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

Cask 1/3 pint at the Adnams bar, 46th Cambridge Beer Festival, 2019. ABV 5.0%. Black colour, tan head. Aroma and flavour of coconut, marshmallow, lactose and oak, but fortunately not too sweet.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway. ABV is 4.3%. Crystal clear golden colour, big to moderate head. Moderate aroma of grain and citrussy hops. The flavour is dry and refreshing with distinct and pleasant notes of citrussy Boadicea hops throughout, but the malts do not come up front. Moderate but nice bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. All the "environment friendly" hype aside, this is a fairly decent refreshment ale, not exceptional but nice enough.

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

500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 5.5%. Brewed with American Chinook and Columbus hops. Golden colour, large foamy head. Pleasant hoppy aroma and flavour, both with notes of citrus and dry white wine. Bitter finish. Okay beer, but I’d like the malts to come through too.

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

(Cask conditioned). Guest ale in the-first-pub-you-get-to-after-crossing-Tower-Bridge-(left-side)-South-bank- of-the-Thames (you guessed it, I forgot the pub's name). Copper coloured, malty & nutty. Very tasty.

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

500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Clear deep golden to amber colour, moderate white head. Very nice aroma of fruity / citrussy hops. Relatively light bodied, but has a solid hoppiness throughout. Citrussy notes, resinous and bitter in the aftertaste. Not very sweet, but has some notes of caramel malts. Another decent ale from Adnams.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.0%. Chestnut coloured beer, big light tan head. Aroma of berries and malts, hints of toffee. The flavour is brimming with fruit/berries, caramel and malts, but is not too sweet, with a pleasant hoppy bitterness and some chocolate notes in the finish. Excellent beer, and quite amazing that it is only 4%.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 6.7%. Hops are Boadicea, Styrian Goldings and Columbus. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Pleasant hoppy aroma, also notes of fruits, hints of honey, toffee and blackcurrant leaves. The well rounded flavour has a nice balance between distinct malts and pleasant hops, some fruity sweetness, honeyish notes, the alcohol is noticeable but not disturbing. Moderately bitter aftertaste. Good beer.

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

330 ml can, from Coop, Aberdeen. ABV is 5.0%. Reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Aroma of fruity and piney American hops, hints of caramelized orange marmalade. Medium dry flavour, some lightly roasted malts, followed by piney and grapefruity hops.

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

Keg halfpint at The Shakespeare, London Victoria. Golden colour, white head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops (tropical fruits). The flavour is medium dry and crisp, but still with a well balanced residual sweetness, and distinct notes of fruity Galaxy hops (tropical fruits again). The bitterness is still moderate. Enjoyable beer.

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

Keg half pint at The Flying Horse, Gatwick Airport. Deep golden to amber colour, white head. Hoppy aroma, piney notes. Piney and grapefruity hops in the flavour, solid bitterness.

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

Keg halfpint at The Jubilee Oak, Crawley. 4.1%. Golden colour, white head. Nice Mosaic aroma, notes of tropical fruits. Light bodied. Distinct Mosaic in the médium dry flavour too, notes of tropical fruits and grapefruit, some pine.

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

330 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6%. Hazy pale golden colour, small white head. Pleasant aroma of citrus and tropical fruits, hints of spruce. Citric and crisp mouthfeel. The flavour is slightly dry and very refreshing, citrus notes with hints of tropical fruits and spruce, ending in a well balanced hop bitterness.

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

500 ml bottle, bought in Norway. A new beer from Adnams, developed from their long gone Champion Pale Ale. Amber colour, big off-white head. Biscuits, some malts and a moderate fruitiness in the aroma. The flavour has fruity hops on a decent malty base, and the mouthfeel is very good for a 3.4% beer.

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

Cask at the Number Twenty-2, Darlington. Black colour, ruby in the highlights, creamy beige head. Nice aroma of mildly roasted malts, mild coffee and chocolate. Smooth mouthfeel. Roasty flavour, medium sweet (or medium dry, if you like), notes of coffee.

