3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20Half pint @Castle Hotel, Manchester, 04.Jul.2012.
Mahogany, almost black body. No head. Gingerbread is what first comes into mind, then cigars, pinetrees and liquorice. It’s almost like Christmas! And, wow!, the taste, also so complex: sweet anise, coffee, pepper, ginger, coal, crowberries, coal, smoke and some vinegar... Wow! Very interesting!
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap, rated from backlog. Aroma sweet and boozy, roasted barley, toffe and caramel. Taste of toffee, roasted barley, sweet, a bit fruity
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 14/20
Half pint at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester. Lovely, complex aroma. Dark red, almost black, fair head. Lovely, sweet, complex ale. Fine stuff.
2.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 11/20
Black with a red tint and a small head. Noticeably strong with a mild fruitiness.
4.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
This one is special. Dark chestnut brown with a red tin and a frothy thick, lasting head. Looks like a brandy. Smells of strong malt, caramel, berries and plum with no noticeable alcohol. Throat warmth, sticky medium body. Tastes of right roast, chocolate, nut and cherry with a strong bitter hop finish. Defiantly a fruit cake.Very rich and complex that would be gladly tasted again.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask@Junction Tavern, London. Coppery brown colour, small off-white foamy head, that leaves some lace. Aroma is nutty, csramelly, riped fruits, mild alcohol as well as some mild toasted notes. Flavour is ripe fruits, caramel, toffee, wood, mild alcohol as well as some mild chocolate and floral notes.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
First tasted this at the Boswell Hotel, Glasgow in January 1993. Cask, handpump dispense. Mahogany black in colour with hints of russet around the edges and a thick creamy buff head. Notes of old leather and cracked walnuts with ripe bramble fruit in the surprisingly short aroma. Smooth creamy texture to the thick mouthfeel and decent lacing. Dark malt complex gives a moist maltloaf base with sweet flavours of black plums, dates, molasses and rich dark chocolate. Very slight prickle of dusty hop flowers present in the brief aftertaste but this fades fast though. Finish is powerful, complex and very malty with strong vinous fruit notes of port, walnut oil, liquorice and oak cask dryness. This is a superb Barley Wine but really hard to find cask conditioned in Scotland though. Highly recommended.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Gravity at Battersea beer festival 2012, deep mahogany pour, caramel and treacle nose, wine, treacle and hints of bread, peach and marmalade. Faintly roast sultanas finish.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
Cask (CWAF2012, Thurs)
Packed full of weird esters and aromatics, but not a huge aroma. Sweet. Smooth palate, carbonation minimal. A touch too many odd spikes. Prefer the bottle to this sample, I think.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
A - caramel and dried fruit
A - dark gold
T - sweet
P - mid and soft
O - decent
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