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

(330 ml bottle). As all Norwegians who love Juleøl know, the stronger "klasse F" beers are the only way to go. Still, this grocery store version from Borg is drinkable esp. with food, nothing offensive about it - just a thin and watery mouthfeel as expected. Colour somewhere between amber and copper, moderate head, malty and slightly spicy aroma. Flavour is lightly malty with some caramel, but not too sweet. Far from complex. Not something to offer Santa (or Odin & Thor...) Go for the stronger version!

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

330 ml bottle, like all "klasse F" juleøl (Yule/Christmas beers) sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. One of the best Norwegian Christmas specials. Deep reddish brown colour, caramel and some spice in aroma and flavour. Good with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare.

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

Reddish brown colour, good head. Weak aroma. Moderate sweetness, watery. More hops than I expected in the aftertaste. Drinkable, but CB beers are generally thin. Go for the stronger (klasse F) version.

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

Rerate 2002: Apparently they have changed the recipe this year. Darker brown colour, gone is the thin mouthfeel and lack of malts. This year both the aroma and flavour are malty enough (caramel and oak therein), and the beer got a high rating in Norwegian newspapers. IMHO however it lacks some of the spicyness in aroma and flavour that a Norwegian juleøl should have. Maybe next year? There's sufficient bitterness in the palate, but I've tasted better hops than these.

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

(330 ml bottle). Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Aroma is initially citrussy, then a bit oaky and spicy. Too aggressive carbonation. Flavour is thin and not complex, some malts but quite dry. Watery mouthfeel. A peppery bitterness in the finish.

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

(330 ml bottle). Light brown colour, malty and caramelly aroma, good to moderate head. Light bodied as expected, moderate malty flavour with some toffee and spices. Not too sweet, very well balanced. Too light bodied for Christmas, but this is a beer I'd be happy to drink with dinner at any time of the year, if it was available. Fredrikstad Juleøl klasse F is a better choice for Christmas dinner.

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

Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Aroma of fresh yeast and fruits, fruity and spicy flavour, rather lightbodied despite the ABV. A pleasant Christmas beer that lacks a bit of malty punch to get a definite top rating, still: goes well with most Christmas fare including the lighter stuff like turkey.

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

Another Norwegian "klasse D" Yule/Christmas beer for the grocery store market. Actually it's not too bad for its strength, but still: Get the stronger ("klasse F") version instead!

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

Like all "klasse F" Yule/Christmas beers, it is sold in Vinmonopolet stores only. This is it - forget the weaker ("klasse D") version! A good Christmas beer, great with traditional Norwegian Christmas fare. The quality varies a bit from one year to another, but is never bad.

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

This beer was designed to chase down a shot of "akevitt" (aquavit), the hard licquor that Norwegians drink at the pre-Christmas "julebord" (and hardly at any other time) to get senselessly drunk and incomprensibly stupid before scolding their boss, fighting their co-workers or stumbling off to have sex with the company’s 60 y.o. secretary. I actually had this beer WITHOUT the aquavit, and found it to be quite good for a "klasse D" (low ABV) Christmas beer. Brown colour, good head, spicy aroma and flavour with a distinct hoppiness. Moreish.

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

Christmas beer sampled in May(!). Reddish brown colour, head disappears quickly, lovely spicy aroma (to some degree reminiscent of a Belgian strong ale, but less complex), mouthfeel is rather thin, flavour dominated by spices and caramel sweetness. Acceptable aftertaste that could have lasted longer. Not a bad brew, but several other Norwegian strong version Christmas beers are better.

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

Among the better Norwegian "klasse F" Christmas beers. Somewhat dryer than the bulk of them. Christmas is the only time of the year when the majority of Norwegians drink other types of beer than pilsener / pale lager!

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

Reddish brown colour, moderate head. Mild spicy aroma. Malty sweetness is not overdone, hops are there too. Well balanced, not bad for a "klasse D" Christmas beer - but of course the mouthfeel is a bit watery due to the low ABV.

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

Another "klasse D" (moderate ABV) Christmas brew. At least this one has some aroma and flavour of toffee, caramel and spices. Reddish brown colour. Drinkable, but far from impressive.

