an dark amber coloured ale with little maly nose, and a nutty and fruity flavout.

Bottle. Reddish brown beer with a mildly strong head. The aroma is lightly coffee and the flavour is very bitter and roasted. Overall a nice beer.

Very dark red-brown beer with a yellowish small head. Stupefying nose of running smelly cheese as <i>Camembert</i> or even <i> Herve</i>, aggressive to say the least. Taste is perpendicular to the nose - even when this last keeps coming in whilst drinking AND returns <i> diminuendo </i>retronasal, proving it to be no imagination. Still, the main taste is nearly bone-dry, wry, woody and a bit mossy or dark green leafy in flavour. Despite the description on the label, it is neither bitter neither malty, though warming up, I get some lightly bitter chocolate. Medium bodied at best, a bit spritzy MF. To the point: I loathe the smell. The rest is noticably better, but there is no running away from this creepy cheese smell, which reminds me of a J.K.Jerome 3-man-in-a-boat episode.

Bottle. Dark amber/brown with a small head. Aromas are sweet chocolate and caramel malts with some roast character, spiced fruit and hint of citrus. Flavours are mollasses with hints of chocolate. Very dry towards the finish with a thin bitterness. Some metallic notes. Tastes a bit stale. Very average.

1. Cask Handpump at the Smithfield Hotel, Manchester 01/03/2003 Amber coloured slightly fruity and malty. Lasting finish. 2. Cask Handpump at Wilkie’s Tavern, Warrington 17/04/2003 Amber mid brown coloured and bitter. Some wheat flavour and a slightly dry finish. 3. Cask Stillage at the Town Hall, Stockport 30/05/2003 Mid brown colour slightly fruity and malty. Some dryness in a bitter roast finish.