Potbelly Beijing Black

I finished off my drinking sessions at GBBF 09 with two ales from the Mid East England Bar. The cask version of this one was dark as the polar night (excluding the Northern Lights) and got a naked surface. Smell of different kinds of dark malts added by weak moments of roastiness. Bready malts with bitter coffee malts in flavour blended with anise sweetness. Medium bodied. A good mild with porter qualities (Earls Court, 07.08.2009).

More than a mild it tasted to me like a combination of stout an porter but it was extremelly good.

Cask at GBBF 2009: fruity, coffish, some sourness, thin body but quite full flavored.

Cask - The Duke of Wellington, Norwich. Practically pitch black with perhaps and slight brown edging and a fine, loose bubbly tan head on top. Dark, fruity malts, coffee and roasted malts on the nose. Roasty, chocolatey coffee malt flavours, some liquorice on the finish. A dry end, oily palate texture and a medium length finish.

Cask @ GBBF’09. Flat black with no head. Nose has some roasted, weak and unrefined. Sweet. Useless.

Cask via handpump at the Pembury Tavern, London on 15th July 2009 during their festival. Dark red/black with rapidly dispersing off-white head. A sweetish mild with some roasted malt aromas alongside caramel and biscuit (cookie) notes. Initially sweet but this mellows out towards a dryish finish of average duration, delivered on a smooth, rather flat mouthfeel afforded by somewhat lacking condition. The mark of three awarded for palate allows for the fact this was a festival beer.

500ml bottle from Waitrose Towcester. Flat when opened, poured blackish brown without any head; aroma has some chocolate and lots of farmyard; thin with toasted malt flavours and some chocolate; and a sour bready finish. Different, and not entirely pleasant. Perhaps it was just a duff bottle.

Deep red brown ... thick head ... light roast malt ... light chocolate ... thin body ... low carbonation ... light chocolate ... light yeast