Bottle. Brown with a large beige head. Aromas are weetabix and milk chocolate malts with yeast and berries. Toasty with hints of citrus. Flavours are sweet sweet toffee and molasses with herbal liquorice notes. Peppery on the palate with a dry finish. Good.

Bottle conditioned, 500ml. From Alexander Wines, Coventry. Dark brown with beige head. Roasted coffee notes in with a lasting bitterness, some malty biscuit, quite an interesting beer. A touch of yeasty earthy note in the body holds it back, but otherwise quite decent.

Cask, The Crown, Nuneaton. Quite a heady, full-bodied mild, really. Toffeish malt aroma dusted with coffee. A sniff of mildewy old books. Waxy dark fruit, coffee and biscuit, finishing with some alcohol and chiccory-like bitterness. Slightly damp, in a not-unpleasant way.

Bottle. Blackish brown beer with a good head. The aroma is oaty and lightly roasted and the flavour is roasted, lightly dry and quite creamy. Overall a very nice beer.

Cask (handpump) at The Market Tavern, Atherstone. Dark chestnut colour, with a ruby tinge. Creamy, off-white head achieved through heavy use of the tight sparkler. Aroma is mainly fruity (berry fruits and cherries to the fore) with some spicy notes. Plenty in the flavour - more dark fruit, caramel, toffee, liquorice with touches of chocolate and a slightly vinous edge. Firm, malty mouthfeel with enough hoppy bitterness to provide balance. A quite chewy, fruit dominated beer with plenty of body and presence. Very respectable indeed.