07/02/2014. ANGELIC, 57 Liverpool Road, LONDON, N1, England

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 7

Cask handpull at Spoons Leicester Square. Clear deep amber colour lasting white bubbles. Wow what a big hoppy resin piney dipa. Absolutely wonderful if a touch hot and boozy on the finish. Terrible condition almost flat. Hot and hoppy.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Another Wetherspoon special collaboration brew: marrying a traditional UK regional brewery with some guys from the West Coast of the US. It’s hoppy man. Half-pint in cask form at Montgomery’s Tower (a Wetherspoons pub in Shrewsbury) on 24th Feb 2014, these guys should try to brew cask stuff more often, it works. Good looking monster: deep amber/bronze body with an off-white topping. It has so much alcohol and hop content that my mind just went blank and I sat back and sipped it without a care in the world. My notes say: mini haze, amber, off-white, hops and bitter. I’ve had to try and remember the rest, which is slightly difficult because I was on my way to a bottle swap and had a load more great beers after this one.

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

Cask at Benjamin Huntsman, Sheffield. Clear amber. Bubbly, lasting, white head. Tropical fruit, light toffee, flora. Some candied peel. Taste is ripe mandarin sweet. Light bitterness. Palate is a little oily. A little soap, too. Finish is dry, with some bitterness.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Cask-conditioned at the Commercial Rooms (JDW), Bristol 29/1/2014. Amber with a slight white head. The barmaid warned me about the strength of this one, and it certainly packed a punch. A half pint was more than enough as its booziness was very prominent. The hops were lovely though, and some solid malts balanced things out.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cask at Counting House JDW, Glasgow. Hazy golden yellow, thick white head. Big resinous hop aromas, tropical fruit, and pine. Taste has a big bitterness, then a sweetness that becomes cloying by the end. The extra carbonation of keg/bottle might have removed that. Nice.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Cask, handpump at The Four Candles, JDW, Oxford, Saturday 1st February 2014. Pours warm gold edging towards light amber with filmy white head. Thick in the mouth, hoppy but a little boozy. A bit syrupy in terms of mouthfeel. Loz loves it whereas I like it, but I’ve had better. A6 A4 T7 P4 Ov13 3.4

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

Cask at The Moon Under Water (JDW), Watford on 22 January 2014. Poured a dark golden colour with a thin white head and some lacing. Juicy hop aroma with some soft fruit and caramel. Initial flavour was strong resin, orange peal and a boozy kick. Finish was pine needles, toffee and some mild blue cheese-esque saltiness. Pretty good for a ’Spoons beer.