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

Brewed by Mack (Tromsø) to get market shares in Nordland county, when Ringnes closed Nordlandsbryggeriet. This is just another one in the long list of 'neutral' pilseners, nothing special whatsoever. Could definitely use more hops.

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

A modern style pilsener, quite acceptable. Rerate (can): Very light golden colour, moderate head, very light bodied, fairly dry, distinct but slightly metallic bitterness.

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

Slightly lighter golden colour than Mack Pilsner, marginally darker than Mack Isbjørn. Moderate head, standard pils aroma. Light bodied, slightly metallic bitterness.

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

(330 ml bottle). Amber colour, good head. Aroma is quite good, some caramel and oak. Flavour is a major disappointment, surprisingly tasteless, bland and boring, with some fusel notes (I did not have the beer as a chaser with aquavit, which is the brewery's recommended use of this beer). Aftertaste is short and not very good. Low bitterness. Not recommended!

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

Vintage 2004, 250 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Bottle No. P 08270. I know I should have cellared this beer for 25 years, but I just couldn’t wait. 25 years from now - I might have been dead a long time by then. Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. No head, minimal carbonation. Intense sweet aroma of raisins, also notes of molasses, oak and leather. VERY sweet flavour, oak, molasses and raisins again, alcoholic and "raw" in the edges, notes of pipe tobacco. Not nearly as good as the 1990 vintage I sampled at the RBESG 2005, which proves that this beer really NEEDS to be cellared for at least a decade. Its "old sherry or port"-like qualities are not there yet. The brewers are not just teasing you when they recommend cellaring - they actually mean it. But even at this "raw" and unfinished stage it is clear that this beer has capabilities. Be prepared for a substantial sweetness even after many years of cellaring, though.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Deep reddish brown colour, not as dark as many other Baltic porters, large light brown head. Malty sweet aroma, hints of roastiness, dried dark fruits and bakery. Very sweet and malty flavour, verging on "cloying" but is not over the hilltop. Just enough hops to keep my interest. Mellow and rounded mouthfeel, again associations of something out of a bakery. Faint hints of roastiness and coffee in the background. I’m not quite sure what to make of this beer - maybe too sweet, but still pleasant enough to convince me to buy it again on a day my "sweet tooth" needs to be satisfied.

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

(500 ml can). Typical pils pale golden colour, large head diminishing rapidly. Moderate herbal pils aroma, flavour is slightly drier than the ordinary Mack pilsener. Not offensive, but not much to remember either. With all the beer varieties Mack brew, you'd think they could come up with something more exciting than umpteen varieties of uninteresting lagers.

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

(500 ml can). Dark golden autumn beer, some caramel sweetness. Drinkable, but you expect more from a seasonal brew. Adding some caramel malts to a run of the mill lager is not going to impress anyone any more.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Very dark brown with a reddish hue, decent light tan head. Moderate but very pleasant aroma of roasted barley and oatmeal, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, seaweed, tar and woodwork. Roasty flavour with distinct elements of tar and peaty smoke, notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Can’t detect the honey, not very sweet. Mouthfeel is acceptable but could have been fuller. Moderate roasty aftertaste. All in all an enjoyable brew.

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

330 ml brown bottle. Locally brewed by Lervig in Stavanger. Gone are the clear bottles and pilseners contract brewed by Mack and Trio. This one is very pale straw coloured, decent lingering head. Pleasant fruity aroma, notes of honey and grass too. Very light bodied, tolerable hoppy character, some bitterness in the aftertaste. No offensive sidenotes. Better than the contract brewed (now retired) Lervig Pilsner.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. ABV is 5.7%. Dark ruby nearly black colour, large tan head. Aroma is overhelming chocolate (like chocolate sauce), artificial vanilla, cocoa, candy and caramel. Definitely too much of all the sweet aromas. Flavour is not quite as overwhelmingly sweet as the aroma makes you fear, but pretty close. Again: too much chocolate, cocoa and artificial vanilla, some coffee notes too. I’m not amused. Couldn’t finish the bottle.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Black (= very dark ruby) colour, good tan head. Pleasant aroma: chocolate, roasted barley, coffee, prunes, leather. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, faintly acidic. Mellow flavour of roasted barley / dark malts, low bitterness. Not too much going on flavourwise, does not quite live up to the expectations the aroma creates.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Copper coloured, good light tan head. Very nice strong aroma of flowery hops, notes of honey and fruits too, hints of oak and caramel. Full and rich mouthfeel. Initially sweet and oaky flavour of dried fruits, then a massive hoppy bitterness takes over and lasts through the aftertaste. Not very well balanced IMO, the very bitter finish kind of kills all other qualities this beer has.

