Keg draught at the Newshouse, Nottingham. Very dark brown and pretty much opaque.a small khaki head on top.the roasted malt is strong in the aroma but competes with berry, stone fruit and liquorice. Tastes wonderfully sweet, with notes of cherry and treacle. Dryness in the finish is pleasant as opposed to jarring. A great beer that falls apart a bit in the mouthful. Watery and flat and driving the experience down. Otherwise pretty incredible.

Cask handpull at Nelson Arms Tonbridge. Black beer ruby edges. Lasting tan head. Some chocolate some malt. Some dark fruits. Blackcurrant. Some bitterness. Ok

Roast and a little coffee. Flavour ok but lacks depth. Black pour with a few mocha soap bubbles. Light bitter finish. Watery slick consistency. Tap at Salt Horse.

Dry stout by a Scottish brewery I had not yet heard of until I encountered them at the Tilquin English Beer Festival. Thick, frothy, pale greyish beige, stable, dense head on a hazy very dark chocolate brown beer, blackish but with mahogany brown edges. Aroma of coffee grounds, hard caramel, roasted walnuts, blackened toast, dried plum, bayleaf, porcini, vague beef stock in the background. Dryish onset, low in sweetness with some dried blackberry, rather sharp carbonation for this style distracting a bit from the flavour; very light umami touch (porcini) and rounded, smooth body; the dried dark fruit note continues over a hard-caramelly and toasted-nutty middle with increasing coffeeish roasted bitterness towards the end, though this evolution does not continue as far as I was expecting based on the nose and nuttiness remains the key element here. Some spicy hops do accentuate the finishing bitterness but the roasted aspect remains altogether relatively mild for this style of beer; a vague iron-like note seems to linger, too. Decent enough, very rounded and accessible, easygoing, no-nonsense interpretation of a dry stout. One I could drink for hours.

Draft @ Tilquin English Beer Festival '23.
Couleur brune foncée, col fin crémeux blanc-cassé.
Arôme sur un bouquet malté classique anglais - léger caramel, grillé, pointe de chocolaté avec une once de torréfié.

Palais sur un caractère malté stout bien marqué - classique et plaisant / grillé, toasté, avec un fini sec perdurant ainsi qu'une petite douceur en fin de bouche. Amertume légère sur le terreux/herbacé en fin de bouche.

29/IV/23 - on tap @ Tilquin English Beer Fest, BB: n/a (2023-371) Thanks to all for sharing today’s beers!

Clear dark red brown beer, big creamy beige head, stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: good roast, malty character, spicy, earthy, grains. MF: soft carbon, medium body, creamy texture. Taste: sweet start, good gentle roast, malty, caramel, slightly sourish. Aftertaste: a bit sweet, malty, grains, hay, gentle roast in the finish.