50cl bottle from the Hogs Back Brewery Shop. An attractive mahogany brown with a ring of cream head; rich aroma of deep roasted chocolate malts with a touch of fruit and coffee; smooth milky texture with strong roast malt flavours, some fresh citrus and a hint of damson or blackcurrant. Dry and slightly sticky to finish. Very easy drinking.

Bottle from Real Ale Ltd, cheers Duff, consumed 30-04-09 Pours dark brown with a beige head. Aroma is woody, touch of smoke and some dark fruits. Tastes really very nice, plenty of chocolate, the woodiness on the nose returns, but there is also a very juicy streak of citrussy hops ploughing their way through this beer. Most enjoyable. A7 A4 F7 P4 Ov14 3.6

(Cask@Beer Hunters, Pori). Dark ruby-copper color, creamy beige head. Crisp, menthol hoppy aroma. Quite hoppy, some caramelly maltyness. Good hoppy session ale with caramelly backbone. Could be more lively, but otherwise a-ok.

[16/5/2008 on draught at The Inn at Freshford, Somerset] My brother Jim called it "pure evil in a glass", my Dad agreed. I thought so too at first, but it did grow on me a little over the course of the pint. Burnt malt dominates throughout. There’s some fruity tanginess in the background. It’s intensely and unpleasantly bitter but leaves a syrupy coating in your mouth. 4/3/4/2/8 (2.1) [25/12/2012 bottle, gift from Mum & Dad] Brown-black with a moderate beige head and a smooth mouthfeel. Coffee, dark chocolate and blackcurrant come through with a growing roasty bitterness in the finish. Very good - thoroughly enjoyed this. Don’t know why it was so much better than on my original cask rating; I suspect my tastes have matured rather than the cask having been bad, and as a result have posted my new and much higher rating of 7/4/8/4/15 (3.8)

On gravity at the Old Tavern, Bristol 23 Feb 2008. Dark brown with a reddish tinge. Dark fruit aroma with some citrus hops. Flavour had plenty of caramel, fruit and a long, bitter finish. Very drinkable.