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

Probably the best of the "klasse D" Norwegian Christmas beers (doesn't take much, really). The stronger "klasse F" beers are the way to go! But this is at least a nice try. Golden brown colour. Toffee sweetness, fruity, mild spices. Low bitterness. Good with food. *Seems now to have been replaced by the "Bryggerimester Spesial" series, where the recipe changes each year.

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

(330 ml bottle). Allegedly another "Christmas classic" from one of the many breweries Ringnes has bought and closed. This beer has a rather weak aroma, acidic and slightly malty with just a hint of caramel and oak. Even for a "klasse D" Yule beer this one has a weak and watery flavour and thin mouthfeel. Little aftertaste. Very disappointing.

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

(330 ml bottle). Beautiful copper colour, moderate head. Moderate malty aroma. Flavour is pleasant malty sweet, mellow, hints of caramel and spices. Not very complex, but decent. Much better than the weaker "klasse D" version.

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

(330 ml bottle). A "klasse D" Yule brew for the grocery store market, made by Arendals Brewery, which is one of the few local breweries in the Ringnes portfolio that hasn't been shut down (yet...). This beer can't make anyone happy, colour is transparent brown, aroma and flavour have some malts and caramel and are not offensive - but watery, watery, watery! Just too little of everything you want from a Christmas/Yule brew. Metallic bitterness in the finish.

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

This traditional 'klasse F' (strong) Christmas beer has the last years been given the lowest or second lowest 'klasse F' rating in Norwegian newspapers. I can understand why - it's now too lightbodied for its strength, flavour is slightly metallic, a substantial bitterness is not balanced by an equally substantial malty sweetness like a real 'Juleøl' should have. Colour is reddish brown, low head. I think this beer was considerably better 20 - 30 years ago, before Tou Bryggeri (Stavanger) became part of the Ringnes group.

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

Copper coloured Christmas beer, brewed for the Norwegian grocery store market when the traditional "klasse F" Christmas beers could be sold only through the government owned Vinmonopolet stores. This beer is an example of the fact that the Juleøl style NEEDS an ABV of 6,2% - 7% to be decent. The beer looks good, but that's all. Bland metallic flavour, just a hint of caramel. It's stunning how little taste they have managed to put into this beer. Low score in all Xmas beer ratings in Norwegian newspapers - well deserved. BTW, like (nearly) all Norwegians, I believed that Norwegian Juleøl was a style in its own right - I actually learned from RateBeer that they could be classified as Vienna. (I don't know if people living in Vienna would agree.) Fortunately, the best "klasse F" beers are a lot better than this.

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

This "klasse D" Christmas brew has the colour of a brown ale, but is of course bottom fermented. Decent aroma of oak and some spices. Drinkable with a meal, on its own it's just too watery to bring about any Christmas joy. Weak aftertaste. This style just calls for a higher ABV!

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

Try the stronger 'klasse F' version of their Juleøl instead. Rerate 2002: Has the good caramel sweetness, maltiness and spiciness a Norwegian Christmas beer should have - there's just too little of everything! And 4,5% ABV is simply not enough for this style. The 'klasse F' (6,2%) is still A LOT better!! I believe the version sold in the US is 5,9%.

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

Another "klasse D" Christmas beer, brewed by Aass under the name of long gone Lundetangen Bryggeri. Reddish brown colour, artificial raspberry candy aroma, weak and watery flavour - not nearly as spicy as this style requires. Weak aftertaste. And of course, too low ABV to be a "real" Juleøl.

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

330 ml can, as Harboe Classic, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 4.6%. Golden colour, much paler than expected. Moderate white head. Very moderate aroma, some sweetish malts, a hint of fish(!). Weak and bland flavour, a little malts, minimal hops. Not undrinkable though.

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

330 ml can, from BilkaToGo, Skalborg. ABV is 4.8%, IBU 19. Beautiful clear amber colour, moderate to small white head. Distinct aroma of malts and caramel. Malts and caramel in the flavour too, too sweet to be refreshing. Very moderate hops.