Great American Beer Festival, 2012. This stout drinks pretty good. Black of course. Roasted malt with a hint of red wine. Good palate.

Samplers from nitro and cask. Both are deep brown, not quite black. The nitro pour has a light, stoutish tan head.The cask pour’s head is a bit darker, with "tighter" bubbles. No lacing here, just a solid wall of foam down the sides of the glasses as I drink. Both smell deeply of chocolate roast malt. Taste is a bit roasty, but the nitro push keeps the texture smooth. No alcohol detected in taste or nose, just deep roast malts that seem bitter enough to obviate much in the way of hops. The cask pour is, well. warm and a bit watery. I still am no quite used to it. Obviously I need to go the England and give a local CAMRA guide a workout, then see what I think.