<i>Cask at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. </i> Very dark brown. Roasty and creamy, sweet and fruity. Caramel and coffee with whipped cream and sugar. Fruity chocolate sauce finish with some cocoa bitterness.

Cask, have written down 4.5% in my notes, and called the pub up to ask if this is right, and according to the pumpclip it is 4.5%. The Cask didn’t state any abv. Very deep rubyish colour with small beige head. Aroma is mild caramel and roasted malts along with some chocolate and mild fruityness. Flavour is mild roast along with some woodenness and mild chocolate. A bit watery in the palate. Otherwise nice.

<i>A Mes rate: Cask at Shakespears Head McSporks.</i><br />Black red with a standard Sporks Sparkle &#40;tm&#41; head. Coffee and roasted malt aroma with some good bitter chocolate. Slightly astringent in the mouth. Big roasty chocolate malt finish. Good stuff but I think the 6.5% abv of its bigger brother gives it the balls it needs. The chocolate notes are lovely throughout however.

Cask conditioned at a Wetherspoons. Black with dark cream head. At last, i thought this had passed me by. had to wait for it to warm up, but got liquorice right from the start, with a little burnt tar, chocolate malt, but then it stopped improving. It left me with a sense of wanting, which is how I felt on going in to the pub. Oh well.

Cask conditioned - JDW Northampton. A black beer with an off-white head. The aroma is slightly salty with some soy notes. The taste is bitter and dry with some milky notes also. An ok beer but pales into insignificance against the stronger version.