4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Dark red and brown color with perfect head on the pour. Lacing was plentiful and the head stayed with me for the whole ride. Smells very rich and complex. A well brewed beer in it’s own right for sure. Flavors are very distinct. On this one I got a carmel/fruit taste along with a sweet yeast aftertaste. Goes down very smooth, coats your mouth like a stout by flies down your throat like a pale. Overall a excitingly tasty beer, obviously the best english strong ale I’ve ever had.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: DEC 12, 2009 2009-12-11. Crisp ruby brown body with a fingers worth of creamy foamy beige head and lace. Gorgeous looking! Flavour starts sweet with a rich caramel malt, touch of toasty malt grows as you go becoming lightly roasty in the aftertaste. 7+ Smooth average bodied palate is adequate, lightly carbonated, and is pleasant but feels just a touch lighter than the beer calls for. 3+ Aroma is pleasant, lightly dusty/toasty malt, caramel sweetness. 7+ Not quite as much oomph as I remember the bottle having, but possibly more drinkable overall. One of the better casks I have had I think. 7+/5/7+/3/16 - 3.8 Cask at Volo, Toronto
October 2007. Bottle. Dark amber brown body with a good creamy beige head. Sweet caramel malt and modest earthy hops in the aroma. (7+) Similar flavour with sold malty character, caramel and brown sugar notes, tangy earthy notes. (7+) Medium palate (3+) Very nice. 7/4/7/3/16 - 3.7
Sept 2004. Nice dark amber, good size off white head. Bit of caramel maltiness in the aroma. Nice, well balanced with the alcohol peeking out just a touch in the finish. Good malty flavour with a caramel undercurrent and an "English" hoppiness. Hints of toasted malt? Nice palate. 6/4/6/3/15 - 3.4
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
This poured a nut-brown color with lively carbonation and a creamy tan head. The aroma is of sweet roasted malts and dark fruits. It’s got a nice spicy malt flavor with mildly bitter hopping and somewhat of an alcohol presence. Nice dry sweet-sour finish.
3.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
UPDATED: OCT 16, 2004 Amber color, but not very much head. Very bitter, a little sour. Not thin, but it could have had a little more body. Quite an ordinary ale.
2.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 8/20
16th September 2007
Warning! Early amateur rating! Dark beer. Lots of malt and chocolate but then it’s followed by bitter coffee which jars. Just a bit too much like hard work.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Deep tan colour with small but fine beige head. Aroma is malty and fruity with some toffee and nuts. Flavor is, as said in the commercial description, almost fruit cake like.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Aroma: Initial sweet honey, pepper, aromatic esters with British hopping. Medium-full bodied. Smooth, clean with very nice gentle hop mouthfeel. Smooth but with short sharp flavour bursts with each sip. Finishes dry. Very pleasant, maybe a bit to dry at end.
2.4 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 9/20
UPDATED: JAN 26, 2012 Bottle (500mL, BB Jun 2012). Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is dark amber. Aroma is lightly malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (apricot), with a strong note of cardboard. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter, papery. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, lively carbonation.
Wow, still 6 months away from their BB date and already this is oxidized to hell (bought from cold storage too). Not much else in the nose besides the cardboard even. Dead in the mouth. Truly awful. I thought this used to be good???
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