This beer was brewed to celebrate the 2010 Football World Cup, pity the English football team didn’t perform as well as this did. Clear 500ml bottle, best before 31st May 2011, drank and reviewed 30th June 2010. Poured into two half pint tumblers. The beer was a rusty, terracotta red colour, clear and bright. On top a cream coloured bubbley head, which fell away but left no lacing. The smell was a citrus-hoppy aroma, fairly pronounced for a UK bitter. The taste had a hop bitterness up front, it was refreshing with a dry mouthfeel. A malty aftertaste come towards the end of the tasting. Considering it is only a 3.8%ABV it feels right and is one of Banks’s better beers in my opinion.

Bottle. Amber beer with a fairly strong head. The aroma is weakly toffee and hopped, and the flavour is bitter, hopped and toffee roasted with a watery element. Overall a reasonable hopped toffee flavoured bitter beer.

500ml bottle. Pours orange golden with a medium head. Aroma is burnt toast, slightly skunked and some fruity malt. Bready caramel start. Spicy strong bitter finish.

50cl bottle. Amber with a scummy looking off-white head; attractive caramel and citrus aroma, with a hint of lime; crisp in the mouth, with a good, light, malt structure, with biscuit, lemon and toffee flavours; then a good burst of fresh English hops before a dry finish. Much better than expected, a solid English ale, worth returning to - unlike our football team.