Cask (gravity) @ The National Winter Ales Festival 2008, Manchester, UK. Clear medium to dark yellow / golden color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, fully diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is light to moderate malty, roasted, fruity, light alcohol. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is flat. (170108)

<i>A Mes rate: Gravicask at Manc Winter Fest.</i><br />Rich dark golden brown with a slight white rim. Aroma of marzipan, angel cake, fruity banana notes &#40;yes Fin&#41; and some really sweet alcohol. Flavour follows on nicely. There is plenty going on here. The banana turns more pineapple and there is a lovely warm alcoholic finish. British beers with this much alcohol can often taste like paint stripper but this is really well done.

<i> Cask at The National Winter Ales Festival, Manchester 18-01-07 </i> A warm almost orange coloured beer with good clarity. Was quite surprised to see an Archers beer at this strength as more used to seeing a 1001 different versions of something around 4% from them, still back to the beer in question. There was a bloody good depth of flavour to this beer, ok so the alcohol wasn’t always that subtle but there was an awful lot else going on, I found plenty of tasty tangy fruits in there along with a surprising banana element amongst some other tropical stuff, and occasionally too much sweetness nonetheless I rather enjoyed this and would look out for again quite happily.

Cask handpump at the Swan in the Rushes, Loughborough. Dark golden colour with a slim white creamy head, good lacing. Sweet, malty and fruity. Full bodied and surprisingly drinkable; as in, I was surprised at how easily several pints were downed.