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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Contains sulphites. Pours very fizzy with a shortlived white head, the cider is pale golden, crystal clear. The initially aggressive carbonation soon subsides in the glass, and the mouthfeel is fairly soft. Aroma of cider apples and farmhouse kitchen, hints of oak. The flavour is of course dominated by cider apples and oak, sulphites are noticeable. Slightly astringent finish. Easy drinking.

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

500 ml clear screwcap bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.7%. Hazy with some sediment in the bottle. Pours hazy deep golden, no carbonation. Very nice aroma of cider apples, farmhouse kitchen and oak, hints of sulphites. The flavour is fairly dry, tart cider apples dominate, hints of spices, oak and sulphites. I must admit I’d like just a little carbonation for a "fresher" mouthfeel, but this is still a nice and drinkable cider, if your preferences are on the dry side. Personally I wouldn’t mind a bit more sweetness.

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

500 ml brown bottle, now available in Norway at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6.3%. Pours very fizzy with a moderate white head that soon disappears. Golden colour. Moderate aroma of cider apples and oak. The flavour is very dry and tart, astringent finish. Notes of cider apples of course, hints of oak. Noticeable acidity with a hint of lemons. I can imagine this cider would go well with a dish of fat fish (salmon, trout, mackerel etc.) - on its own it is nearly too astringent for me.

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

750 ml screwcap green bottle, from Vinmonopolet (bestillingsutvalget). ABV is 11%. Pours moderately sparkling, no lasting head. Very pale golden colour. Aroma of sweet eating apples, also notes of cider apples and flowers. The flavour is medium sweet (or perhaps medium dry?), anyway this is the driest Norwegian cider I have tasted so far (most of them are made with sweet apples only). The flavour has again a mix of sweet eating apples and moderately bitter cider apples, unfortunately the alcohol is fairly noticeable. Bitter finish.

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

550 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Ingredients are water, organic apple concentrate, organic cane sugar, malic acid, yeast, carbon dioxide. Hm. So much for "fresh apples straight from the tree". Extremely pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big to moderate head that actually lasts for a while. Moderate aroma of cider apples, eating apples and dust. The flavour is bland and watery, medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like), notes of bland eating apples without much character. Not much to write home about.

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

568 ml green bottle, bought at Vaaland Spesialbutikkken, Bryne. ABV is 4.5%. Contains sulphites. Made with pears as the sole fruit. Crystal clear extremely pale greyish-greenish yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a moderate but short-lived head. Moderate aroma of pears and oxidised apples. Thin mouthfeel. Flavour of pears (of course), pear drops and sugar, but not extremely sweet. Could have been better, could have been worse.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vinmonopolet, Norway. Organic, medium sweet sparkling cider. ABV is 6.8%. Golden colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived head. Slightly hazy at the end. Very nice aroma and flavour of oxidised cider apples, hints of sulphur. The flavour is first moderately sweet, but ends dry and slightly tart. A decent and drinkable cider!

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

750 ml "champagne" bottle, as Eric Bordelet Sidre Brut Tendre, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived head. The aroma has notes of oxidised cider apples and sulphur, hints of smoke. The flavour is medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like), notes of cider apples again (of course), hints of sulphur. Easy drinking.

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

750 ml "champagne" bottle, as Valderance Cidre de Bretagne Bouché Brut, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5%. Like all ciders from this cidery it is made of 100% pure juice from cider apples. Contains sulphites. Golden colour. Pours very fizzy with a very short-lived white head. Moderate to low carbonation in the glass. Nice aroma of oxidised cider apples, farmhouse kitchen, sulphur and oak. The flavour has again notes of oxidised cider apples, with a relatively low acidity, fairly dry, slightly tart and woody in the finish. Easy drinking.

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

750 ml clear "champagne" bottle, made of Aroma apples, vintage 2008. Bottle No. 124, bought at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 11%. Golden colour, pours very fizzy with a huge white head that lasts longer than normal for a cider. Aroma of oxidised eating apples (which indeed the Aroma apple variety is), hints of sulphur. The flavour is more tart than I expected, especially in the finish. Oxidised apples again with hints of sulphur, medium sweetness.

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

500 ml bottle, as Westons Premium Organic Pear Cider, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 6%. Contains sulphites. Pale yellow colour, small short-lived head. Aroma of ripe pears, hints of sulphur. Fairly fresh and sweet pear flavour with a hint of sulphur. A bit too far out on the sweet side, but nice enough to drink.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Poiré / perry (pear cider) at 4.8% ABV from Comte Louis de Lauriston, 61700 Domfront, France - a cidery more famous for their calvados. Christian Drouin is not mentioned on the label, but I assume they are the distributors. 750 ml dark green "champagne" bottle, bought at Vinmonopolet, Norway. Very pale greenish yellow colour with just a slight haziness. Pours moderately fizzy, head disappears instantly. Some carbonation remains in the glass, maybe too much. Pleasant aroma of ripe pears, hints of wood and herbs, maybe also a hint of sulphur. Flavour of pears and herbs, fairly dry. Hints of wood and sulphites in the finish.

