An unusual foray for Holdens - a sort of light mild. Up to their usual quality though!

7

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

Cask at Great Western, Wolverhampton. Pours a dark reddish-brown with a small scummy off-white head and good lacing. There’s definitely bacon in the aroma, along with malts and some hints of chocolate. Roast malts again in the mouth, along with floral hops, honey and traces of treacle. Later on some vanilla comes through as well. Finish is slightly bitter. This is rather nice – though it’s not really a full blown Black IPA – nowhere near hoppy enough.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Cask pint at The Cock Hotel, Wellington Shropshire on 19th April 2016. Poured a very dark brown with a ruby hue when held up to the sun light. The head was a beige colour that left heavy lacing on my glass. Over roasted malts rule the nose and taste, light malts mind, not burnt or overpowering, some fruity hop content balanced out the malts and I found this a tasty and easy to drink ’Black Pale Ale’.