Cask-conditioned, on gravity, at the Commercial Rooms, Bristol October 2016. Near black with a thin, off-white, head. Sweetish stout with some chocolate and liquorice, a touch of caramel and gentle finish. Ok.

On the SilkTork Southampton through the looking glass tour. Sunday South Western Arms. Clear pale brown. Decent premium bitter fruity malty. Decent. Good temperature and condition. Some bitterness on the finish. a bit of blackcurrant.

Handpull cask from the Architect, Cambridge. Copper/amber with a hint of orange. Almost no head but a fair bit of lacing. Light citrus aroma with notes of brown sugar. Bitter taste but not too sharp, with quite a lot of malt in the mouth. Very bitter aftertaste but not a hint of imbalance. Long finish with grapefruit in the aftertaste. Simple, but credit where credit is due: this is very nicely put together.

Handpull cask at the Architect, Cambridge. Light copper, clear. Not much head but some patterned lacing around the glass. Biscuit and honey with a touch of overripe orange compete with a study grass and floral hop aroma. Simple bittersweet taste, with ample bittering hop but governed by a biscuit malt base. Short to medium finish with more ripe orange in the finish. Basic as you like but not that much the worse for it.

Cask at the Lamp Tavern; clear amber pour with a thin off white head, aroma has sweet malts, a hint of marmalade, taste has sweet caramel, hint of citrus, smooth finish.

On cask at the Standing Order. Appearance - opaque black with a lovely fawn head. Nose - chocolate, charcoal and a hint of molasses. Taste - charcoal and very dry liquorice. Some molasses comes through at the back. Palate - close to medium bodied with a dry crunchy middle section that continues through to the end. Overall - should be loaded as a dry stout I think. Decent though.

Herbet Wells, Woking. Not much of an aroma, spived fruit. Dark brown, OK beige head. Sweet and malty. Watery. Snore.

Cask at GBBF 2016. Day 1. Pours clear gold with a frothy, white head. The nose holds pale bread, floral hops. Light sweet flavour, a little doughy, with more pale bread, perfume. Light bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly sweet to finish, with simple pale, bready malts. Fine.