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

Cask half pint at The Flying Chariot (JDW), Heathrow Airport, terminal 2. Black colour, beige head. Mildly roasty and fruity aroma. Smooth, deliciously fruity and mildly roasty flavour, high drinkability. Will buy again if I can find it.

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

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle conditioned, ABV is 7.2%. Mahogany coloured beer, big beige head. Vinous aroma, notes of raisins and other dark dried fruits, also hints of caramel. The flavour is fairly malty and moderately sweet (but not as sweet as I expected), with hints of dark dried fruits and caramel again, while the finish is biscuity dry with noticeable hops. Fairly bitter aftertaste.

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

Cask conditioned at the Courtfield, Earls Court, London. Low head, some carbonation. Colour is amber to brown, I think (the pub was not well lighted). Modest aroma. Flavour is very much a "standard bitter", which is not necessarily a bad thing, but not very exciting either. Lacks a "fresh" touch. Reasonably bitter aftertaste.

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

500 ml bottle, under its new name "Adnams The Bitter", bought at Ole Simon, Sandnes. Amber colour, large and lasting creamy off-white head. Moderate toffee aroma, hints of nuts and oak. Flavour is nutty with a distinct hoppy bite in the finish. Not bad.

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

330 ml stubby bottle, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 8.5%. Brown colour, huge beige head. High (too high) level of carbonation, even in the mouth. Fairly strong aroma, very much a "typical Belgian dubbel": notes of brown malts, caramel, brown kandij sugar and mild spices. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma, but is not too sweet. The hops are very moderate, I’d like some more. Still a decent and drinkable beer as it is.

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

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.0%. Clear chestnut to mahogany colour, large off-white head. Aroma of smoked malts and bonfires, but not quite as intense as I expected (or feared). The flavour has a moderate malty sweetness with some caramel, and distinct notes of smoked malts and smoked meat. Moderate hops.

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

Shared 500 ml bottle at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal. Dark reddish brown colour, off-white head. Pleasant aroma of lightly roasted malts, black bread and alder smoke. Smooth flavour, moderate alder smoke and black bread again, a slight fruitiness, moderate hops. Lots of flavour for a 4.2% beer. A full bottle for me next time, please!

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

500 ml bottle, from MENY Grønland Torg, Oslo. ABV is 4.3%. Pale yellow colour, large white head. Moderate aroma of smoked sausage. Ordinary helles flavour with a little smoke added. Moderate hops in the finish. Nice enough to drink, but did not blow my socks off.

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

500 ml bottle, vintage 2024, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Also available at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 5.9%. Clear and deep reddish brown colour, large off-white head. Aroma of smoked malts and smoked meat. Malty flavour, slightly sweet, smoked malts galore. Moderate to low bitterness.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

(500 ml bottle). Well, any idiot can recognize that this beer has MORE aroma than (nearly) any other beer, and MORE flavour than a lot of beers. But to make a 100% honest rating, I have to ask myself: Do I actually LIKE the overpowering smell of smoked meat? Sadly, the answer is NO. I'm a beer drinker, not a goddamn sausage maker! The flavour is not quite as overpowering smoky as the aroma - at least you get a notion that you're drinking a beer and not just liquid smoked meat. Still, it tastes like something that has just been saved out of the burnt-out ruins of a brewery. Like any Marzen, it is quite light bodied (when you try to ignore the smokiness, of course). I probably have to admit that Rauchbiers are not my cup of tea - sorry, beer - but would still like to sample the Urbock as I imagine that a heavier beer would carry the smokiness better than a Marzen. Did I mention that this beer at least LOOKS good? - good head, beautiful dark copper colour.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 6.5%. Mahogany coloured beer, large beige head. INTENSE and pretty extreme aroma of smoked meat and burnt-out ruins of wooden houses, hints of tar. The flavour is also intensely smoky, but there is also a malty sweetness to back it up. Moderate hops in the finish. You have to be impressed (one way or another) by this beer - but I have trouble deciding if I really LIKE the overwhelming smokiness. I know a lot of people LOVE it - I’ll just say: Give it a try!