7

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

[Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading.] A dark mahogany brown pour with a tight beige head; restrained caramel aroma; rather thin and milky in the mouth with a sugary apple taste; then drier with some treacle and spicy grains, leading to a feeling of satisfaction in the gut. A nice traditional ale, best drunk slowly.

7.8

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Cask at Picture House, Stafford. Pours a very dark reddish-brown with a small foamy tan head and good lacing. There’s an enticing aroma of chocolate, cake, dried fruit and malts. In the mouth it is sweet and smooth with plenty of depth to it. Flavour starts out as malts, traditional hops, liquorice and chocolate. But there’s an ever-changing selection of traces coming through – vanilla, treacle, cocoa, cake and spices. All leading to a fruity and slightly dry finish. This is rather nice.

7.3

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

Cask, pint at the Crown Rivers at LHR T5. It pours very deep brown with a thick, dense light brown head. The aroma is rich maltage, toasty, bitter - sweet, cacao nibs, toasted fruit cake, dried/dark fruits, touch of plum, woody, leather and earth. The taste is fairly smooth upfront, then dries out, toothy, woody, leather, dried fruits, raisin, prune, date, touch of tannin, toasty grains, treacle, some umami, liquorice,. coffee beans and rich chocolate with a drying, roasty finish. Medium body, moderate cask carbonation and fluffy mouth feel. A very respectful dark/old ale. Nice condition and moreish.

6.6

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

Half pint on cask at the gate house jdw.
Medium creamy beige head. Clear almost black pour. Light chocolate

7

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

7

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

Bottle. Nose is chocolate ash and coffee. Taste is ash, burnt toast, hints of coffee rich of chocolate slight rice sweetness. Slight soy in the finish

7.2

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

Reddish black with a small tan head. Aroma of chocolate malt. Flavour is milk chocolate, sweet malt, smooth cream on a bitter malt finish

8

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

Cask at The Park Tavern, Eltham. Dark brown pour with a beige head. Nose is treacle toffee, chocolate, caramel. Taste is toffee, currants, caramel, dried fruit. Aftertaste packed full of sweet malts & fruit. Not had this for many a moon, quite a classic back in the day.

28/05/1987. GREENWICH REAL ALE FESTIVAL, Borough Hall, Royal Hill, LONDON, SE10, England