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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. Dent t'Owd Tup was voted Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 1999, a fact that is still proudly displayed on the label. Black colour, reddish brown in the highlights. Decent creamy tan head, does not last forever. Moderate but very nice roasty aroma, notes of coffee, hints of chocolate, leather and plums. Concerning the flavour, for once I find it appropriate to quote the commercial description / tasting notes: "The dominant roast character is balanced by a warming sweetness and a raisiny, fruit-cake taste which lingers on into the long aftertaste, making this a very satisfying drink." Pretty much spot on, if you ask me. A combination of maltiness and fruitiness carries the beer through, and Northdown hops are used for both aroma and flavour. Good stuff!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 5.0%. Bottle conditioned. Pitch black colour, large tan head. Lovely aroma of bramble (blackberries) with vinous notes, also notes of chocolate and a mild roastiness. The flavour has a roasty and hoppy (Challenger) bitterness throughout, notes of coffee and berries (the latter are fairly subdued). Bitter aftertaste. Good beer!

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 4.4%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Moderate creamy tan head. Aroma of dark malts and something undefinable strange which I guess is the seaweed. Moderate carbonation, smooth mouthfeel. The flavour has moderate roasted malts and very moderate hops - and again (but this time very moderate) "strange" sidenotes which must be the seaweed. The beer is definitely drinkable, but I’m still not convinced that adding seaweed as an ingredient in beer is a particularly brilliant idea.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 5.9%. Black colour, dark brown to ruby in the highlights. Creamy tan head. Very nice aroma of dark fruits, chocolate, liquorice and roast malts. The flavour has chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Moderate sweetness. A decent stout in my book.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

500 ml bottle, bought in Scarborough. ABV is 4.2%. Bottle conditioned. Black colour, huge tan head. Moderate aroma with some fruitiness and notes of mild coffee, hints of chocolate. Acidic / sour flavour, very strange for a stout, some coffee roastiness in the background. Did not do much for me this one. Disappointing.

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

Draught at Gladmatfestivalen 2007, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of roasted malts and liquorice. Roasty flavour with strong notes of coffee, fairly dry. Moderate bitterness in the finish.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008. Black colour, dark brown in the highlights. Roasty aroma, notes of coffee and wood. The flavour is moderately roasty and smooth, easy drinking for its strength. Some fruity acidity.

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

500 ml bottle, brew #834, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, big to moderate creamy greyish brown head. Nice roasted aroma with notes of chocolate and coffee, some cheesy and slightly acidic notes too. The flavour is moderately sweet and roasted with a certain fruitiness, notes of coffee as expected. Ashy dry finish. Could have been better, could have been worse.

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

Cask at the GBBF 2008, gravity dispense. Black colour, no head. Alcoholic but interesting aroma and flavour, notes of "oak" (actually palo santo wood), coffee and fortified wine. At 12% ABV this is powerful stuff. Good, but not easy drinking.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 0058 out of 318 from this batch. ABV is 10.4%. This is a blend from B.A. Rasputin and B.A. Amarillo. Recommended drinking temperature 10 degrees C. Cloudy dark brown colour, big beige head. Excellent complex aroma, fruity American and European hops, vinous notes, hints of oak, red wine vinegar and leather. The flavour has notes of over-ripe and decaying fruits, a substantial malty sweetness, hints of chocolate and coffee in the background, moderate and "dry" hops in the finish.

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

355 ml can, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Amber colour, big off-white head with an orangey hue. Excellent complex aroma of American hops, notes of pine, oranges, grapefruit, tropical fruits. The flavour has loads of American hops from start to finish, with fruity (grapefruity), piney and resinous notes, but it is not too bitter (despite respectable 85 IBUs), as the hoppiness is nicely balanced by a sweetness of malts and orange marmalade. Resinous bitter aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, batch #262, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also sampled at Håndverkerstuene. ABV is 7.5%. IBU 25, EBC 64. Black colour, moderate tan head. The "perfumed" aroma has notes of ripe dark fruits, woodwork, chocolate and mild coffee, hints of smoke. The flavour is well rounded and mellow for its strength, notes of dark malts with only a slight roastiness, hints of prunes, dark chocolate and mild coffee, moderate hops and a touch of smoke and juniper in the finish. Very drinkable. I wouldn’t mind having this served in my "gravøl", but as I won’t be able to sample it there myself, I’d better drink some more now!