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

12 fl. oz. bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black. Greyish brown foamy head. Very nice roasty aroma, notes of chocolate, liquorice, leather and oak. Roasty flavour with notes of strong coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Long bitter aftertaste from the roastiness and hops. Not bad at all.

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

This beer was originally brewed by Nordmørsbrygg in Kristiansund (Norway's "bacalao capital"), but they had problems keeping a consistent quality, and the beer is now contract brewed by Trio Bryggeri in Skien. Colour is deep golden, good head. Sweet fruity (pear-like) aroma. Flavour is quite malty for a pale lager, unfortunately with some of the "boiledness" which seems to be a trademark of Trio Bryggeri. Drinkable, but not much more.

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

(330 ml bottle). This beer is intended as an accompaniment with "rakfisk" (="rakaure", half-fermented trout) - I had it on its own. Golden to amber colour, good to moderate head. Aroma of hops and caramel. Flavour is well balanced, juniper contributes, together with the hops, to a nicely rounded bitterness. Not a bad lager this one. Would profit on a slightly higher ABV, though.

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

500 ml can. Contract brewed by Trio Bryggeri for Libo Trading (trade mark owner). I wouldn’t bet that this isn’t a re-label of Trio’s ordinary pilsner, but I can’t do a side-by-side comparison, so I can’t really tell. Like Trio Pilsner: Pale golden colour, moderate head. Run of the mill pils, "neutral" flavour, thin mouthfeel. Nothing to write home about.

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

(500 ml can). Golden colour, fairly malty aroma and flavour, sweet, lacks "bite". Not a favourite of mine this one. Trio Bryggeri are struggling hard to brew a decent beer - this one is not one to remember.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

(330 ml bottle). Very pale golden colour, some malty sweetness - and then: not much more. Thin mouthfeel. Not good. Norwegian "sommerøl" (summer beers) are all uninteresting pale lagers without any character - as if our ordinary pilseners were not "summer beers" good enough!

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

(500 ml can). Golden colour. Pleasant aroma. Clean, well balanced flavour. Not a bad lager. Better than Trio Pilsner. "Fatøl" is Norwegian for "draught beer", but this beer still comes out of a can!

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

(500 ml can). Pale golden colour, moderate head. Run of the mill pils, "neutral" flavour, thin mouthfeel. Nothing to write home about. Trio Bryggeri is a former soft drink factory that started brewing a few years after the old brewery in Skien, Lundetangen Bryggeri, was closed.

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

750 ml corked "champagne" bottle. Vintage 2003. As far as I know, this is the only commercially produced craft cider from Norway (the other Norwegian "ciders" are more or less industrial alcopops made with a little apple or pear juice). Very expensive (NOK 145 at Vinmonopolet). Pours very fizzy (strong natural carbonation), no lasting head, carbonation dies out quickly. Pale yellow colour. Aroma of fresh and fermenting apples, notes of oak and apple cider vinegar. Flavour is sweet (too sweet) and alcoholic, notes of oak and vinegar, hints of spices. One small glass is enough. Apparently the 3 apple varieties used (Aroma, Gravenstein and Torstein, all good to eat) are not ideal for cider production. Overall disappointing. Will not buy again.

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

Draught at Café t'Arendsnest, Amsterdam. I expected of some reason this to be a Dutch copy of English cask ales, but it has a more yeasty and spicy flavour than any English brew I've had, and is also more carbonated. (But not as carbonated as Belgian ales). Flavour is otherwise dominated by rather bitter hops (but not as bitter as the barman made me expect). The colour is light brown, slightly hazy. You'd think the ABV was higher than it actually is. It is not a bad brew, but I'd prefer most English ales / bitters to this one. Still it's nice to find Dutch alternatives to the inevitable macrobrews

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

500 ml can, sold at Vinmonopolet. Peculiar yeasty (even though this is a filtered and pasteurised lager) sweet and fruity aroma. Flavour is nothing to shout hurrah! for (bland and alcoholic), very little aftertaste. You'll be so more happy drinking any Norwegian Christmas beer ('Juleøl') - just be sure to get the strong ("klasse F", Vinmonopolet) version. Beers like this one just aren't flavourful enough for winter, and not refreshing enough for summer!

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

330 ml bottle: Reddish amber colour, relatively pale for a dunkel, good head. Malty aroma with caramel and some aromatic hops. Light bodied but well balanced, fairly malty but not really sweetish, nutty flavour with a reasonable amount of hops which make it refreshing. Nice.