Cask at GBBF 08. Clear copper, lasting beige head. Not a huge aroma. Well, yes, if you wanted to make an English best bitter, this is pretty close. Some grapefruit, but it’s got good biscuit. Enormously authentic. If it was English it would get a 3/5. I would expect more malt from a UK beer, but as a US interpretation, it’s pretty good. They didn’t throw a whole load of hops at it like some brewers might have done.

Cask@GBBF2008. Amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is wood and nectar along with some mild notes of caramel and flowery hops. Flavour is sour wood, nectar, mild vanilla as well as some mild fruits. Wooden and grassy bitter finish & aftertaste.

On cask at Gritty McDuffs. Light orange/amber body with a white head that diminishes. Aroma was malty with caramel and grain with hints of floral hops and woodiness. The flavor was lightly to moderately sweet and lightly bitter. Light taste of butterscotch, apple and oak. Nice dry finish. Medium body, watery texture and low carbonation as you’d expect from a handpull. Enjoyable and easy drinking.

Cloudy amber with medium off white head. Sweet aroma with toasted malt, caramel and hoppy notes. Sweet fruity flavor with caramel, piney and bitter hops towards the end.

Light straw color, super-filtered appearance - light bready aroma, with faint british hops, and some caramel - diacytl dominates the flavor (serious butterscotch, folks), which I guess is this ber trying to be "british," but even the brits know when enough is enough - slight mineral/hard water qualities at least make this not the only thing I taste - long, lingering buttery popcorn taste - man.

Cloudy amber coloured body with orange tints and a thin white head. Aroma of fresh hops with some caramel malt tucked in. Medium-bodied; Strong english flavoured hops with some malt and toffee thrown in the mix. Aftertaste shows more hops and a lot of cardboard. Overall, a decent bitter - nothing horrible and nothing superb. I sampled this 12 ounce bottle purchased from Oliver’s Beverage in Albany, New York on 19-May-2007.

Best before Dec. 06. Pours amber into a shaker. Micro off-white head leaves no lacing as it recedes. Slight muddy sock notes. Flat, frat basement flavors with dry lasting bitter butterscotch finish. Sessionable.

On cask at Gritty McFratkids in Portland with Muzzlehatch on 5/21/2005. Poured from the handpump, this was, GASP!, clear! Oh my god, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Little bit of yeast in the nose, some lemons, grainy malt and vanilla, with only a touch of papery diacetyl. Flavor even tastes on! Wow, of all places, I did not expect to find a cask in good condition here. Clear golden/light amber, with a small white head, moderate retention, no lacing. Flavor is just sort of lightly yeasty/dusty, bits of grains and very crisp on the end, with hay and straw like English hops. Notes of dry toffee and caramel corn, low diacetyl. Pleasant, very pleasant. And oh so drinkable, medium-light body, not watery, low carbonation and in great condition, as I already said, but wanted to stress again.

Rerate Having had this on two more separate occasions, I have been severely disappointed compared to my first experience. One sample was almost undrinkable. Flat, oxidized, old and dirty tasting. This cask should have been changed long, long ago. Another time, it was average, perhaps slightly below, with too much butteriness and a dirty flavor on the end, lightly sour as well. Score is an average of the three. Seems they don’t care to change their casks properly and just want to sell the whole thing even if it is on long passed when it should be.