On cask at Sutton Coldfield Football Club - A nice surprise this one, autumn reddy-brown coloured body, thick lacing white head. Not too much in the way of nose, the expected fruitiness and caramel notes seemed to be a bit muted to be honest. Taste is more in the way of what I hoped, rich and malty, like a nice piece of Soreen in a glass. Mouthfeel was sublime, which was a great bonus to send it down a treat. Pity we lost the game.

Cask at the Squirrel, High Wycombe. Amber-red with a moderate creamy head. Fruity up front- oranges and sweet stewed plums. Some leafy hops give balance at first but are eventually overtaken by the usual GK toffee. Quite a flavoursome beer, but rather sweet.

Cask @ The Stapleton Tavern, Stroud Green. Pours an autumn leaf colour, rich with sweetish malts. Very flavoursome and moreish.

Cask @ Ship, Bedford (GK). Mid-brown. A lot of light gets through. Although this is the first pint off a new barrel, there’s just the right amount of head/carbonation. Honestly can’t smell much, a bit malty/fruity, nothing offensive. Taste is quite lovely really - very sweet without being cloying - although there isn’t a lot of complexity. Finish is more astringent. It’s a bit controversial to say it but most Greene King beers, including this one, are not bad at all. Nothing to get excited about either.

18th December 2012
Cask at the Goodmans Fields Spoons. Clear brown - amber beer. Small off white head. Smooth palate. Sweetish malts and sweet orange marmalade. Overall quite a sweet beer. Drinkable but I could not be bothered with another and switched to lager!

Cask at the Quinns Head (Harlequinns RFU), Twickenham- 16/11/12. Dark chestnut brown with a thin tan head that quickly clears to the edge. Nose is dark malts, dark fruits, toffee, nutty tones, light hops in the background. Tastes of dark malts, caramel, treacle toffee, nuts, figs, marshmelow, butterscotch angel delight. Medium bodied, light carbonation, smooth on the palate, bitter finish.

Cask at Assembly House, London. Pours clear, golden-brown with a fine, light tan cream head. Sugary, semi-dark malt nose, some toast. medium sweet flavor with lots of unfermented sugars and mild, leafy bitterness. Light bodied with fine, creamy carbonation. Sugary finish with faint caramel, some berries. Nothing special.

My bottled review of this beer (Nov 2008) reads a lot differently to this: with one or two trends common! Hand pulled pint in some random pub (The Anchor), Cambridge, England in late Nov 2011. ‘Late hopped for a mellow fruity flavour’ according to the brewery: let’s see if I agree. Dark Chestnut brown/red with a cream coloured crown of foam; looked OK. Malts in the aroma, roasted ones, add some candied fruit and nuts for good measure. The flavours also on the malty side, again with some hints of dried fruits and nuts: on the sweeter side more than dry or citrusy in taste. The body was thinner than it looked, no true depth at all considering the brewery claim it is a ‘Winter Warmer’. Nothing wrong with it, a dark coloured bitter with a pleasant enough blend of ingredients, easy to drink and inoffensive: however I couldn’t find any evidence of that ‘Late hopped for a mellow fruity flavour’ stuff. As an overview: just another Greene King beer to flood the market with, most likely made from a regular base brew and tinkered with.

Cask at the Nascot Arms, Watford. Red brown in colour with a loose white head; aroma of well roasted malts and caramel; rich, roasted malt flavour with some nuts and sour purple fruit; dry finish. A warming and pleasant pint on a cold winters evening.

Cask at Queens Larder, Bloomsbury 15 Nov 08. Dark brown colored. A small fluffy head. Aroma of nuts amd malt. Flavor is fruity with plums and raisins. Sweet – but a dry fruity bitterness emerging.