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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 5.2%. Pale golden colour, low head. Moderate fruity aroma, not too bad. Fizzy mouthfeel. "Chemical" flavour with notes of raw alcohol and wet cardboard.

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

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Pale golden colour. Fizzy large head. Moderate pilsener aroma, hints of honey. Fizzy mouthfeel. Tolerably hoppy flavour, some yeasty notes too.

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

500 ml bottle, as RCH On The Tiles, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned. ABV is 4.0%. Deep golden to orange coloured beer, slightly hazy, low off-white head. Very nice hoppy aroma, notes of tropical fruits. The flavour has a nice balance between the malts (with a hint of caramel) and the distinct and grapefruity hops throughout. Hoppy finish and aftertaste, but not too bitter. Possibly inspired by American pale ales? Anyhow, I like it!

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: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

330 ml slimline can. ABV is 4.7%. Brewed with ecological (organic) ingredients. Pale brown colour, more like a Vienna than a dunkel ("bayer" in Norwegian) which it claims to be. Decent white (okay, maybe off-white) head. Moderate aroma with some fruity notes, also weak notes of caramel and malts. Moderate carbonation in the glass, soft and thin mouthfeel. Bland flavour, some caramel and malts, minimal hops. Easy drinking, but certainly no masterpiece.

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

330 ml slimline can. ABV is 4.7%. Brewed with ecological (organic) ingredients. Crystal clear pale yellow beer with big bubbles and a decent white head. Sweetish aroma, fruity first, then only some maize and grain notes remain. Fizzy mouthfeel. Sweetish and sugary flavour, some malty notes, minimal bitterness. Drinkable, but far from interesting, and over-priced.

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

750 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 10%. 19 degrees Plato. Refermented in the bottle, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Ingredients include sugars, thyme and curacao. Hazy reddish dark brown colour, huge tan head. Pleasant but fairly moderate aroma with vinous notes, notes of oak and spices, hints of farmhouse. The flavour is distinctly spicy and oaky, with a substantial but not overwhelming sweetness from the malts and sugars. Some yeasty notes. Distinct hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. Warming mouthfeel, but the 10% ABV does not dominate. As a Christmas beer, this one is better suited to accompany an English Christmas pudding than a main course of meats or fish - but is also nice to drink on its own.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Pale golden colour, large head. Moderate sweetish aroma with notes of pale lager wort, hints of maize (corn) too, some fruity aromatic hops. Moderate carbonation in the glass, soft mouthfeel. The flavour has some malty sweetness and tolerable hops in the finish. Not too bad for a standard pale lager, but I preferred their Pilsener.

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

12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Orange coloured beer, large and lasting off-white head with an orangey hue. Initially very nice Cascade aroma, citrus and floral notes, diminishes after a while in the glass. The flavour is very well balanced between the malts and hops, Cascade and Warrior hops have a distinct presence throughout, but are not overdone. Bitter aftertaste. A very drinkable and refreshing beer!

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

12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Hazy golden colour, decent and lasting head. Hoppy aroma, notes of marmelade too, hints of yeast. Spritzy mouthfeel. Spicy flavour with some less pleasant hints of stale marmelade, hoppy bitter finish and aftertaste. Not great, not bad, quite interesting.

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

12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Clear deep golden colour, decent head. Lovely aroma of Cascade and Styrian Goldings. The flavour is also very hoppy, a tad too sweet, a hint of orange marmelade, with some "raw" alcoholic notes. Not bad though.

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

330 ml fancy & slim dark green bottle, as St. Paul Speciale, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 5.5%. Brown to amber coloured beer, huge beige head. Nice fruity and yeasty aroma, notes of cloves and other spices. Pleasant flavour, spicy and moderately oaky, notes of malts and caramel too. Not too sweet. Very moderate hops. The mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin, particularly in the finish. Not extreme in any way, but a quite enjoyable Belgian.

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

550 ml brown bottle, winter 2007-2008, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). BB end of August 08. ABV is 6.0%. Clear amber colour, huge off-white head. Moderate malty aroma, notes of caramel, toffee and biscuits. The flavour is also moderately malty and quite sweet, with notes of treacle, toffee and hints of oak. Moderate hops in the finish. Nothing wrong with it, but not really outstanding. It is quite obvious that this beer is not bottle conditioned.

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

330 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 6.4%. Clear amber colour, large and lasting off-white head. Fruity and flowery hops in the aroma, some sugary notes too. The flavour is malty sweet and sugary, notes of caramel. Low bitterness. I drank the beer at cellar temperature +, it will probably taste better when cold.

