Cask gravity at Halfway House, Brenchley. Copper colour, disappearing head. Just a bit dull on the aroma. Biscuity malt, some toffee, some sharp hop that is a bit sherberty. Not as intense as I would expect a Harviestoun beer to be. Reasonable fullness in mouth, some nuttiness. Dryish finish.

Cask@The Red Lion, Isleworth, London. Deep copper colour as Chris O points out. Lagery sort of malts, quite neutral, but with a nice soft melony, kiwifruit hop flavour, nicely fresh, light and pleasant.

<i>A Mes rate: Cask at Elephant ’Sporks.</i><br />Golden brown with a decent white head. Very floral and citric with a slight sweetness from some biscuity malt underneath. Dusty finish. Nothing special.

<i>Any first impressions?</i><br /> -Creamy head lingers atop the copper hues.<br /> -Shy citrus fruit, dry biscuity malts, and straw comprise the unassertive aroma.<br /> -Plenty of leafy and citrusy hops dally for the pleasure of the haystack.<br /> -Flavors are well-structured amidst the typical low carbonation.<br /> <br /> <i>What if you dig deeper?</i><br /> -The shy aroma could be improved upon with some more hop announcement.<br /> -Leafy hop bitterness is quite muscular.<br /> -This is an enjoyable, hop-heavy bitter which lacks just a bit more personality to become very good, imho.<br /> <br /> <b>From the Bow Bar, Edinburgh.</b>

Attractive deep copper colour. A dryish, mainly malty beer, but Harviestoun likes to use plenty of hops and this is no exception. This provides a good balance. There are subtle spicy notes too. Whether this comes from the hops, or from added spices is not clear. If the latter, it’s very subtle and not overdone at all. A nice beer. Cask &#40;handpump&#41;, the Devereux, Temple, London.