Bottle from Beer Ritz, Leeds. Deep dark brown pour with a plump tan head. Cracking nose of sweet chocolate, cookie dough along with some skunky fruity hoppage. Decent fullish mouthfeel. Flavour was along the same lines as the nose with notes of roasted malt and coffee. ABV (didn’t he just get the boot from Chelski?) barely poked its head above the parapet. Smooth, rich and very tasty stuff. Another Magic Rock win.

Bottle at home in London, care of Nate Dawg. Pours black-brown with a vivacious, foamy beige head. Aroma holds a healthy dose of roasted malts with edges of pine and deep citrus. The flavor is heavy and bold and, immediately, I can understand why some people aren’t crazy about this beer. There are people who can’t take a punch, who’ve never gutted it out properly in the dirty, the under. There’s a gritty bitterness to this beer that’s just barely offset by a righteous roasted malt character sweetened by charred, beaten dark malts. The bitterness is earthy and piney, with only subtle hints of bright citrus. Medium bodied with average carbonation. Finishes slightly dry with still some resinous, earthy and piney hops. Within the roasty undertow there are notes of coffee and bittersweet cocoa. The ending impression is that of grapefruit, charred malts and hope. Awesome beer.