3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
[Cask at the Monks Retreat (JDW), Reading] Reddish-brown (lighter than many porters) with a moderate beige head. Dry and smokey with hints of tobacco and wood. Maybe a little thin, but OK.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Cask. The High Cross, Leicester. Thin off-white head, dark brown body. Alcohol, malt, nuts, chocolate. Bitter. Dry finish.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
The High Cross,Leicester. Mahogany with ruby glints and a bone lid; doilies draping the glass. Soap and blackcurrant jam on burnt toast aroma. That gritty, burnt pistachio, coffee dregs on soapy blackcurrant with a splash of grapefruit character true to US porter. Light but well roasted. Having seen off a few draught NYC porters in NYC in the last couple of weeks, I can vouch this is spot on. Some serious burnt toast, burnt nuts and cream afters going on like a bad M+M. Capt Lawrence Smoked? Flavour well beyond its ABV and Englishness. BOTF for me so far.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
A Mes rate. Cask at Baker St. ’Sporks.
Dark chestnut brown with a thin off white head. This is pretty decent. Good roasty character and the wheat works well giving it a really pleasant body and full mouthfeel. There are plenty of hops too, enough to prickle my tongue but I just can’t help but feel maybe a different variety of hop would have integrated better with the beer. It’s a little too floral and aromatic for a stout and, although that provides plenty of interest maybe a different variety would have made this excellent. Whatever, it’s still a decent beer, as is pretty much everything from Titanic.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Cask at Standing Order, Edinburgh, Scotland. Dark brown colour, creamy off white head. Aroma of hard roasted malts, berries, toffee, coffee. Flavour is coffee, light fruity, hard roasted bitter finish. Light bodied.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Oadby. Near black with a beige foam. Aromas are chocolate and coffee with nutty and smoky notes. Almost like a Rauchbier. Flavours are sweet chocolate and plummy malts with sweet and bitter grapefruit. Dry on the finish. Good.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Cask @ The Edward Wyllie. Grassy chocolate aroma. Very dark brown colour with reddish tinge. Chocolate flavour that is slightly spicy. Very smooth & nice.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Cask, handpull at The Standing Order, JDW, Edinburgh, with Craig, Stella & Kids, Jan, Charlotte & Loz, 30.10.10 Pours black as yer’ at’ with a creamy textured white/off-white head. Lovely tangy dark fruit, bit intense roastiness then this softens to give a nice bitter bite. Really tasty stuff. Hard to see past this for beer of the festival for me, lovely. A8 A4 T8 P4 Ov16 4.0
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask at the Prince Arthur (JDW), Fleet. An attractive copper colour with a thin beige head; smooth, dry and creamy with a stout-like texture and some nutty roasted malt flavours. An interesting beer, in a blindfolded tasting I’m sure this could be mistaken for a stout.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
27th October 2010
Spoons Fest! Clear dark brown beer, residual white head. Light dry palate. Very mild dark malt, lightly spiced. Some tea and then some sweet orange hop hiding underneath. Traces of banana and bubblegum. Dry finish. Decent.
|
