Grans Lettol (Norway) 2.4%

Buttery & malty. Crisp and refreshingly carbonated. Fairly thin on taste because it's only 2.4% ABV but what is there is thoroughly delicious. This is the best of all of Grans beers oddly enough, the rest of them are sour and poorly balanced except for Bare, but their Lettol is still tops in my books. But best of all! It only costs 3.90 NOK which is around 65 cents Canadian. This is the beer that will forever remind me of Oslo and Norway and one of my mainstays here over the last four months. I'm down to my last few days in Oslo and I'm getting nostalgic so forgive me, but I'm really going to miss this beer.

Cheers!

Brakspear's Oxford Gold (England) 4.6%

In my opinion if you are going put a bumblebee on your label and bottle cap the beer should at least take a little like honey. Or at least be sweet. Not the case.

Hoppy and little bitter. Very mild flavours, almonds and vegetable greens. Crisp tasting, refreshing and the aftertaste is nice. It is balanced but there isn't much to balance. Amber in colour and underwhelming in flavour. More carbonated than I expected for an English beer: it had me burping.

On a hunch I left it for a while until its temperature approached room temperature and the flavours did come out a little more: more bitter, and tastes of apples blossoms.

Certified organic by the Soil Association and unless you are determined to drink an organic beer or just want it's really cute bottle cap this can be given a pass.

Sorry Folks ...

No post this Wednesday: exams instead! I'll put something up later this week and soon I'll start my three part series on the Jule Beers of Scandinavia.

Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Carlsberg & Carlsberg's Elephant (Denmark)

Carlsberg 4.6%

Probably not the best beer in the world (despite what their slogan says). It has a slightly malty taste which is a little bitter for an international lager but all in all it does not feature a very interesting taste. Not the worst of the generic beers out there but you might as well get a cheaper (a.k.a. local) one that has a full 5.0% ABV since I don't see why you'd only be drinking this for the flavour. That is unless you are in Denmark, because as they say: " When in Denmark, drink Carlsberg (at least once)!" No really they say that over there all the time...

Carlsberg Elephant 7.2%

The first thing I notice with this beer is its almost, but not quite, syrupy texture. It tastes a little of almonds and toasted bread; a little bitter and a little sweet. It makes me think of a "grown-up's" version of Colt 45: it's main feature is its high alcohol content but spend a little bit more money to get a better flavour. It doesn't taste like 7.2% but it packs a wallop.

Certainly worth trying if you are passing through Denmark and want a strong beer without much flavour (good or bad) but if you miss it, well, you are not exactly missing a unique or special beer.

A Selection of Beers From the Aass Brewery in Drammen, Norway

Aass Bayer 3.4%

A delicious dark tasting beer with hints of coffee, chocolate and maybe even wood (oak?). Predictably dark in a glass.

18.50 NKR for a 330ml bottle.


Aass Bayer Uten 0.6%

This a dark alcohol free beer, it's chocolaty and ever so slightly bitter - like dark chocolate - but it tastes as though something is missing from its pallet. This isn't a trait of good alcohol free beers of which there are a surprising number in Norway.

7.90 NKR for a 330ml bottle.

Aass Lettol 2.1%

A delightfully fruity and light beer, a hint of bitter in the tast but a refreshing and clean aftertaste. Full carbonation.

8.90 NKR for a 330ml bottle
Aass Original Pilsner 3.4%

This is another good beer from a really good brewery. A sparks filled burst of flowery flavour (almost like a spontaneous fermentation beer) with a bitter aftertaste. Very clear yellow colour - surprising for a beer with so much unfiltered flavour.

15.50 NKR for a 330ml bottle.
Aass Sommerol (summer beer) 4.7%

Tasty but tastes like a watered down version of the delicious Aass original pilsner: a little fruity sort of like a spontaneous fermentation beer. Maybe that's what they mean by a 'Summer Beer'? Has a flowery flavour as well, but overall quite mellow.

Last and least ...

Aass Vorterol 0.0%

There is a cute brown bear on the label ... and it tastes like bear fur may have been used in the production of this gross beer. I'm going to have to try this again because I love everything else this brewery makes that I've tasted. It tastes musty and TOO sweet as if it has been sweetened with artificial sweeteners. The taste is sort of like a restaurant with poor ventalation and a lot of examples of taxidermy. It is dark and has a thick foam ... it's really gross.

(Blech!)