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

330 ml clear bottle. Berentsens surprise us again - they have made a slightly mellower version of a Baltic porter as their "klasse F" (Vinmonopolet) Yule/Christmas beer. Dark brown colour, nice and creamy tan head. Very nice roasty aroma with notes of oak, leather, dark bread and coffee. Flavour is moderately roasty and well rounded, elements of coffee, dark chocolate and oak. Tolerable hops. Could use a little more "bite", but this is definitely not a bad beer!

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

500 ml twistcap bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Typical dunkel reddish brown colour, decent pale greyish brown head. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with notes of caramel, toast and bakery. Mellow nutty flavour with notes of dark bread and caramel, tolerable hops for a dunkel (Hallertau, Spalt and Tettnang). Nice.

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

330 ml swingtop bottle, bought in Germany. Golden colour, fizzy, large head. Fairly strong sweet and alcoholic aroma, notes of molasses and ammonium, hints of oak and fermenting fruits, not very pleasant. Flavour is malty, too alcoholic and sweet, low bitterness. Pale strong lagers rarely make me happy, and this one is no exception to the rule. Still drinkable - I’ve had worse.

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

330 ml clear bottle. Ringnes intend to present a new recipe for their Bryggerimester Spesial each year, and the 2005 edition is definitely VERY different from the 2004 edition (each vintage is listed separately at BeerPal). Beautiful deep amber colour, decent head. Aroma is dominated by strong anise / cough medicine notes, not a perfect marriage with the weaker notes of caramel malts. Hints of thyme. Flavour is also dominated by anise, vanilla notes are much weaker. Fairly light bodied, malts do not come up front. Some faint hops and anise again in the aftertaste. The 2004 edition was quite good for its moderate strength, the 2005 is not. Definitely not my cup of tea, sorry: beer. Experiments are okay in the world of beer, but there’s no guarantee that they will be successful. This one isn’t. To be avoided. Better luck next year.

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

(Bottle). Ringnes Bryggerimester Spesial Julen (Yule/Christmas) 2004 has replaced the old Ringnes Julespesial. Bryggerimester Spesial is darker - a beautiful copper colour, and retains a good head. Caramel, hops and spices in the aroma. Flavour is well balanced between the malts and hops, and there are distinct hints of Christmas spices (cardamom, ginger?). This is one of the better Yule brews in the grocery store "klasse D " segment.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi, Hamburg. Very pale golden colour, large head. Moderate aroma of grass, fruits and pale malts. Flavour is surprisingly bland, some grassy and sweetish notes. Low bitterness. ABV is well hidden. Drinkable, but I expected more than this. Confirms my theory that the Octoberfest is a ridiculously over-hyped event for American and German binge drinkers, and has very little, if anything, to do with a great beer selection or beers out of the ordinary.

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

Sample on tap at the brewpub. Black colour, no head, moderate carbonation. Roasty aroma with notes of tar, liquorice / aniseed dominates. Distinct heavy roastiness from start to finish, bitter and dry, notes of strong coffee. Mouthfeel could have been fuller.

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

Sample on tap at the brewpub, on the day of its release for the Christmas season 2005. I think the waiter might again have screwed up the samples here ... Golden colour, much paler than the description. Hints of vomit in the aroma, not very pleasant. Tastes like a reasonably hoppy pale bock / premium lager, nothing Christmasy about it.

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

Sample on tap at the brewpub. Also known as "No. 1 IPA", waiter said it’s the same beer. Menu said it was "brewed by the craft brewers of Skagen". The waiter might have screwed up the samples, the one I got was deep copper coloured. Moderate hoppy aroma with notes of caramel. Flavour is reasonably hoppy but not really impressive. Relatively dry.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle,bought at Føtex or SuperBest, Aalborg. ABV is 5.5%. Dark reddish brown colour, big cream-coloured head. Aroma of spices, malts and caramel. The flavour is malty with plenty of caramel, moderate spicy notes, hints of honey. Low bitterness, the finish is a bit bland. Still a drinkable beer. Original rating:Sample + full size glass on tap at the brewpub. I think the waiter must have mixed up things here - the sample was deep golden and spicy, while the full size was copper coloured (like their IPA), hoppier and less spicy. Comments sample: Aroma of incense and Christmas spices (ginger, cardamom, cloves). Spicy sweet flavour, unusual, interesting.

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

Sample on tap at the brewpub. Amber colour. Very moderate aroma, hints of honey and caramel. Just a little fuller mouthfeel and flavour than their Jomfruhumle, seems reasonably well hopped.

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

Sample on tap at the brewpub. Typical pilsener colour. Moderate flowery aroma with hints of honey. This is a light bodied and pleasant pilsener, amount of hops seems just right.

