Small offwhite coarseish head. Deep red-brown body. Delicately balanced and harmonic fruity floral earthy aroma with wooden herbal notes. Dry-sweetish floral black berry and wood taste, again in excellent harmony and balance, with caramelly earthy port notes. Soft, smooth mouthfeel. Light body. Dry wooden blackberry aftertaste with dusty resiny notes. Nuts and roasted almonds, too. Gorgeous. (0.25l cask, The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale, London.)

500ml bottle at Chris o New Year tasting 08/09. Chestnut, lasting beige head. Again, it’s a pretty solid malty best bitter. It’s fine.

500ml bottle at Chris o New Year tasting 08/09. Pale amber, thin beige. Actually quite a nice bitter. Good biscuit. Excellent biscuity bitter. Surprisingly good. Nice. Will definitely be having this again.

Rich aroma of dry fruits and a little oak. Flavour is quite dry and bitter but is lifted slightly by the complex fruity taste.

cask at Cloister edinburgh ...red brown ... sweet fruit malt ... deep fruit tones ligth roast ... light bitterness... light spice ... not reall an old ale.

[cask at Thatched Cottage, Maidenhead] I had really enjoyed the bottled version of this beer, so was delighted to find it in cask form locally. However, I was also a little wary - firstly because I have heard that Adnams cask beers dont travel well, and secondly because their cask and bottled variants often seem to be completely different beers. This one poured an odd dirty deep gold colour with a moderate white head. Smelled lager-like, with a hint of the Adnams maltiness. Taste was initially lemon sharp with grapefruit sourness, and a little grassy hop too, with a slight carbonation. However, these flavours were quite muted and it somehow reminded me of a cheap, watery lager. Over the course of the pint it did start to mellow a little and reveal the smooth, relaxing Adnams malt that I love, but the predominant impression I came away with was still of a weak, watery and rather sour beer that is not a patch on the bottled version.

500ml bottle bought at Centra Colosseum in Oslo, and enjoyed back home in Tromsø. This beer proves that it is quite possible to make great stuff with a low ABV. Nice in appearance with a shining, rusty-amber body, supported by a perfect, beige head, blanketing the glass. Light chocolate malts to the nose. Taste of fruit-chocolate with some grainy hints behind. Dry bitter endnotes. A very well balanced brew with fine drinkability [19.12.2008].

500ml bottle picked up at Centra in Oslo. Inviting golden brown body colour. Fading, white head leaving a few patches on the surface. Moderate aroma of fruitlike malts. Starts with a prominent taste of tart, late oranges and continues with a weaker touch of caramel malts. Discreet bitter backdrop. Easy going and light bodied, but very refreshing [hotel room in Oslo, 19.11.2008].

[500ml bottle from Westholme Stores, Goring.] Gold with a dense off-white head - caramel aroma - gentle bitter flavour with a caramel finish - a good basic bitter.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, best before 11 JUN 2009, purchased at the LCBO on October 4 2008, savoured on November 23 2008; eye: burnt orange, hazy, no effervescence, beige head that turns into a tiny ring, some lacing; nose: lots of caramelized malt, good presence of bittering hops, candied fruits; mouth: caramelized malt, candied fruits, hops, finale in caramelized malt with a good presence of hops, mild astringency, not much carbonation, mildly sweet and bitter, medium body; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, meilleure avant 11 juin 2009, achetée à la LCBO, savourée le 24 novembre 2008; œil : orange brûlée, voilée, pas d’effervescence, mousse beige qui se transforme en un petit anneau, un peu de dentelle; nez : beaucoup de malt caramélisé, bonne présence de houblon amérisant, fruits confits; bouche : malt caramélisé, fruits confits, houblon, finale en malt caramélisé avec une bonne présence de houblon, astringence moyenne, peu carbonatée, moyennement amère et sucrée, corps moyen, riche; en résumé : bien