8.4

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5

2004 bottle sample June 2004, compliments of Bucknaked. Pours really well. Good foamy head, white and lacing. Dark brown to dark amber orange straw. Big bubbles. Bottle conditioned. Aroma of light light fruit (nectarines, peaches). Some caramel and toffee, but light and not overly sweet. Hops are juicy, bursting with flavor, but not tremendously bitter, which is great. Balance is yet again wonderful, not too sweet, not too bitter. So drinkable, medium light body, some light fruit hints on the finish. Carbonation on this must be all natural from the bottle conditioning, it’s perfect. Fruity and lightly bitter, balanced. This is about as good as it gets for a summer session ale. This should be classified as a bitter, not an amber, I would think.

On cask at the brewery, 8/5/2005. Wonderful! I’m glad it holds up to my memory. Just perfect influence from the yeast, moderately dry fruitiness, nectarines and apricots, creating almost a cedar/beechwood sort of effect, with flavorful English hops, grassy, sweaty, hay-like at times and an engaging, lovely mouthfeel. Pours bright and seemed in top condition. Good to see that McNeill’s takes care of their cask properly. I think they pulled it through a sparkler though.