Dark Star Critical Mass

Brewed by Dark Star
Style: English Strong Ale
Horsham, England

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Cask at the CASK Pub & Kitchen, 1st Nov 2010. Deep russet brown with little head. Nose of caramel with alcoholic undertones. Lots of licorice in the mouth. Very smooth, slightly oily. Reminds me of Woodforde’s Norfolk Nip.

UPDATED: JAN 7, 2008 amazing christmas time beer. smell resembles cereal with berries. its sweet with a light toastedness. berries in the beginning and a whiney sourness. really a special beer.

Dark, rich, bitter, chocolatey, balanced and drinkable. Hoppy too. Gorgeous. I could have another pint or three. Lethal.

What a fantastic beer! Increibly powerful in both aroma and flavour, really knocks you for six. Fruity with a little chocolate and a lovely tartness. I made the mistake of having 3 pints, that was my night over...

Cask at Port St. Beer House, Manchester. Pours a deep brown with an off-white head. Really explodes on the tongue with hops, sugar. dark fruits... this seems to have it all. Sticky and a bit viscous. It could’ve been a porter, a black IPA, a Belgian strong ale or anything in between. Really nice.

Cask at CPK. Pours a dark, ruby-brown with a tan, cream head. Nose holds dark malts, plums and toffee. Very sweet flavor, with strong caramel, lightly breay malts, more toffee, dark fruits, licorice and earthy bitterness. Medium in body with fine carbonation. Finishes has lots more sweetness, more ripe, dark fruit like plum and cherry, light bread and toasted malts that linger. Solid.

Complex, strong nose - nutty, woody and some molasses. Dark dark brown color with a low frothy head. Full warm sweet malt body with raisin and honey tastes. Tones of chocolate and toast all emerge in the background. Think with a very present alcohol component. Finishes like brandy, then turns a little spicy. Hey - this is a good British beer!

Bottle conditioned. Deep red, bordering on black, thin but lasting beige head and good condition. Evolving aromas, starting with fruity vimto like berries, some orange citric notes, sweet malt and roast barley. A delicate hop aroma develops and a final hint of liquorice as it warms. In the mouth it is quite thick and malty with hints of fruity berries (blackberry, maybe) some roast barley and a background yeastiness. The roast and hops conspire in the finish to produce a good tingly bitterness that lingers well with traces of coconut at the end.

Cask at The Rake, London Dark brown with a small, bubbly, tan head. Roasted chocolate and warming alcohol.

Cask @ the Rake, London.
Pours nice ruby-red with a fine, staying, creamy beige head. Aroma has toasted caramel, chocolate, mildly vinious, blackberries, figs. Low carbonation, fine oily and fat mouthfeel. Flavour is pleasant, chocolate, light tar, blackberries (the sweet ones). Fat maltiness, vinious and warming. Lovely, staying malty bitterness. Yum.