Bells Copernicus

500ml bottle. Will not be agitated into a head from any height. Pitch pour with ruby edges and zero carbonation. Potent sweet sherry alcohol aroma,with touches of red wine and liquorice. Mouth damp and mildewy, developing some heady stewed apple, alcohol bitterness and parting roasted malt/liquorice. Lingeringly charred aftertaste. Too much alcohol, too many off-notes and not enough body for the malt to shine. Warming, flat and difficult. Musty hops sneaking through in the aroma as it warms. A gnaw of bitter choc. Eventually develops an Aardmonnick-like combination of sour fruit and smoky malt if left to stand, but not sure it’s intentional...

Cask, Leicester Fest 07. Deep chesnut brown in colour. Aromas are Autumn fruit with spices and caramel malts. Alcohol is very evident. Flavours are syrupy malts with some chocolate. Too much alcohol diverts from any character the beer may have. Sweet, forgettable and turbo charged.

Cask conditioned - gravity dispense - Leicester BF. A dark mahogany coloured beer with no head. The aroma is pretty harshly alcoholic and has notes of nail polish. The taste is like stinging nettles. Harsh and phenolic. Not the best strong beer.