Edinburgh Beer festival 07 ... Orange ... sweet caramel malt ... watttery wheat ! ... fruity with bitter linger . tk2 Orangy colour ... fruity hop with little malt nose ... Juicy and rounded hop. 2.9->3.5

Cask, Moon Under Water, Watford. Poured a nice black colour with a white head. A burnt smell, with a little tar. Bitter chocolate taste, smokey flavour, but with some sweetness. Rather nice.

Pours dark amber into an English pint. Off-white micro head with excellent retention leaves sheet lacing in spots. Sour caramel aromas. Smooth and full with upfront tangy smoke and a brief, dry caramel finish.

Draught half-pint at NERAX on 5/3/07
Bright, ruddy-tinted chocolate brown body has a small, foamy, beige-tan head that shows moderate to low retention, light lacing.
Baker’s chocolate and light fruit (esters) in the nose (cherries, apples) are soft, though there is a dry, slightly crusty, salty black malt note that sits on the end. Not too apparent in the nose, and light base malt sugars help keep things mostly lighthearted. Yeast shows a touch of dough and some light apple notes I could do without, but as it warms, a cherry-vanilla aroma emerges more strongly, and is quite enjoyable. Medium strength of aroma, no real flaws or alcohol noted.
Straightfoward, clean flavor presentation shows pale and light caramel malts (some breadiness and hardness from the caramel/crystal malting) with a bit of chewy, sweet fudge through the middle. The finish really smacks of dark malt overusage. Too much acidity for its size and lots of crusty, hard, almost salty notes that dominate the palate and "ruin it in the end" as cgarvieuk notes. Very light body, moderate amount of wateriness seems appropriate to style. Low carbonation, slightly loose. Quite fruity, both from malt and yeast. Clean.

Dark brown color; big head. Caramel aroma, sweet, oxydized. Medium body structure, some malt and a lot of caramel, some liquorice, light roasted malt; the flavors are well mixed but it’s oxydized and not fresh.

(Cask at Market Porter, Borough, London 28 Apr 2007) Amber colour with firm off-white head. Fruity nose with dark fruit, dried apricot, orange peel and earthy hops. Fruity taste with a solid malt base, notes of orange marmalade, apricots and earthy hops in the finish. Brilliant balance throughout. Very nice bitter.

(Cask at Market Porter, Borough, London 27 Apr 2007) Dark reddish brown, tawny, colour with firm beige head. Fruity nose with dark fruit, raspberries, orange and lovely notes of citrussy hops. Fruity taste with dark fruit, raspberries, dried apricots, hints of chocolate and earthy/citrussy hops in the finish. Solid malt foundation throughout. Very taste, very drinkable. Excellent is the word!

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm) Dark reddish brown colour with firm beige head. Malty nose with notes of dark fruit (raisins, dried apricots), slightly vinous. Malty taste with dark fruit, cherries, prunes, raisins and hints of brown sugar (but drier than one might expect). Medium to full body, but smooth mouthfeel. A bit more balanced than the cask conditioned version, but probably not as bold. Warming and tasty.

Reddish brown color with light head leaving nice lacing on the glass. Generic sweet smell, but the taste is considerably less sweet. Rather bitter, but not as much as an ESB. A little like cardboard at the end. It’s Killian’s Red with a kick. Not liked by most of the people I asked at the bar where I found it, but I thought it was quite good.