Can from LCBO. A lightly hazed reddish copper ale with a thin lacing light moka head. Aroma of caramel, hops and madera. In mouth, a sweetish caramel malt with wooden notes, nutty, light coffee, a bit of astringence and signs of oxydation. Medium bodied.

ambrata buona schiuma persistente sentori maltat lievemente luppolati in bocca malto lieve e luppolo non eccesisvo non molto amara leggero tostato-caramellato

Poured dark amber / brown with very slight white head. Aroma was mainly malt / caramel with a hint of fruit (raisins). Full bodied with medium carbonation. The flavour was sweet malt / caramel with very modest bitterness in the finish. This finish, when cold had some dark / burnt malt notes, but on warming there was a slight metallic taste. I also detected something fruity / candy (toffee apple like). Overall a very good beer.

Big offwhite lasting head. Amber body. Wooden caramelly aroma with peppery hop notes. Dry-sweet wooden metallic taste with caramelly notes. Surprisingly sharp mouthfeel, not sure why. A little watery. Flat dry metallic aftertaste. Odd, but good. (0.5l bottle from Sainsbury’s in London.)

Bottle from Sainsbury. Deep amber colour with a decent, off-white head. Slightly sweet aroma with a touch of grassy hops. Flavour had some fruit and caramel before a short, bitter finish. Unmemorable, but ok.

Canette 500ml (LCBO). De couleur ambrée-cuivrée et transparente. Nez malté de caramel légèrement rôti et aux notes terreuses, moyen de houblon herbeux et floral, de fumée de tabac ainsi que des notes fruitées (traces d’agrumes et de pommes), de pain, de noix et d’épices (poivre). Mince-moyenne en bouche avec un pétillement bas et une texture crémeuse et aux notes aqueuses. Léger goût fruité (notes d’agrumes sucrées et de pommes) avec un léger goût de fumée de tabac lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un moyen goût malté de caramel moyennement sucré, légèrement rôti et terreux avec des notes de pain et de biscuits puis en finale l’on retrouve un léger goût amer de houblon floral et légèrement herbeux (un peu sec), des notes poivrées et de noix ainsi que des traces métalliques. Post-goût moyen et un peu sec, légèrement amer de houblon floral, légèrement herbeux et aux notes terreuses avec des notes de noix et de rôti ainsi que de faibles traces métalliques.

Can, 500 ml, best before 03 NOV 07, savoured on August 15 2007; eye: amber, clear, no effervescence, tiny ring of beige head, no lacing; nose: stale, basement, light caramelised malt, light hops; mouth: tastes make themselves wait, then a bit of caramelized malt, a bit of hops, finale with an acridness associated to roasting, thin, lightly sweet, slightly bitter, medium body, not much carbonation; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Canette, 500 ml, meilleure avant 03 NOV 07, savourée le 15 août 2007; œil : ambrée, claire, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse beige, pas de dentelle; nez : éventée, cave, léger malt caramélisé, léger houblon; bouche : saveurs se laissent attendre, un peu de malt caramélisé, un peu de houblon, finale avec une pointe d’âcreté de torréfaction, mince, légèrement sucrée, très légèrement amère, corps moyen, très peu carbonatée; en résumé : ordinaire

bottle. Copper colour, medium-sized and creamy head. The flavour is diminated by hops. Malty with hints of roasted malt. A bit thin, but still moreish.

Can: Poured a dark amber color ale with small foamy head with minimal retention and some fine lacing. Aroma of dry English malt is present but lacking in floral or fruity aspects. Taste of dry malt is interesting but the missing floral/fruity layer makes it a bit boring and the absence of any notable hops presence also make this as an average offering.

Bottle from Sainsburys, Kidlington. Poured a nice copper colour with good fruits and malts on the nose. This tasted a little thinner and less impressive than I remembered although I suppose having had this after a triple I was doing this something a disservice, still it wasn’t as distinctive as I recalled. A fairly fruity reasonably bitter beer that just doesn’t have quite as high standing as I used to place it.