Hand-pulled pint in the lovely ’Old Joint Stock’ Birmingham (West Midlands) on 5th Dec 2012. Bright and clear light amber body with a thin wispy white head. Something earthy, almost farmyardy about the aroma and taste: not the usual flavour or smell a UK Pale Ale gives off anyway. Real mixed bag of thoughts came to me as I supped this beer, citrus, floral, horse-blanket, mud and hints of a malt undertone. Strange but enjoyable, one however was enough and my thirst was quenched.

Cask-conditioned at the Cheshire Beeriodical, Seven Stars, Bristol October 2012. Amber with a slight, off-white head. Berry fruits, caramel and boiled sweets, with a big, bitter finish. Not for me.

Cask at the Red Lion, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. Clear yellowish light brown pour with a smooth white frothy head. The honey is very evident in the aroma and also the flavour with a hint of palate hugging bitterness. Nice to taste if you like honey, but would quickly become sickly over a session.

Cask (handpump) @ Ye Cracke, 13 Rice Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England L1 9BB.Clear medium orange yellow colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, grain, toasted, earthy, light hoppy. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average to long duration, damp stain - fusty. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20120116]

tap at volunteer arms ... deep brown... thin tan head ... sour wooody malt nose ... light toffee ... light sour ... thin ... really not right

Bottle conditioned (500ml brown bottle) session bitter, drank and reviewed Sunday 9th Jan 2011. Poured into an ’Abbot Ale’ glass tankard slowly, so as not to allow any sediment. I failed and a little got into my tankard, which means the body of the beer was contaminated with small ’yeast floaters’ and the light brown body didn’t look to great. My appearance score is low however because there was no head and the beer looked flat. A pleasant hop/mild malty aroma, nothing strong or in your face, just a hint of what is to follow in the taste. The beer may have looked flat but it certainly wasn’t, the body was in fine condition and was a lovely brew, well balanced and flavoursome, a good mix of the hops and malts coming together to produce a fine Bitter. At 3.6% ABV you are never going to get a rich heavy beer, having said that, this beer is a great example of a British session bitter and the depth of flavours often hidden within.

Half pint, gravity poured at a beerfest in The George Inn, Eccleshall: Easter 2012. Good amber colour, thin white crown of foam. Hops rule the roost in both aroma and taste with any malt content happy to play second fiddle and prevent the beer becoming a mega hop-bomb sort of brew. About as hoppy I can go before the bitterness takes away my enjoyment.

Cask @ The Market Porter. Nice head with good duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are malt, fruits, herbs and hops. Oily palate. Odd beer. A little messy.

Good hoppy character in the nose, medium bodied golden ale with a pleasant finish.