Cask at Cross Keys, London. Pours clear Amber with a thick off white head. Aroma of malt, toffee, light fruit. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter. Toasty and skunky in the finish. Light medium bodied with soft carbonation.

Bottle shared at Leightons house. Thanks LKS. Clear reddy orange fleeting loose white head . aroma is caramel and light papery nose. Light berry. Flavour is berry, caramel, touch of oxidation. Touch of soap. Palate is fairly light! Lowish carbonation. Lingering berry.

Cask at the Cross Keys, Covent Garden. Amber, clear with a sizeable off-white head. Muted scent of caramel malt, sulphur, sarsaparilla and tamarind. Odd but certainly original. Surprisingly sweet with a strong bitter sulphurous edge. Long dry finish, bitter aftertaste. Brave but flawed.

500ml bottle. Clear reddish copper colour with small to average, creamy, half-way lasting, moderately lacing, white head. Fruity aroma has notes of red berries. Taste is dry fruity, subtle sweetness, hints of red berries, dry hints of fruit parings, a touch of wood. Simple but nice.

A re-rate, years after the first one. I feel a bit less charitable toward it now. It's fine but it's a fairly typical bitter of the style. Looks the business, smells of not much other than a dash of citrus and the same sort of goes for the flavour, though that has the typical combination of some uninspiring maltiness and a touch of meek hops to go on top of a slightly watery body.

Cask at the Union Tavern - Westbourne Park, London. Courtesy of Paddy during the W&E event. Pours clear, amber-brown with a soft, creamy head. Nose holds some lightly toasted brown bread with traces of dirt and leaves. Light sweet flavor with toasty brown bread, mellow bitterness, some toasty sugars. Light bodied with fine carbonation. Good condition. Balanced finish, nice toasted malt foundation with a delicate leafy and toasted grass bitterness. Great bitter overall. I could easily drink this by the pint. (June 2013, Score: 3.8)

Bottle at home in London - sourced from London Beers. Pours perfectly clear russet with a creamy, off-white head. The aroma holds mellow toffee, brown bread, ripening berries. The flavor is light-medium sweet with lots more bready malts, some toasty grains, old toffee, fruit leather, wood. Light bodied with fine to average carbonation. Sweet finish with slight toasted leaf bitterness, some dry caramel, dried fruits, berries, grains, simple brown bread. Not bad overall but it doesn’t sing the way it does on cask. (September 2014, Score: 3.3)

Bottle from YNWA Beershop, Kolding. Clear orange amber with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and light hoppy - fruity. Flavor is medium sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish. 190213

2nd May 2011
Clear amber beer, little white head. Crisp palate. Smooth malt, a little sweet. Very well balanced with vibrant fresh orange mild citrus hops, that impart a reasonable bitterness. Finishes smooth and a little fruity. Mildly bitter aftertaste. Somehow the ubiquitous 4.2% English Bitter has been made in to a decent beer!

Cask at Bree Louise with Sarah. Pours a clear amber with a white head that dissipates slowly to the edges and laces. Aroma has a good amount of grain with some hay and earthiness with a hint of grass. Flavor had sweet grain and hay throughout with a hint of earthy pine in the finish.