Cask (handpump) @ NWAF 2012, National Winter Ales Festival, The Venue, Sheridan Suite, Manchester, England.Clear medium to dark red brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate. Flavor is moderate sweet and light moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20120118]

500ml bottle best before 1 Jan 2013: poured into a UK pint sleeve on Christmas Eve 2012. Front label claims it ’Warms yer Cockles’: well it didn’t do that but I did enjoy the beer. Dark mahogany body with deep red highlights: on top a thin off-white covering of foam. Malty molasses with an almost musty yeast presence in the nose: not unpleasant, but not right either. The taste was malts first and foremost: semi-sweet and fruity feel to the flavours. The hops were just below the surface throughout the tasting and added a little bitterness to the overall taste. Well balanced if a little un-bold in the blending/brewing. Could have been so much better.

Bottle from Tuckers Maltings. Brown colour, aroma of roasted malts. Medium-bodied, grainy malt flavours, roasted malts, dark chocolate, stout-like character.

Bottle. Dark copper in colour with a decent, off-white head. chocolate and berry fruit aroma. Flavour was sweet, with caramel, more chocolate and a moderately bitter finish. Fine.

500ml bottle. Pours dark brown with a small head. Aroma is faint, dark malts and apple. Not much to start, just generic dark malt. Burnt fruity malt finish. Low carbonation.