19/02/2009. ROYAL OAK, Lower Bristol Road, BATH, Bath & North East Somerset, England (FOUR COUNTY INNS)

5.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle from Gloucester Services, M5, Gloucestershire. Dark amber with a small frothy-bubbly head. Has a sugary rich and sweet fruitiness in both aroma and taste and a seemingly spiced malty-bitter finish.

6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bottle from Gloucester Services m5. Deep copper colour with a tan head. Aroma is very much stewed fruits particularly plum, but also some soft fruit. Taste is a mainly sweet, taste like its stronger, but not in a good way.

7.3

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

50cl Bottle from Biolicious. Hazy deep chestnut colour, reddish beige head. Aroma of sweet toffee, dark fruits, malts, raisins, sweet nuts, hint of roast. Flavour is less sweet than expected, toffee, raisin, dark fruits, caramel, confit fruit, hops, nice bitter finish. Slick, almost medium bodied. Good.

6.4

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

Bottle at a ChrisO tasting - London. Pours clear amber with a fine, bubbly white head. Dry caramel in the nose along with some leaves. Light to medium sweet flavor with dark dough, toffee and moderate leafy bitterness. Light to medium bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly dry to finish with toasty dough, mild toffee, some cereal, faint ripe fruits. OK, not super.

5.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottle 500ml.Clear medium to dark brown amber colour with a small to average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, caramelized malt, malt extract. Flavour is moderate sweet and light moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20120503]

6.4

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

Bottled (from Beers Of Europe). Amber colour, small beige head. Aroma is fruits, some sweet floral and mild nutty notes. Flavour is sweet ripe fruit, some wood and mild herbal notes. Also some mild alcohol notes.

7

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

Cask at The Hop Pole, Aylesbury, Bucks, 21.01.11 Pours chestnut with a swirly filmy off-white head. Sweet malty fruit nose, with more of the same in the mouth. This has a slight rustic quality about it, thick mouthfeel, some woodiness, good beer but one pint was probably enough. A7 A4 T7 P3 Ov14 3.5

6.4

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

500ml bottle from Centurion Vintners, Stroud. Clear reddish-amber in colour with a very short-lived off-white head. Lively carbonation. Rich fruit cake aroma of fruit, nuts and caramel, with some liquorice lurking in the background. Full mouth feel with chunky sweet malts, plenty of fruit and some marzipan. The finish was rather short with some warming alcohol. Good.