5

Not the best stout I have had this winter. Half a pint in the J P Joule, Sale to get a gold sticker for my Winter Warmer Wander sheet.

7.3

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

On cask at Grove, Huddersfield - Black pour with a tan head. Lots of deep burnt toast and roasted malts, a little forest fruit vibe, treacle toffee and a bit of liquorice root in there too.

7.5

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

Cask at Petersgate Tap, Stockport. Pours black with tan foam. Aroma & taste: creamy roast, smidge of burnt malts, toffee, plum. Light to moderate sweet & moderate bitter. Smooth with a dry finish. Light to medium body.

7.1

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

Cask at the blue boar. Pours black, nose is chocolate, liquorice, toffee, taste is similar, some berries, roasty finish.

6.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Cask at the Hollybush, Stourport. Pours jet black with a small head. Aroma is dry roast and yeast. Taste is dry and yeasty with a roast finish. Touch of liquorice.

27/04/2019. NEEDLE & PIN, The Rushes, LOUGHBOROUGH, Leicestershire, England

7.4

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Handpull cask at the Kings Head, Leicester. Dark brown, opaque with a small layer of khaki head. Aroma of chocolate malt, light liquorice. Taste is sweet, almost syrupy at first, with strong notes of plum and liquorice. This quickly gives way to an intense bitterness, with black malts and serious bittering hops. Notes of tar in the finish. Intense little fucker, this.

6.8

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

Cask at the Pup and Duckling, Solihull. Poured a clear dark brown colour with a lasting frothy off white head. The aroma is roasty malt, light chocolate. The flavour is moderate liqourice bitter and sweet, with a smooth, rich, roasty, liqourice, light chocolate, light floral, woody hop bitter palate and a long bitter finish. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

7.5

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

Cask half-pint at The Anvil, Shifnal on 22nd August 2021. Tanned topping to the black body, malty and chocolatey throughout. Nice!

7.1

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

Cask at the tiny tavern Lincoln. Deep brown to jet black colour with a tan brown head. Aroma chocolate and slight liquorice. Taste roasted bitter to slight malty sweet. Smooth body.