholm range. Grans are obviously persistent in their aim to brew only beers that belong in the "soggy bottom" end of the Norwegian beer market.

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

On tap in the Faroe Islands tent at the ONS 2008, Stavanger. Served too cold (= minimal taste). Amber colour, low head. Moderately malty aroma and flavour, hints of caramel. Not offensive, but boring.

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

500 ml shared bottle. Reddish amber colour, moderate off-white head. Malty and fruity aroma, notes of caramel. Moderate malty flavour, some caramel but rather "dusty", hardly any hops, boring.

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

Shared 355 ml bottle, ABV 5.3%. Brown colour, moderate head. "Dusty" and grainy aroma, not very attractive. Dusty and grainy flavour too, hints of caramel. Boring

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

Shared bottle, RBNAG 2011. ABV 4.7%. Reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Moderate aroma and flavour of wort, dust and a little caramel. Not at all impressive.

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

500 ml can, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper coloured beer, moderate off-white head. The aroma has some caramel and toffee. Light bodied. The flavour has caramel (with being overly sweet), a hint of spices and a dusty finish. Drinkable, but not remarkable.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Copper to amber colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma, some fruit, grass and caramel. The flavour is at least more malty than the Especial, a little fruit and caramel again, but is otherwise rather bland and boring, with minimal hops.

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

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Vika. ABV is 4.9%. Amber colour, large head, slightly off-white. Strong sweetish aroma of malts and stale orange marmalade. The flavour is not too sweet, biscuity and hoppy notes, hints of caramel and some fruit. Not too bad, but I think Meantime preferably should stick to ales.

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

Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting, as Club Colombia Extra Fina Roja, thanks to abemorsten. ABV is 4.7%. Orange to amber colour, low head. Moderate aroma, a little toffee and caramel, a little fruit and grain. The flavour has moderate notes of toffee and caramel, not as bad as I feared.

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

On tap at Copenhagen Beer Festival 2011. Golden colour. Tolerably well hopped aroma and flavour - a fairly decent pilsener, but not really remarkable.