500ml Brown bottle, best before Nov 2010, reviewed on a wet and windy evening two weeks before that date. Poured into an ’Abbot Ale’ tankard. Dark amber in colour until held up to the light, it then shows its true colours: a wonderful clear ruby red. The off white/cream coloured head looked great at first, it however fell away a bit too quickly for me, leaving plenty of lacing on the glass. Malty molasses aroma, not overly sweet, but molasses without a doubt lead the smells from this beer. The taste follows the smell, semi-sweet malty flavours dominate the flavours within the mouth. There is a hop bitterness hidden away within the tastes, but it only really appears towards the end of the mouthfeel. Very easy to drink and seems to be a lot stronger than the 4.2% ABV it claims because of its depth of body. An ideal cold weather beer.

Bottle. Very dark amber/brown with tiny tan head. Aroma is malt, yeast, caramel and dried fruits. Flavour is malt, medium sweet, caramel, little dried fruits, little bitter, berries, nuts and a little toffee.

Bottle from Morrisons
Dark brown...off white frothy head....some lacing
Aroma of sweet dark caramel malts...bit of roasted malts...dark sugars..no hops
Taste - Very maly...sweet dark caramel malts...malt extract...dark sugars...bit of roast malt...only bit of hop for slight bitterness...fruity...simple beer
Palate - Soft carb...quite sweet...thin body..Finish as main flavour..sweet malts..again quite plain.
Overall - Quite a simple malty beer but pleasant to drink

Clear dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and nutty. Flavor is medium sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish. Excellent bitter. 251211

Brown bottle, 500 ml, label reads as Williams Brothers Scottish Heavy 80 Shilling Ale, savoured on November 3 2011; eye: copper, clear, no effervescence, beige head that rapidly turns into a tiny ring, no lacing; nose: mash, light alcohol, light fruity, nutty; mouth: malt, thin, caramel, roasted grain, nutty, dusty, finale in malt with slight presence of hops, medium body, below-average carbonation, slightly bitter, lightly sweet, a bit thin; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, étiquette se lit Williams Brothers Scottish Heavy 80 Shilling Ale, savourée le 3 novembre 2011; œil : cuivrée, limpide, pas d’effervescence, mousse beige qui se transforme rapidement en un petit anneau, pas de dentelle; nez : maische, léger alcool, léger fruité, noix; bouche : malt, mince, caramel, grain rôti, noix, poussière, finale en malt avec très légère présence de houblon, corps moyen, carbonatation sous la moyenne, très légèrement amère, légèrement sucrée, un peu mince; en résumé : correct

0.5l bottle @ Henrik, Bergen shared with InBreak. This is a clear dark nuttybrown beer with a thin bubbly and fading beige head. Aroma is light and mild with some thin but quite nice caramel, light earthy and some malts. Average to lively carbonation, medium to light-bodied and it has a light oily mouthfeel. Flavors are also light and mild, with hints of chocolate, caramel and again light earthy. Light and mild almost watery finish, low on the bitterness with nice fruity notes. Not a bad beer, but perhaps a bit boring in the long run.

50cl bottle courtesy of Blairgus. Pours chestnut brown with a decent head that falls away to a thin layer of lace. The nose is smokey and malty with dried fruit and some toffee. The taste is of dark malt, raisins, chocolate and nuts. The palate is medium bodied and textured with a clean finish. Overall, this nicely cuts the fine line between tastey and sessionable.

Pours dark reddish copper color with tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, toffee and light grassy hops. Lightly roasted malt flavor with toffee and slight fruitiness. Medium body with moderate carbonation.

Cask @ Society Room, JDW. Light brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma is little malty. Flavour is mild roasted malts and bit of fruits.

Bottle from Wine & Cheese in Clayton, MO. Pours dark amber with a reddish cast and a beige head. Aroma is fruity and malty. Raisins? About med body. Flavor is sort of malt with a litlle fruit and treacle. Not a lot of hop. Actually a little light for something that says heavy on the label. Good drink though.