33cl bottle from beer52.com. Deep mahogany with a ring of cream froth; aroma of richly roasted malts, with a touch of chocolate, earth and nuts; more deeply roasted malts in the mouth giving coffee and demerara sugar flavours; and a sweet earthy bitterness to finish. Pleasant and very moreish.

Cask @ Rising Sun, Manchester. Dark but not black, with a small off-white creamy head. Has a slightly milky texture and taste to its roasted malt that gives it a gentle smoothness in the palate.

Cask at the Craven Arms. Clear dark black coloured pour with a creamy head. Aroma is earthy berry, nutty malts, bit of roast coffee. Flavour is composed of dark malts, redy Berry, light tart, milky, tart Berry. Palate is milky, grainy light tart.

Cask at the Manchester beer festival.. Deep black.. Thin tan lacing.. Dark blackcurrant roast dark fruits.. Light licorice.. Dark fruits... Dark chocolate roast... Nice..

Bottle from Carrington’s, Chorlton [071214]
Black, tan head, slight lacing
Aroma of dark malts, soft liquorice, star anise is noticeable, bit of a strange medicinal note, slight orange, unusual
Taste of soft roasted malts, dark malts, dark bitter chocolate, nice mellow roast, star anise less noticeable than on the nose (which is good), rich flavour for 5%, tasty
Palate - soft carb, medium body, smooth texture, soft sweet, good mouthfeel. Finish as main flavour, lingering smooth dark malts with dark chocolate
Overall - The star anise makes it a bit strange but it works. I liked it.

Cask, gravity dispense at Oxford Beer Festival, Oxford Town Hall, Thursday 16th October 2014 me and Loz in the company of Grace & Ian I asked for the E.P.A. I got the stout, the clueless person serving me then repeated this trick when I ordered the E.P.A. beer for friends, despite me reminding him that this time could he make sure he’d got the pale ale. This was an interesting stout, toothpaste on nose and minty toothpaste in mouth combining with a little coffee, but also quite hoppy. Quite interesting. A6 A4 T6 P4 Ov13 3.3