3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Coal and cream nose, deep black body and a mighty off white head. Drapery dark chocolate with a slightly sultana initial taste. Weird open, ciabatta breadiness to a soft midrange before a clotted cream syrupy smoke claws back into the palate. Belittiling finish but in itself has a well rounded dense parting that is almost a new dance in itself.
Previously had this on Cask a few times and its consistently been excellent. For the ABV even more so. Slalom of Porter flavours and a smooth slide from start to finish.
Bottle, Appelation Wines, Bin Ends, Edinburgh
3.1 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
From cask, handpump at The National Winter Ales Festival. Shared with Finn. Dark body with deep ruby highlights. Fragile bubbles at the top. Malt and vanilla nose. Grainy chocolate to the taste character alongside hints of coffee and liquorice. Dry bitter ending. Tasty and easy drinking porter (Manchester, 23.01.2013).
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Aroma: Chocolate ice-cream, raisins, wedding cake and sugar.
Appearance: Dark brown body with ruby highlights. Massive tan head that holds well. Great lacing.
Taste: Creamy chocolate, mild coffee and vanilla. Bitter, slightly tangy finish. Incredible amount of flavour for a 4.3% ABV beer.
Palate: Medium body with an oily texture. Lively carbonation.
Overall: Rich and very tasty. Would like to try this on cask.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
[500ml bottle, Appellation Wines, Edinburgh] Ruby black beer, with a light beige head. Nose of molasses and liquorice, deep stone fruit. Coffee on the flavour, with more of that dark fruit – tastes quite like bitter dark chocolate, or cherries soaked in kirsch. Tastes very strong for only 4.3% - really impressive mouthfeel. Dry finish. I thought this was lovely [28052012]
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 13/20
Cask by handpump at West Kirk, Ayr (1 Apr 12) - coffee / chocolate aroma, very dark red ale with an oatmeal head, taste is smoky / coffee, served just a fraction too cold, oily finish
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Cask, The Salmon, Leicester. Black with a firm beige head. Aromas are earthy and nutty with leather and floral notes. Deep roast malts with coal and mellow berry fruit. Flavours are dry roast malts with lots of peppery notes. Nutty and woody with some blackberry. Dark chocolate and coffee bitterness to finish. More stout than porter in my view. Good, though.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Cask at The Malt And Hops. Dark brown black with an off -white head. Loads of roasted/burnt malt on the flavour. Charcoal and that. Very roasty and proportionally less bitter a finish than you’d imagine. Body is perhaps a little thin.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Cask (gravity) @ The 17th Reading Beer and Cider Festival 2011, Reading, Berkshire England.
Clear dark black brown colour with a average, frothy and open, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, chocolate, sweet chocolate, vanilla. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long to average duration, chocolate, coffee, dusty, coffee funnel. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20110429]
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle. Pours very dark brown with a tan head. Coffee aroma. Flavour is coffee, chocolate and treacle. Lingering bitter finish. Creamy mouthfeel. OK.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Tasted this at the Troon Beer Festival in October 2011. Cask, handpump dispense. Dull black in colour with a thin tan head. Strong roast grain notes in the long aroma. Thin and oily mouthfeel and poor lacing. Dark malts give a rich chocolate malt base with smooth sweet caramel flavours which mix well with creamy mocha coffee and burnt roast grain. A slight prickle of hop resins in the short aftertaste disappears quickly as malt returns to give a treacle toffee flavour in the finish. An excellent session porter and well recommended.
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