6.4

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

440ml can from the brewer's stand @ Cheddar Food & Drink Festival 2023. Pours hazed dark brown, receding beige head. Decent dark swirls, low carb, a touch herbal, bittersweet, some mild cola. Wouldn't label as a black IPA necessarily but an ok dark ale overall.

Historic check-in

7.2

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

Cask at GBBF '22 day 1, 02/08/22. Light black with a good sized khaki head. Nose is modest charr, roast malts, pine nip, toffee, cocoa powder. Taste comprises bitter roast, pine needle, dried red berries, light pinch of spice, brown bread. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, drying close spiked with earthy hop bitterness. Solid cask CDA.

6.8

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

Cask at GBBF 2022 - Olympia. Pours rich brown with a foamy, tan head. Lightly sweet, earthy and woody, some pine, orange rind, ashy roast. Medium bodied with fine carbonation; good condition. Lingering bitter finish. Nice overall.

6.8

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

2nd August 2022
GBBF Day 1. Cask. Light dry palate, decent fine carbonation. Soft dey dark malts, a decent creamy sweetness. Ripe fruits and pine. Light dry finish. Okay dark IPA. Light dry finish.

7.1

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

Cask at gbbf 2022 day 1. A dark brown black coloured pour with a loose beige head. Aroma is so sweet brownalts brown bread, tea leaves. Salt. Flavour is sweaty pine sticky pine, hop, nutty malts. Palate is semi sweet, oily, moderate carbonation. Good.

6

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

Bottle from Bottles & Books. Murky dark brown body with a beige head. Low carbonation. Faint lacing. Aroma of brown sugar and orange peel. Flavour of caramel and earth. Medium body with a smooth texture. Soft fizz. Subtle and easy to drink.

8

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

Bottle from the brewer's own stand at the Frome Independent market. The rather pretentious name of the brewery had got my back up a bit, I must say, but the friendly enthusiasm of the brewer plus the lovely label design calmed my ire a little... and now tasting the beer has made me wonder if the brewery does deserve that epithet after all. It's brown with a beige head. There's chocolate malt, brown toast, dark brown sugar, and then pine and grass hops with a hint of lemon. It's got (for me) the perfect balance of sweet and bitter, and it's very, very drinkable. Maybe not quite Incredible, if I'm honest, but certainly very, very good.

6.8

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

Cask at GBBF: Poured a dark red brown with tan head. Aroma is sweet malts. Taste has some roast malt.