7.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

9th April 2025
Bottleshare at CBJ, thanks to Seth. Near opaque dark brown beer, small tan head. Airy palate, smooth, mildly dry, decent fine carbonation. Airy dark malts, a mellow dark chocolate and a fair bit of ripe fruits. Rich ripe fruits. Pruney, figgy, rich!

6.9

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

Dark, some fruity light funk, earth, berries. Novel.

6.5

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

7.4

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

Bottle shared at craft beer junction bermondsey tasting. Many thanks to seth. A dark black brown coloured pour with a a halo of khaki head. Aroma is semi sweet, jammy fruits rapsbery brown sugars cola. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, greeny apple, light tang, tart, oily.. Woody staves,

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Can split at CBJ Tasting Night, thanks to Seth, 09/04/2025.
Black topped with a tan head.
Nose is chocolate, dates, dried fruit rinds, dark malts.
Taste comprises mellow roast, charr, cocoa powder, toffee, fruit cake.
Medium bodied with bite, fine carbonation, drying close with a balanced kick of alcohol.
Okay old skool sipper.

4

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16

Bottle from Darts Farm, Topsham. 2020 version at 10.6%. Pours deep brown towards black with a tan cap. Aroma: dark chocolate, berries and booze. Taste: moderate sweet & bitter. Dark chocolate, liquorice, a little vinous, spicy. Finishes dry and a little salty. Medium to thick body with soft carbonation. Tidy old school RIS.

8

Bottle from John’s St Ives. This was the 2020 vintage which is 10.6%. Jet black colour with a tan head. Atom roasted malty Burt sugar, and treacle. Taste moderately sweet. Full heavy body.

7.5

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

Cask (handpump) @ GBBF 2017, [ Great British Beer Festival 2017 ], London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX.[ As St. Austell Black Square ].Clear dark black brown colour with a small, virtually none lacing, fully diminishing, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, dark malt, chocolate, sweet malt. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet with a long duration, chocolate, dark malt, roasted, sweet malt, dried dark fruit. Body is medium to full, texture is smooth and creamy, carbonation is flat, finish feel is warming. [20170808] 7-3-8-4-15

7.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

My manager's other half was given a St Austell selection and didn't like that other strong beer so this was passed to me. Strong rich aroma - dark chocolate, berries and booze. Veeybdark cola brown. The beiege head fades to a thin ring very early on. Mesium-heavy bitter. Dark chocolate, liquorice, a vinous alcohol vein. Some malts in the finish. However and despite the ABV it's never overpowering. Thick bodied. Creamy. Average carbonation. Long astringent finish. Good stuff. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and describe it as elegantly restrained.

7.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

2 x 330ml bottles (BBE Sep 2027) between five of us on 2nd Oct 2017, at the monthly Shrewsbury beer exchange in Chez Sophie. Dark brown body, tanned crown, malty and boozy. Liquorice and Cadbury fruit and nut bar nose, taste also chocoloate bar like, smooth and rich bodied. Nice.