Bottle at ChrisO Holiday Tasting, London - thanks to Fergus. Pours rich brown with a sturdy, tan cream head. Big tangy berry nose, boozy malts, hints of cocoa. Medium to big sweet flavor, dark berries, light earth, some brown sugar, dark bread. Medium to full bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly warming to finish, some faint and dry cocoa, mellow tangy fruits. Decent stuff, though not very depthy.

Bottle at ChrisO tasting, thanks to Fergus, 30/12/12. Very dark mahogony brown vergeing light black with a good size tan head that retains very well ... looks the bollocks this one! Nose carries sweet sugars, dark fruits, spice, syrup, light wood notes, a touch of plastic. Taste comprises sweet dark sugars, syrup and fig pudding, dates, toffee, hint of spice. Full end of medium bodied with fine carbonation leading to a sweet boozey finish. Decent!

Bottle at Chriso tasting new year 2012/13. Dark brown beer with lasting beige head. belgian yeast. more a belgian strong than a scotch ale. Choc and belgian yeast quite malty. ok

Bottle thanks to MarkWise. Pours dark brown with tan head. Nose and taste of burnt caramel malt, burnt brown sugar, dried dark fruits and burnt butterscotch toffee. Medium body.

750 ml bottle courtesy of Marsiblursi. Pours hazy wooden brown with a huge frothy brownish beige head that leaves some thick lacing on the glass. Smell is slightly sweet, malty and spicy with roasted malts, caramel, charred wood, rye flour, pears, fruit toffee, grass, dry soil, resin, sweet liquorice candy, honey, dark grapes, alcohol, peated whisky, dark bread, English fruit cake and orange peal. Taste is sweet, tiny sour, malty and fruity with sweet dark bread, prunes, alcohol, fruit toffee, orange zest, dark grapes, peated whisky, resinous wood, red wine, moist soil, black pepper, salty liquorice and hints of sheet metal. Mouthfeel is slightly round, slightly, slightly boozy, tiny tart, and medium bodied. Finish is tiny sweet, slightly sour and fruity with dark bread, plums, grapes, peat, resinous wood, orange peal and alcohol.

Bottle 75 cl. Pours a very dark brown - close to black - with a huge and frothy light brown head. Burned caramel aroma, nuts and yeast. Rich body, nuts, burned caramel, heavy phenols and some ashes. Dry cough syrup finish. 280712

At Copenhagen Beer Celebration. Chestnut colour with a small tan head. Fruity and malty aroma, in particular red berries and raisins. Sweet malty flavour with dried fruit notes and a touch of roasted character.

Bottle at CBC, May 2012. It pours very dark brown, with a thin beige head. The nose is cola, caramel, chocolate, chewy malt, dark fruit and spice. The taste is roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, vinous aspect, meatiness, chewy malt, caramel, spice and lingering alcohol warmth. Medium-full body, moderate carbonation and foamy mouth-feel. A decent Scotch ale.