This strong, nutty, full strength dark beer has built a cult following amongst real ale aficionados since it was first brewed for bottles in 1949. The oaky and roasted flavour, with its deep and distinctive taste, make it a cask-conditioned beer with a real difference.
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5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 5
Overall 5.5
Cask, half pint. @"Liverpool Camra Beer Fest", Liverpool (England) 21/02/2026
[#8.954 Global - #1.234 England - #1 Palmers (My English brewery #392)]
Pours mahogany with a small and lacing tan head. Aroma: cola, demerama and dark fruits. Taste: liquorice, plums and smoked malts. Some smoked meat on the aftertaste.
Next one, please!
[#8.954 Global - #1.234 England - #1 Palmers (My English brewery #392)]
Pours mahogany with a small and lacing tan head. Aroma: cola, demerama and dark fruits. Taste: liquorice, plums and smoked malts. Some smoked meat on the aftertaste.
Next one, please!
Tried
from Cask
on 21 Feb 2026
at 20:26
7/10
Tried
on 20 May 2023
at 13:50
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Rocky off white head on a dark reddish brown body. Malt, Coca-Cola, sarsaparilla & berry aroma. Medium to full bodied, smooth & creamy with a sticky back. Malt, demerara, chocolate, plum & raisin tastes with a big fruity finish. That's a fine tasty brew.
Tried
on 01 Jan 2023
at 17:18
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Cask @ Ferry Inn, Salcombe. Very dark red with a bubbly head. It has sweet tasting dark malts and is a tad overbearing in this respect.
Tried
from Cask
on 04 Jan 2021
at 12:16
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
500ml bottle, from Darts Farm, Topsham. Pours clear deep chestnut amber with a beige cap. Aroma: dark fruit, caramel, nutty, fruit cake. Taste: Light to moderate sweet & moderate bitter, the taste follows the aroma. Medium body with average carbonation
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Dec 2020
at 00:11
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On cask at the Shakespeare, Kendal. Appearance - dark brown to black. Opaque. Big fawn head. Nose - liquorice and molasses. Dried fruit. Taste - raisins, possibly dates. Molasses again. General cakiness. Palate - rich and medium to full bodied. Fairly balanced on the finish. Overall - nice ale.
Tried
from Cask
on 01 Jan 2020
at 21:16
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Cask gravity at East Malling BF 2019. Clear dark brown ruby beer lasting tan head. malty fruity aroma. a good luck of hops on finish. Some treacle flavour. dry malts. good warming premium bitter. Some sweetness but a decent balance. good condition. good.
Earlier Rating: 9/18/2007 Total Score: 2.8
500ml bottle from the brewery. Deep ruby colour with lasting beige head. Spicy deep dark fruits on aroma. Some diacetyl, empty boiled sweet malt in mouth. Aroma isn?t great cos of too mcuh butter, in fact not great overall.
Earlier Rating: 9/18/2007 Total Score: 2.8
500ml bottle from the brewery. Deep ruby colour with lasting beige head. Spicy deep dark fruits on aroma. Some diacetyl, empty boiled sweet malt in mouth. Aroma isn?t great cos of too mcuh butter, in fact not great overall.
Tried
from Cask
on 31 Aug 2019
at 12:22
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
18/7/2019. Bottle shared at the South West tour bottle share. Bought at Darts Farm near Topsham, Devon. Pours dark bronze brown with a small off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt, nut, chocolate, dark fruit, fruit cake, toffee and bread. Medium sweetness with moderate bitterness. Medium body, oily texture, average carbonation. Nice beer to bring up the Dorset 100.
Earlier Rating: 5/3/2019 Total Score: 3.8
3/5/2019. Cask at the 28th East Anglian Beer & Cider Festival, Bury St Edmunds. Pours dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma of dark fruits, black treacle, toffee, roasted malt, fruit cake, rich dark chocolate and molasses. Moderate sweetness and medium bitterness. Medium to full body, slight sticky texture, soft carbonation. Drank a lot of this in Dorset in 2008 whilst holidaying there. Do like it.
Earlier Rating: 5/3/2019 Total Score: 3.8
3/5/2019. Cask at the 28th East Anglian Beer & Cider Festival, Bury St Edmunds. Pours dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma of dark fruits, black treacle, toffee, roasted malt, fruit cake, rich dark chocolate and molasses. Moderate sweetness and medium bitterness. Medium to full body, slight sticky texture, soft carbonation. Drank a lot of this in Dorset in 2008 whilst holidaying there. Do like it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jul 2019
at 11:55
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Cask sample courtesy of Grumbo, from 28th East Anglian Beer & Cider Fest, Bury St. Edmonds. Cheers Graham! Brown amber colour, creamy beige foam head leaving lacing and aroma of malt, roasty and fruity. Taste is sweet malty, bready, roasty & dark chocolate hints, molasses with some earthy nutty bitterness. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bodied, soft carbonation, dry nutty bitter finish. Quite drinkable.
Tried
from Cask
on 10 May 2019
at 18:02
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Pours a clear mahogany brown colour with a small tan head. A rich fruity aroma, plum and raisin and sweet caramel malt. A moderately sweet malt taste, light roasted malt and caramelised brown sugar with dark fruit flavours. Some dryness and a peppery hop bitterness in the finish.
Tried
on 24 Sep 2018
at 15:15