5.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. Sweet apple malt aroma with hints of toffee/caramel. Light amber color with large head. Slightly sweet apple flavor - still with hints of toffee and a moderate hops finish - would have expected more with the description. Light bodied. Not great but not offensive.

5.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Sample from WFM. These holiday-gimmick beers always seem to be below average and this is no exception. Clear reddish amber with a thin off-white head and minimal lacing. The aroma is vaguely sweet malt and caramel. Medium bodied and a little watery with malt and fruit flavors. Some bitterness as well but it is distracting more than anything. The finish is metallic and lightly bitter. Not worth going back to.

4.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

6.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Draught. Vinous aroma. Copper colour, small white creamy head. Creamy, citric fruity flavour. Aftertaste is a little watery with OK bitterness.

6.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Deep brown body, thin tan head. Bitter, roasted, rather acrid aroma with notes of baker’s chocolate. The body is oily, slick, and dominated by bittersweet chocolate with roasted malts, earthy hops, and dark fruit touches. English in spirit, but similar to high ABV American chocolate stouts too. I’m glad this isn’t in a larger bottle, though, as the beer is quite rich.

6.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

(Bottle 50 cl) Clear, pale amber colour with a fine, creamy head. Nice, hoppy, floral nose. Rather light in body with weak notes of nuts and roasted malt. Weak, bitter finish. Surprisingly high carbonation. 240705

5.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Why do I continue to try hoppy British beers when I know I dislike English hops? I should enjoy everything about this beer - the grapefruit and bready malt - the piney, grassy flavor - the lingering sweetness - but those damned hops - I can only describe their character as "soggy" and "stale," if that makes any sense - they almost completely destroy my enjoyment of the other aspects of this beer - maybe I’ll learn my lesson this time.

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cask conditioned at NERAX 4/28/2005. Didn’t have any toasty malt, or as much body/caramel as I would think an ESB would have. It seemed much hoppier and fruitier than a golden ale, with an amber tint to it as well and no huge amount of pale malt apparency.
Golden-amber colored beer, with no head. Fruity hops aroma with an oranges and mint flavor, and a light bubblegum-flavored finish. A bit of sweet malt throughout, with a solid medium body and moderate carbonation and bitterness.

5.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

On cask NERAX 4/27/2005
Yellowish-copper color, small white head, fleeting. Very clear. Aroma of light yeast and malt, bit of mustiness. Very soft on the palate, with notes of buttercream and a low hops apparency. Medium-light body. Some odd/off yeasty, bready flavors in there.

5.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

With a name like this how could I not try it. Sampled from a 16.9 oz brown bottle this beer poured a thin black color with a small brown head. The aroma was dry chocolate and light hops. The flavor is dry, smoky and has strong dry chocolate notes. It is more thin and watery than I would have liked and I found the smokyness getting to me. Overall not really my style of beer in any regard.