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

330 ml bottle, at the Otto Duborg café near Flensburg. Served with a plastic glass! Amber colour, large and lasting head. Moderate caramel aroma. Malty flavour with some caramel. Low on hops. Drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle, at the Otto Duborg café near Flensburg. Served with a plastic glass! Golden colour, large and lasting head. Very moderate fruity aroma. Alcoholic and boring sweet flavour.

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

330 ml can, bought in Germany. Sweetish fruity aroma. Flavour is relatively malty and sweet for a pilsener. Hoppy bitter finish. Drinkable, but not really remarkable.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Bier Spezi Hamburg. Hazy orange colour, pours with the typical hefeweizen enormous head. Spicy aroma (cloves and more), hints of leather and ammonium too. Typical hefeweizen flavour but not quite as full as I desired. Rather dry, minimal hops. Fizzy and slightly dusty mouthfeel. Decent, but not the best h.w. I’ve had.

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

Rerate, on tap in Hamburg. This is a fairly average standard pilsener, but the hoppy bitterness in the finish was actually greater than I remembered it from the bottles I’ve sampled earlier. Drinkable.

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

330 ml bottle. This is a new strong "klasse F" Yule/Christmas brew, for the Vinmonopolet segment of the Norwegian beer market. The style may be described as a cross-breed between a strong Vienna or Dunkel and a dark Bock. Deep chestnut colour, moderate light tan head. Malty aroma with a mild roastiness, notes of dark bread, caramel and oak. Flavour is malty sweet with some caramel and bready notes, very moderate hops. Light bodied for its strength and colour. Easy drinking. I really miss some more hops here. Nothing offensive about it, but this will not be my favourite "klasse F" Christmas beer.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet, special orders). Like most Weissbiers it pours with an enormous head, this one is also very thick and creamy and lasts "forever". Colour of beer is cloudy brownish golden, a bit darker than most Hefe-Weissbiers. Very moderate and subdued hefe aroma, hints of leather. Flavour has bit more hops and less "banana & cloves" elements than your standard h.w. Fairly dry. A drinkable h.w., but not really remarkable. However, I love this style, and the Schneeweisse makes no exception.

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

330 ml bottle. Oh my god, a special version of Tuborg Juleøl for the Norwegian grocery store market, with a meagre ABV of 4.5%. Obviously designed as a discount brand on this market, Norwegian brewed Tuborg Pils has an equivalent role here too. Amber colour, low head, little lacing. Minimal aroma, hints of caramel. Flavour is unbelievably bland and uninteresting, a little caramel and a minimal amount of cheap hop extract. Avoid!

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway. ABV here is 4.7%. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Moderate carbonation. Aroma is initially surprisingly moderate but nice and pleasant, improves as the beer warms up a little (started drinking it too cold), flowery and citrussy hops (Hersbrücker and Challenger), hints of honey too. Flavour is zesty and grapefruity, the hops dominate but there is also a sufficient malty base. Bitter aftertaste of grapefruit peel. A very unusual lager, clearly related to its golden ale cousin, the Bitter & Twisted. Also sampled cask conditioned at The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. Deep golden colour, minimal head. Nice aroma of fruity hops. Hoppy flavour.

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

Rerate, June 2019: 500 ml swingtop bottle, from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.7%. Golden colour, large white head. Aroma of malts, honey, flowers and grass. Moderately sweet but still refreshing flavour, notes of malts and honey, hints of caramel, moderate hops. Original rating 2005: 500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate carbonation, good mouthfeel. Pleasant malty sweet aroma with strong notes of butterscotch and honey. Flavour has also butterscotch notes, but also a decent hoppy bitterness well balanced with the malts. Very drinkable.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Pale golden colour, decent head. Moderate carbonation. Moderate aroma of aromatic hops, some fruity and grassy notes. Flavour is reasonably hoppy but the malty base is very moderate. Fairly dry mouthfeel, bitter finish. OKish helles.

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

500 ml bottle, many thanks to Gr0ve who supplied it to me from SmartClub Norway. Pours cloudy golden with the typical large hefeweizen head. Strong yeasty aroma with notes of melons, bananas, fermenting fruits and spices. Hints of ammonium. Typical hefe flavour with cloves, not as light-bodied as some other hefes, fairly dry, tolerable hops. Not bad at all. I hope this beer becomes more easily available in Norwegian grocery stores, the ABV allows it.

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

500 ml can, bought in Norway. The Swedish 5.2% version is too strong for us! Very pale golden colour, large fluffy head. Sweetish aroma, notes of apples, sidenotes of soap. Bland and uninteresting pale lager flavour, but not quite as offensive as I feared. Some metallic bitterness in the finish. God knows why they have introduced this beer on the Norwegian market. Maybe some Swedish expats feeling homesick?