UPDATED: DEC 30, 2022 Bottle 2005 pours dark mahogany with a beige head. Aroma is musty cellar, toffee, red berries. Flavor is a bit aged, sweet toffee, red fruit, tobacco, a little cellophane. Full and smooth feel. Interesting but don’t love it despite the great name.

UPDATED: JUN 9, 2022 Panda at home, post first tasting back at Canary Wharf, my bad timing ... thanks to LKS for this bottle. Extremely dark mahogany brown with a thin beige cap that soon dissipates. Nose is sweaty fruits, figs, vinous tones, brown bread, nutty, earthy, fruit slice. Taste comprises dusty fruits, brown bread, big oxidised tone, nutty, stewed fruits, sweaty knickers. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, light drying close. Not terrible for the perceived age and fun to rake RB bier #175 ! I have had a few bottles of this back in the late 90's bit no recollection rating wise aside from novelty high boost shit!

UPDATED: JUN 9, 2022 Bottle shared in Canary Wharf - picked up from GBBF I think. Vintage from the 1970s. Pours mostly clear ruby-brown with a small, foamy tan head. Lightly sweet, lots of meat and leather, a little brown sugar, it’s all fairly oxidised. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Toasted malts, old leather, aged berries to finish. So so.

UPDATED: JUN 9, 2022 Bottle shared at Welcome back to DS Tasting. Thanks to Leighton. A mostly clear a,ber bropwn colourd pour with no head. Aroma is minty, aged brown malts, stale brown bread, toffee, little smoke. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, salty, toffee, salty malts, toffee, . Palate is semi sweet, salty, mellow carbonation. Aged.

UPDATED: AUG 30, 2020 From notes. Dark ruby pour, decent off tan head. Nose is currants and dark rosted malt. Middle is treacle, dried fruit, dark kilned malt, with an earthy hoppiness. Finish is warm, malty, slightly woody.

UPDATED: DEC 27, 2019 500ml bottle from Tesco’s, Watford drunk on 20/12/2005. A much nicer Christmas ale than their Christmas Pudding Beer. More of a winter warmer and nice strong ale, rather than going nuts on the spice.

UPDATED: JUN 16, 2019 Bottle (best before 2008!) @Bir&Fud Bottega (Rome). Bruna leggermente rossastra, schiuma avorio media. Al naso note di toffee, nocciola, caramello, biscotti di marzapane. In bocca è dolce, ma non stucchevole, con finale piacevolmente amarognolo. Corpo medio-alto, carbonazione leggera. Nonostante l'età, ha retto alla grande!

From old tasting notes. Translucent reddish brown color with a tannish brown head of immense proportions. Bittersweet toasted malt aroma has a caramel character. Intensely sweet toasted malt flavor upfront is slightly cloying. Bittersweet middle is heavy and complex. Finish is bitter and highly hopped leading to a long bitter aftertaste. Big, full bodied and potent. A mouthful in every sip. Outstanding!

Rated from old notes for posterity. Very pleasant. Has an underying burnt bitterness with fruity overtones. Creamy. Warming, but not so alcoholic as the style might dictate.

"smooth, malty, and sweet, but thin and boring compared to the best of this style. still better than an average beer, but subpar for a barleywine. needs to be more complex (compelling?)"