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

250 ml(?) bottles, courtesy of the brewery, and Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Brewed with sake yeast, Nasumi No. 7. Reddish orange colour, low head. Very nice vinous aroma, notes of sherry and oak. Sweet flavour, notes of sherry and oak again. Warming mouthfeel.

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

750 ml corked, wired and waxed bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 233 out of a batch of 575 bottles, brewed 12th Dec. 2009. ABV is 8.64%. OG 1083, FG 1018. Czech hops, bittering hop Premiant, final hop Saaz. 88.2 EBU. Cloudy brown colour, big cream-coloured to beige head. Pleasant aroma of floral and fruity hops, hints of resin and wood. The flavour has a massive hoppy bitterness from start to finish, on a background of moderately sweet malts, notes of caramel. Bitter aftertaste.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 41%. Sold as "spirits / hard liquor" ( 4 cl shots) in Norway. Deep reddish orange to amber colour, No head, nor any carbonation. Aroma of piney and catty American hops, hints of fusel alcohols and red berries. The flavour is very sweet, very bitter and loaded with alcohol. Not good.

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

330 ml bottle, as BrewDog Speedball, at Olympen, Oslo. I think the ABV was 7.8%. Deep amber to reddish colour, moderate head. Distinct aroma of American hops, and some honey. The flavour is first distinctly hoppy and rather bitter, then the flavour is mellowed when the malts and the special ingredients come through (guarana, kola nuts and heather honey - I can’t identify the Californian poppy), as the beer warms up a little. All in all a pleasant mouthfeel and an enjoyable beer.

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

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Intense peaty / smoky aroma of Islay malt whisky, also notes of tar and salty sea air, hints of vanilla and liquorice. The flavour is dominated by an overwhelming peatiness and smokiness, too much actually, as the original qualities of God Jul are kind of blocked out. Hints of tar, vanilla and liquorice again. Definitely interesting, but requires that you really like Islay whisky.

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

Bottle, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Unfresh aroma, notes of stale marmalade, American caramel malts and American hops. Distinct and bitter flavour of American hops, on a background of caramel malts.

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

Bottle, 6.8% ABV, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Beautiful reddish brown colour, low off-white head. Excellent aroma and flavour with vinous and oaky notes, also strong notes of American hops. Very good! ("Beer of the Gathering" for me.)

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

Magnum bottle, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg, thanks to gunnar. Cognac-coloured beer, moderate off-white head. Aroma of American hops and (possibly) Belgian(?) yeast. Intense bitter flavour from start to finish, very sharp. Some fruit.

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

Bottle, as Yulesmith Holiday Ale, at RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Deep orange to amber colour, low head. Aroma of American caramel malts and American hops, notes of caramellized orange marmalade. Rich mouthfeel. Flavour of oak, caramel malts, dried figs, American hops.

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

355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Beautiful clear and deep copper to mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Strong malty aroma with distinct notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and caramel, maybe too much caramel for my taste. Noticeable hoppy bitterness in the finish, also notes of burnt bread crumbs. Not entirely balanced in my book, but an interesting beer all the same.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Also available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 7.8%. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, with a big white head. Lovely aroma of Belgian ale yeast, banana, coriander and mild spices. In the flavour, American hops dominate with a substantial bitterness from start to finish, on a more subtle background of "Belgian" sweetness with some citrussy and spicy notes. This cross between a Belgian triple and an American IPA is a reminder that Italy is one of the most interesting "new" craft beer countries in Europe.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, thanks to my son Steinar. ABV is 7.2%. Cloudy dark brown colour, big and creamy tan head. Very nice aroma of fruity American hops and oak, blackcurrants, marmelade, some vinous notes too. The mouthfeel is first soft and creamy and the flavour is first fruity smooth and alluring, then a treacherous and distinct hoppy bitterness sets in, accompanied by oaky and smoky notes. Very bitter aftertaste. An "arrogant" beer, perhaps - but not quite as arrogant as I feared. I am worthy!

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

Rerate, 750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. Brewed 23rd Sept. 2008, bottled 10th Dec. 2008. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. The aroma is still vinous (sherry), oaky and roasty - also notes of chocolate, vanilla, figs and dates, hints of Christmas spices. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness, a moderate roastiness, oaky and vinous notes (sherry and/or port), some chocolate and a hint of liquorice. Moderate hops in the finish. Terrific beer! Original rating: Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. ABV was 10%. Pitch black colour, brown head. Lovely vinous, oaky and roasty aroma, some sandalwood too. Perfect! Vinous, roasty and oaky flavour - a wonderful beer!