Brown 500ml bottle, best before the end of Aug 2012: poured into a UK sleeve pint glass on 19th June 2012. Good looking amber body: deep head of off-white bubbles on top. The nose was yeasty, earthy and woody, with a semi-sweet malty ester as well. The taste almost mirrors the aromas but with a mildly bitter hop finish and a maltier start to each sip. Carries the 4.3% ABV nicely and overall not a bad beer at all.

17th Feb 2012: The Cock Hotel, Wellington Shropshire. Hand pulled pint. Light golden body with a thin white covering of foam on top. The nose was all about citrus hop aromas with nothing else getting a look in. The taste is mostly those same citrus flavoured hops but with a more floral and fruity presence from the first sip: becoming drier and bitter as the flavours die away. Nicely put together brew, refreshing and easy to drink.

500ml bottle: best before the end of June 2012, poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard in May 2012. Amber in colour: fast fading off-white head of bubbles on top. Smells like a fruit beer: red berries to the fore, honey just behind with brown bread used to mop it all up. The taste isn’t as sweet as the nose suggests: a hop citrus/bitterness isn’t far below the surface of this mildly malty brew. Strange mouthfeel, no richness or depth: yet it holds the flavours and hides the alcohol well. The good quality ’Red Leicester’ cheese I had towards the end of this review really set the beer off nicely: different, interesting and worth finding.

6th August 2009
GBBF. Cask. Opaque black beer, light tan head. Fairly light palate - a little dry sweet malt, lactose sweet, trace of bubblegum. Very light chocolate. Alright!

Cask at the Windsor Castle, Lye. Pours dark orange with a small head. Aroma is mango and grapefruit hops. Taste has alcohol and caramel to start. Bitter mango finish.

Cask at the Windsor Castle, Lye. Pours gold with a small head. Aroma is straw malt with a little citrus and sulphur. Taste has straw throughout, with a lightly sweet, citrus finish. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Jan 2010: Brown 500ml bottled conditioned with four months before its best before date (May 2010) Poured into a vase shaped pint glass. The beer is a pale amber colour and had a thin white covering where a head should have been. Not much to say about the smell, a very slight hop aroma with a hint of yeast, no malts to report on. The taste follows the non-smell, very little flavour to get into. A pleasant enough blend of ingrediants, but nothing to make it stand out from the crowd. A bog standard bitter in all aspects. The beer does have a presence and becomes a tad more bitter as it warms and towards the end of the mouthfeel, but still a mr average bitter.

Cask at the Windsor Castle, Lye. Pours gold with a large head. Aroma is straw with a little grapefruit. Taste has straw to start with some mango on a strong, bitter finish.

Bottle from Beers of Europe. Black pour with a beige head. Vanilla and licorice nose. Licorice, toffee, dark fruit and dark chocolate flavour. Very dry. Quite nice.

Cask at the Black Eagle, Birmingham. Clear amber pour with white head. Aroma of caramel, fruit and bitter hops. Flavour of fruit, caramel and citrus.