On tap (cask) at the Babbington JDW, Derby Tuesday 14th October 2025 in the company of Dad and Pauline. Pours clear gold in colour, clear as a bell with a mid sized white head. Crisp, clean and mildly hippy, nicely defined beer, fruity but a very good bitterness. Enjoyable and another beer in excellent condition here in this spoons.

Amber ale of sorts (the brewery does not specify the intended style) honouring the puffins or 'clowns of the sea' populating the islands north of Scotland, including the Orkneys, which gave us beerlovers the great Orkney brewery, one of Scotland's trusted classics. Bottle from the Tesco (I think) in Aberdeen and my last souvenir of the holiday I had there in August. Medium thick, moussey, 'Brugse kant'-like lacing, slightly greyish off-white, largely stable head on a clear, deep pure amber coloured robe with darker bronze tinge - a beauty in terms of colour, in my personal view. Aroma of wet toast, burnt hazelnuts, dried wormwood and dandelions, vague dried (faded) grapefruit peel, old mace, moist white pepper, chicory, walnut skin, cigarette shag, dried medlar, shriveled apple peel, unsugared hazelnut paste and slight butter. Dried-fruity onset, sweetish but not actually sweet, hinting at dried medlar, dried fig and dried apple peel, all restrained and softly carbonated with a somewhat creamy mouthfeel - 'fuller' even than expected at this ABV. Toasty-bitter maltiness fills the middle, with a slight 'non-sweet' caramelly side and a nutty core; the malt bitterness vastly overshadows whatever little sweetness is in it, and a very potent dosage of leafy, spicy, even wormwoody hops only extends this bitterness - in a very pronounced way, to the point where only the hop bitterness remains stuck to the tongue's root long after swallowing the last drop. English style 'best bitter' with a Scottish ale (80/-) influence in the malt department and a more severe bitterness in the hop department than is typical for a best bitter - which is why the brewery refrains from any style classification I guess, but as a Belgian, this does not frustrate me (too much)... In either case a fairly rich, tangy, characterful beer, representing the Orkney brewery proudly. Enjoyed it, also as a last tangible remainder of an interesting holiday in Scotland.

Cask at the moon under water Watford Jdw a clear golden orange coloured pour with sticky fine white head. Aroma is subdued, lemon drop, grass, lime. Flavour is composed of subdued pale grains, straw, grass, lemon twist,. Some dishwater. Palate is semi sweet, rounded ok cask condition. Ok.

Deep copper with a creamy tan head. Caramel malts, berries, and a nice snappy bitterness. Medium dry finish. Quite a lovely pint.

Cask at London & North Western, Birmingham. Pours golden amber with a small foamy off-white head and excellent lacing. The aroma is mainly malts with a touch of citrus. In the mouth it is sweet and juicy but with a little sharpness too. Flavours of citrus, floral hops and biscuits. Some spicy bitterness comes through later leading to a fairly dry finish. This is decent.

[Cask at the Back of Beyond (JDW), Reading.] A bright amber pour with a thin white head and some light carbonation; orangey citrus aroma; quite oily in the mouth with an orange taste; then some bitter orange marmalade to finish.

Cask at the Barrel Vaults, St Pancras, 03/10/2025.
Golden topped with a lasting white head.
Nose is pale malts, lemon rind, straw, grains.
Taste comprises modest citric zest, grass, herb, toasted grains.
Medium bodied, soft carbonation, drying close.
Okay cask golde.

Cask handpull at Metropolitan Bar JDW London. Clear gold colour lasting white head Decent pale ale. Some bitterness on the finish. Its a golden bitter decent enough. Some biscuit some peach decent