5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Similar to Boddington's or Caffrey's, but thinner and with a lingering aftertaste. There are much better widget offerings out there. Nice cascade during the pour but the head is weak and short-lived. I expected better.
Tried
on 20 Apr 2002
at 20:36
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Sampled cask conditioned. Dark brown. Fruity and salty with a big maltiness. Feels really Scottish.
Tried
from Cask
on 18 Feb 2002
at 07:53
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottled. Mahogany coloured with beige head. Rich, smokey aroma with notes of caramel. Sweet and very malty with flavours of licorice and peat. Soft mouthfeel. Notes of crystalized sugar in a finish with medium bitterness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jan 2002
at 05:04
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
I’m rerating, deleting a 4.4 rating that was very old, and replacing it with a definite lower score...not that this beer has turned bad, but the packaging sure has. Nitro can ruins another. Looks nice, with a good reddish color, lacking effervescence though, with the widget stripping all the carb from it, leaving just that thick creamy nitro head over a flat ale. Aroma warming and caramelized, flavor very sweet, hint of smoke, losing any balancing hop character (which is what nitro does IMO). Annoying. Nitro can rating: 3.0 Another re-rate: While I didn’t particularly enjoy the nitro can, I found some new bottles, non-nitro. More similar to my early experiences with this beer but not worthy of my original 4.4 rating. A full earthy sweetness with hints at leafy hops and a definite smokiness. Bottle rating: 3.7 Score shown: average impression across packaging variations.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Jun 2001
at 20:46
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
............................................................................
Tried
on 10 Jan 2001
at 12:17
6.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 6
Smokey, with some good dark malt character, but a little lacking in body.
Tried
on 25 Nov 2000
at 23:07