Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Cask at the Barrel Vault, St Pancras on 20th March 2026. Deep sepia with yellowy white foam and scant lacing. Fresh coffee roastiness in aroma. Bitter chocolate and coffee in-mouth and a finish reflective of both. Full body and smooth mouthfeel.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Dark brown with a frothy / creamy light tan head and roasted malt and a touch of grass on the nose. Medium bodied, creamy smooth, big roasted malt notes, coffee, treacle and brown sugar with grassy / citrus hop bitterness and a dry finish.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6

Interesting, if a touch unrefined. Some tarry bitterness, ashy cocoa, burnt sugars. Earth. Lingering ashy roast and baking cocoa. Not bad.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Cask at the Crown Rivers, Heathrow T5. It pours darkest brown to black with fluffy khaki head. The aroma is dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, earthy, umami, liquorice, coffee grounds and charred notes. The taste is firmly dry, some bitterness, dark roasted malt, rich coffee character, toasty spice, umami, liquorice, chewy, toothy, burnt toast and a nip of alcohol with a dry and dark roasty finish. Medium body, soft carbonation and slightly sticky mouth feel. Interesting and quaffable. Good spoons fest offering.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Cask at the Metropolitan Bar (Wetherspoons), Baker Street, London. A very dark brown/mahogany coloured pour with a medium off white/beige head on top. Roasty, malty, dark fruit, slight chocolate. Slightly bitter, it's OK.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

On cask up the White Lady.
Appearance - deep brown with red chinks. Creamy tan head.
Nose - toffee, prunes and light roast.
Taste - raisins, prunes, strawberries and sweet chocolate sauce.
Palate - rich in texture, body and sweetness. Light roast at the back.
Overall - so rich for a fairly low ABV.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Cask at the moon under water Watford Jdw. A clear dark mahogany brown coloured pour with a a speckled head. Aroma is nice cinnamon swirl, brown sugars, brown malts, nutty. Flavour is composed of semi sweet brown sugars, singed sugar, cinnamon, rounded, light creamy oily, decent cask condition. Not bad at all.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

Half a pint in my local Spoons on Sunday 8th March 2026. Dark brown with a red hue, beige crown. Interesting brew with a fruity hop feel alongside a herbal twist, getting more bitter with each sip. This had a lot more depth than a regular 'Black Lager' and certainly more hops. 11th beer I've tried from this years Wetherspoon Festival and most likely the best so far.