On tap @ the Old Post Office, Shrewsbury. Pours dark honey and slightly hazy with a decent head. Nose of toffee, green grapes and apples. Some grapefruit. Taste of toffee with some grapes and a light grapefruit finish. Fairly balanced with a medium weight though the end is just a bit too astringent. Overall, a solid citizen.

West Brom fans should not drink this :-) But it was a decent and fine bitter.
Deep golden colour with a white head. Light caramel aroma with some fresh hoppy notes. Caramel, toffee and moderate hoppy flavour.
[Cask at Chaplins in Liverpool, England]

Aug 2006: This beer is mass produced and sold all over the Midlands, I just don’t understand why people drink it in such quantities. There are so many other fine beers brewed in the area. I have tried it many times, in plenty of pubs and clubs, but just can’t get to really enjoy it. I have even mixed it with Mild, but still it will not excite me. It looks OK, light brown with a loose white head, which clings to the glass, and sometimes stays to the end. Smells fine, hops and barley in equal amounts. The taste lets it down badly, very weak, almost insipid, watery and uninviting in my opinion. Sorry I couldn’t bring the scores up any, it is just a poor product from a very successful brewery. Update October 2011: had a blind tasting of a bottle and a can, both seemed to mirror the cask version, if a little more carbonated, OK but no world beater.

Cask. Amber colour with a small slightly off-white head. Aroma is bready and grainy malts along with some floral and grassy notes. Flavour is bready and grainy malts, some slight toffee as well as some floral and grassy hops. Stereotype bitter.

Cask at the Bridge, Kingswinford. Pours amber with a medium head. Aroma is caramel malt, bread and some faint fruit. Taste is bready to start. Slightly yeasty. Medium bitter finish.

Cask at the Albert, Shrewsbury on 23rd August 2010. Copper with thick creamy white head. Mild malty aroma, kick is blended malt and bitter hop. Bitter finish and zingy mouthfeel.

Parkway Tavern, Stoke Gifford S Gloucs. Pale amber with a slight, off-white head. Aroma of caramel. Flavour of sweet malt with a smooth finish. A very easy drinking session beer.

Handpump Worcester City FC every season since 1988. This has been one of those regular beers that I’ve had that have never got around to rating. A copper coloured malty beer with medium frothy head smooth very easy drinking and around those parts and further north into the heart of the West Midlands this beer is worshipped. I lived in Hooky country before 8-9 years in Worcester, I’ve moved back to this area Banks Bitter is fine but it’s not a patch on a proper beer, like the aforementioned Hooky.

Cask@Cayo Arms, Cardiff. Light copper brown color, small white head. Strong aroma of honey in the nose. A bit watery, crisp, earthy (not fresh cask?), malty-nutty flavor.