Draught from the rattler. Poured a dark unactive amber. Earthy hoppy aroma. Caramel and malts with light hops finish.

Draught. Good malt aroma. No head. The flavour is nicely malty with a little sour hint. Seems slightly infected, but not too bad. Slightly spicy hop note.

2005 bottle aged some 5 or 6 months and shared with OldGrowth on 3/14/06
A settled bomber yields a muddy caramel body, even from the top of the bottle, with a beige-almond head that slowly recedes to cover and then a light ring. Tiny, bottle conditioned bubbles burst vibrantly at the surface, creating a sparkling appearance.
Fruity (apples, pears, peaches) yeast notes combine with soft, authentic caramel notes, with a drying nuttiness and a touch of bread. Soft and surprisingly mild, but yet deep fruit flavors and a gentle sweetness from the caramel malt, really soothe the nostrils.
Flavor begins, again, fruity (cherries, apples, dates, raisins) though the malt really intertwines here to produce a caramelized, sugary-sweet fruitiness that slowly gives way (and not ever completely) to light earthy vienna-like malts. Kind of like an English dark mild, though far less roasty/toasty character. Extremely soft and round texure, one of the prime examples I have seen. Yet it does no lack for carbonation, though that is certainly low. Malty, overall, but bitter enough up front from the, now old, hops. Yeasty with some breadiness growing as it warms with dry, soily and crusty flavors emerging regularly. No alcohol apparency. Different than what was probably intended fresh, but interesting in its own right now, and further proof that McNeills beers are not infected bombs waiting to happen.