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

750 ml bottle, vintage 2008, sparkling, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9.0%. Pale golden colour. Pours moderately fizzy with a very short-lived white head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Aroma and flavour of fermenting sweet eating apples (varieities: Gravenstein, Summerred and Aroma), hints of sulphur and oak. Definitely drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, ABV 5.5%. Crystal clear very pale yellow colour, pours sparkling with a very short-lived head. Fresh and pleasant aroma of cider apples, hints of oak and and sulphur. Crisp and dry flavour, cider apples of course, again notes of oak and sulphur, but not too much. Nice one.

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

500 ml bottle, as Aspall Classic Organic Suffolk Cyder. ABV is 7.0%. Pours very fizzy with a big but very short-lived head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Nice aroma of cider apples, hints of oak and sulphur. The flavour is crisp and dry, cider apples of course, again with notes of oak and sulphur. Probably best with food.

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

500 ml bottle, as "Aspall Peronnelle’s Blush Suffolk Cyder with a dash of blackberry liqueur". ABV is 5.4%. Rosé wine colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived white head with a pinkish hue. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Pleasant aroma of apples and blackberries. Beguiling flavour of cider apples and blackberries, hints of oak and sulphur. Just the right sweetness and acidity (both moderate). Nice one.

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

500 ml bottle, as Aspall Dry Premier Cru Suffolk Cyder. ABV is 7%. Crystal clear and extremely pale yellow colour, pours very fizzy with a big but short-lived head. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Moderate aroma of apples and vegetables, hints of sulphur. The flavour is crisp and dry, hints of oak and sulphur. Okay.

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

Screwcap bottle, 8% ABV, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Golden colour, pours fizzy, no lasting head. The aroma and flavour have notes of fermenting sweet eating apples (Gravenstein, Summerred, Aroma), hints of sulphur and anise.

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

568 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. In addition to apple juice, ingredients include "glucose syrup, water, sugar, carbon dioxide, acid: E296, antioxidant: E224 (sulphites), colour: E120". Recommended to "serve over ice". In other words: this is an industrial cider. Pours fizzy with a large white head that actually stays around a while (probably designed to make people think you are drinking lager). Strange aroma of rotting and fermenting apples + some undefined and unpleasant chemical stuff. The flavour is fairly sweet and synthetic with very little to write home about. Pretty bad.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

275 ml clear slimline bottle with twist-off cap. Extremely pale straw coloured, fizzy. Moderate apple aroma and flavour (of eating apples, not cider apples), not very exciting but not offensive either. Fizzy and watery mouthfeel. An okay refreshment, no more than that.

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

Had a taste of this perry (my first) at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. Room temperature. Pale, hazy colour. Ciders and perries are not beer, but I must admit that this one was interesting. Very sweet, distinct pear flavour.

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

500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6%. The label advices me to "pour slowly to avoid disturbing the natural sediment". A rather unnecessary warning, as there is no sign whatsoever of any sediment in the bottle. The cider is clear and has a deep golden to amber colour, and pours very fizzy with a short-lived head. Quite nice aroma of English cider apples, apple vinegar, oak and some spice. The apple flavour is medium sweet with notes of wood and sulphur and a slightly tart finish.

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

500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. No sediment in the bottle. The cider is clear amber coloured. Pours rather fizzy with a very short-lived head. Very nice aroma of cider apples and oak, hints of leather and spices. Very dry flavour which leads to a surprisingly "watery" mouthfeel, despite a respectable ABV of 7.5%. There is a moderate acidity in the first sip, and a moderately astringent finish. Easy drinking.

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

500 ml clear bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Cloudy yellowish grey to golden colour with a reddish hue. Fizzy head disappears instantly. Moderate carbonation in the glass. Lovely aroma of pears and oak, notes of fruit vinegar and farmhouse kitchen. The flavour is medium sweet, pears galore, oaky notes, hints of sulphur, slightly astringent finish. Not bad.

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

568 ml bottle, as Magners Original Irish Cider / Vintage Cider. Produced by Wm. Magner, Clonmel, Ireland. ABV is 4.5%. Contains sulphites. Pale and clear golden colour with a pinkish hue. Short-lived head. Fairly strong apple aroma, notes of candy too. Thin and watery mouthfeel. The medium sweet flavour has very moderate apples and makes me wonder how much really is fermented apple juice and how much is water in this product. Not offensive though.