8

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Clear red, off white head. Smell of hops and tropical fruit. Flavour is mostly malt and hops. There's a dash of sweeter fruit along with something zesty and grassy but there's a big malty base and a mix of dry, bitter hops. Very fine balance to hit but they've nailed it.

7

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

Can in some kind of moving vehicle with magical voices. Straight from can, handed to me by alcoholic elves with big smiles. Sweet malts, wet hay, dry mouthfeel, very hoppy and light caramel. Moderate sweet and bitter. Medium body and soft carbonation.

7.3

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

Can shared on the train. Clear deep Amber with beige head. Fresh dank hops, toffee, caramel, light weeds, orange peeel, light cheesy and dank weeds. Medium sweet and solid medium bitter. Medium bodied.

7.5

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

Appearance- ruby red, dark brown hints, a cream head of half a finger. Aroma- dark fruit hints, blackcurrant, malty. Taste- very malty, blackcurrant hints, trace of apple, raisin, bitter hops, quite a full mouthfeel.

7

Backlog

7

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

On tap at Holy Grale. Pours a cloudy brown with medium beige head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is strong rye, caramel, resin. Medium body, rye, toffee, strong resin bitter finish, very good.

7.2

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

Keg @ Ninth Ward, Farringdon, London. Deep red with a thin off-white creamy head. It’s a Black IPA with a dominant dark malt fruitiness, with some underlying roasted malts evident too. Crisp enough drinking despite its strength.

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle from Bacchanalia, Mill Road, Cambridge. Brownish red, hazy, like generic cherry cola. Caramel, resin and dried fruit dominate the heady aroma. Tastes even better than it smells. Sweet piney fruit hit is followed by bitter oily hop. Huge hop intensity in the long finish... bitter but never acrid. More pine in aftertaste. Damn this is good.