NOG

[500ml bottle from The Little Beer Shop, Blofield, Norfolk] Gave this as a gift to my brother Jim, but he shared it with me anyway - cheers mate! Pours a deep ruby-black with no head. Tastes of liquorice & chocolate, but is a little weak and watery for the style. Slight bitterness, some malt. Follows through into a very dry, saddle-leather aftertaste. Not bad.

Cask@GBBF2008. Deep ruby red colour, not much head. Aroma is mild coffee, some dark berries and fruits along with mild sweetish wooden notes. Also some mild notes of raisins. Flavour is malts, raisins, sweetness and some mild coffee. Really pleasant and wellbalanced. Aftertaste is dark fruits and wood.

Dark brown with tiny off white head. Sweet aroma with roasted malt, caramel and mild coffee notes. Sweet flavor with roasted malt, caramel and chocolate. Ends sweet.

A red-brown beer with a huge brown head. The aroma is sweet roasted with some acidic notes as well as yeast and hinst of chocolate. The flavor is sweet with lots of yeast notes as well as some notes of roasted bread and acidity. The end is dry and slightly acidic.

Cask, gravity flow @ the Fur & Feather Inn, Woodbastwick, Norfolk. Bright, deep, ruby brown hinting at black in body. Head did a Houdini and disappeared quickly (bastard half pint glasses!), but left just a few legs as proof it was there. Hints of bitter chocolate, ripe syrupy boiled fruits and molasses on the nose with some underlying gritty earth and anise adding depth. Smooth yet light on the tongue with a nice rounded, richness of flavour that makes it delight to drink. Smoky, coffee and chocolate, burnt dark fruits and liquorice flavours dominate with a nice level of woodiness and gentle sweetness of malt. Back end is predominantly woody, slightly vinous and earthy with just a touch of fruit bitterness before a smooth, smoky swallow. Very nice, lightly sweet, well pronounced in flavour and aroma and robust for such a modest ale. Straight from the cask it is a delight. Lovely!!! 50cL bottle-conditioned. Pours a clear deep ruby brown with a short soapy tan head that left a little lace. The first thing to strike you, as you lift the pint, is the aroma. Roasted grain, slightly over shadowed by fruity tones of dried cherries and prunes. Sweet malt up front in the mouth leads to a herbal, fruity and malty mid-palate with hint of roasted grain and a taste reminiscent of grand ’Kentish’ hops in the back. Finish is a little short and malty, but overall the beer was a good mix of malt and hops and an excellent example of an English ale. An outstandingly quaffable beer.

Gyle 39. Well this seems to be an interesting gyle, that’s for sure. Pours a chestnust brown, mostly clear, but bottle conditioned, with a small off-white head. Aroma seems to be the best part of this beer, with prune, dark grape, deep barley and plenty of oily vinousness notes. Flavor is roasted barley, chocolate and light brown malts but I stress light, as this beer barely makes it as an Old Ale. Given the strong yeast presence, the musty/dustiness and light hints of alcohol (alcohol presence at 4.6?? wow) I can see why it’s an old ale, but it barely seems a porter let alone a strong, brown and porter mix. Anyways, it’s tastey enough, albeit quite thin. The yeast tastes exactly like J.W. Lees. Good and drinkable. Coincidence that the U.S.A ratings are markedly lower than the UK ratings? Definitely not.

Rerate, cask halfpint at The Old Ticket Office, Cambridge. 4.6% ABV. Very dark reddish brown colour, beige head. Aroma and flavour of chocolate, nuts and mild coffee. Moderate hops. Original rating: Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. Very dark brown colour, cloudy (I poured the yeast in). Very low head. Lovely \"old\" aroma of leather, oak, coffee and dark fruits. Flavour is fruity and vinegary, roast notes. Acidic finish. Not bad.