Cask at Cambridge Brew House. It pours murky amber-brown with a medium white head. The nose is wood, earth, leather spice and faint citrus. The taste is wood, earth, tangy fruits, grapefruit, lemon, red berry, decent bitterness and light spice. Medium body and soft carbonation. I like the tangy fruit aspect, but can’t help but wonder whether its the start of an infection.....

Cask (gravity) @ Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 2013, at the University Social Club, Mill Lane, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England CB2 1RX.Clear light medium amber color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, toffee, butter. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet with a long duration, sweet caramel, butter, marmalade. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20130119]

Cask (gravity) @ Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 2013, at the University Social Club, Mill Lane, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England CB2 1RX.Clear dark black brown color with a small to average, frothy - fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, toffee - butter. Flavor is moderate sweet, light light acidic and light bitter with a long duration, fruity, flowers, dark malt, sweet toffee, fudge. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20130119]

Hand pulled pint in the excellent ‘Maypole’, Cambridge, England (Nov 2011). My full UK pint sleeve held a really dark brown, almost black brew: almost no head, but it still looked interesting. Liquorice in the aroma and taste, loads of it: Black Jack Chews in a liquid form, intense and in your face. With such a powerful base flavour it was difficult to find any other flavours and although I have called it a Dark Mild for a BA style it isn’t really anything like a Mild, or anything else for that matter: this isn’t a beer that you can pigeon hole into a single category. The 4%ABV sits nicely and the mouth feel about right: this isn’t rich or creamy, sweet or sour: it’s all about liquorice. Luckily I like liquorice and I highly recommend this beer if you do too: if you can’t stand liquorice give the beer a miss.