<b>1/25/03:</b>I have a firkin of this in my living room. I just poured my second pint. I must pat the cellarman &#40;myself&#41; on the back for a fine job was done. Vibrant amber with just a hint of chill haze &#40;in the middle of a deep freeze, this is to be expected at some point between the brewery and my place&#41;. A nice bit of natural foam indicates good condition. I had Perry dry-hop this with cascades instead of goldings &#40;actually, I wanted centennials because they rule, but he didn’t have any&#41;. The nose bursts with hop - foresty, lemony - but also contains a nuances of caramel, earth and minerals. The body is light as an ordinary should be. The palate begins with light malty nose mixing with citric undertones, but the balance shifts as the beer crosses the palate. Hops emerge in increasing intensity, leading to a wonderfully bitter flourish at the end. The cascades provide a nice break from the all-out goldings assault, while at the same time the minerally character, easy carbonation and underpinning pale malts lend this a very &#40;southern&#41; English character. <br /><br />This beer is much better on cask - it needs cellar temperature to really show its form. Dry-hops could be just about anything and you can ask the brewer to customize.

On tap at the Manx in Ottawa:<br /> <br /> Some grainy malt sweetness amidst quiet carbonation...Hop suggestions are present but distant, and the whole is headless and aimless, surprising for a Scotch Irish brew...Don’t know if the keg was old, or this is how the beer is supposed to taste, but other ratings suggest that my experience wasn’t as tasty as it’s supposed to be...Luckily I was in great company, so the beer was soon forgotten as just another drink with our wonderful meal...

Strong flowery hop aroma with some nice fruity esters. Clear, light copper coloured with decent white head that recedes to lasting cover. Hoppy grapefruit-pine flavour with excellent maly body and mild finishing bitterness. Low carbonation. Very drinkable. On cask at the Arrow and Loon in Ottawa on the way to the Grey Cup.

Tap at the Arrow and Loon. Hazy amber beer, thin white head. Fresh golding/fuggles hop aroma. Woody, fresh resiny aroma with a bit of light caramel sweetness. Light dusty, earthy malts. Body is quite thin but there is some very nice hop character. Well balanced, fairly tasty but a bit lacking in maltiness and body.

Golden amber with a nice white head. Very nice hoppy nose with some sharp, resinous hops in mouth, which lathers the inside of the mouth like shaving cream on your face...Not as sweet as the Welly County...nice creamy body