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

355 ml brown bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). ABV is 5.0%. Chestnut coloured beer, large and lasting off-white head. Moderate aroma of hazelnuts, malts, caramel and chocolate. Malty flavour, moderately sweet with plenty of caramel, nutty finish with moderate hops. Nice enough, definitely better than Newcastle "Broon", but not really outstanding.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 3

330 ml bottle, bought at Vinmonopolet. ABV is 5.5%. Brew nr. 4, B.B. date 09.08. Thick sediment in the bottle. Hazy pale golden colour, huge and lasting white head. Strong fruity / hoppy aroma, but even stronger notes of yeast and spices and a blooming infection. The flavour is very acidic and lemony, nearly lambic-like, just like their Kvernknurr. Not much to remind you of a pilsener here. This new brewery obviously has some severe infection problems - if they don’t ship up pretty fast, they’ll be out of business before you know it.

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

Rerate, 330 ml bottle, batch #4, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. BB 03.09. When opening the bottle, the beer starts pouring out by itself. Very cloudy / murky brown colour, huge beige head. The aroma is malty and "raw", notes of hops, juniper and damp forest too. The flavour is much better than previous batches: hoppy and piney flavour, notes of juniper too, not too acidic. Distinct bitterness. Reminiscent of traditional homebrew. I’m upping it several points. Original rating: 330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Brew nr. 1 from this new Norwegian micro brewery. Called an "ESB spesial". BB date 1.7.08. ABV is 6.5%. Thick sediment in the bottle. Orange colour, clear first, cloudy when the sediment is poured in. Large and lasting off-white head with an orangey hue. Distinctly hoppy aroma, notes of yeast, hints of oak and barnyard. The flavour is very acidic, (nearly) closer to a lambic than an ESB. Is there a severe infection problem here? I can’t believe they intended the beer to come out like this - and cellaring it will surely not help. Still drinkable, when you get used to the acidity. There’s a certain hoppy bite in the finish.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. ABV is 5.0%. Orange to amber colour, decent off-white head. Sweetish malty aroma with notes of marmelade, hints of oak and fortified wine. The flavour is also sweetish and fruity, hints of oak, moderate hops in the finish. Not bad, but a bit too much on the sweet side.

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

12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. 12.5 degrees Plato, 36 IBU. ABV is 5.1%. Amber coloured beer, decent off-white head. Very nice aroma of fruity hops, notes of grapefruit, rambutan and blackcurrant leaves, hints of toffee and resin too. The flavour is maltier and less hoppy than the aroma made me expect, but the hops are still noticeable. Moderate resiny notes, some sweetness, quiet finish. Not bad.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Peckham’s, Glasgow. Deep amber to copper coloured beer, decent off-white head. Lovely fruity aroma, also notes of malts and caramel, hints of spices. The flavour is fairly fruity and moderately malty, with distinct hops throughout, also notes of toffee. Well balanced. A very nice bitter!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml bottle, bought at Real Foods, Edinburgh. ABV is 7.5%. Deep amber coloured beer, large off-white head. Unusual sweetish aroma, notes of over-ripe raspberries and pine needles, not very pleasant. The flavour is very sweet and alcoholic, piney and sugary notes. Unusual beer, but is it really good? I’m sorry, but this is not for me.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. Brewed by Park & Bellheimer AG since March 2005. ABV is 5.3%. Hazy pale golden colour, huge white head. Lovely hefeweizen aroma, the usual notes: cloves, banana, bubblegum. Soft moutheel, sweeter than many other h.w.s, moderate flavour of banana and cloves.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. ABV is 4.2%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Large and lasting tan head. Very nice aroma of roast malts, coffee and dark chocolate, hints of blackcurrants and liquorice. The flavour is first fairly fruity and slightly acidic, then a moderate roastiness and pronounced coffee notes take over. Moderate hops and chocolate in the finish. Relatively light bodied for its style, but definitely an enjoyable beer.

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

12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Orange coloured beer, slightly hazy, with a huge off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma, very fruity. The flavour is also quite hoppy throughout, with resinous notes and some malty sweetness. Not bad at all. The style seems more American than English to me, though - but what do I know?

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Edinburgh. ABV is 5.0%. Copper coloured beer, large and lasting off-white head. Malty aroma with vinous notes, also plenty of caramel, notes of bakery. Soft mouthfeel. Malty flavour with caramel and hints of dark fruits, but not as sweet as expected. Very moderate hops, the finish feels a bit "empty". Still a nice enough beer to drink.