Sample from the tap at Winterfest 2015. Pours a clear golden orange with a white head that dissipates slowly to the edges and laces slightly. Aroma has ltos of pine hops with some onion in there, a bit of grass and a sweet grain backbone. Flavor has lots of grass and pine with some onion toward the finish and sweet grain underlying.

Sampled from the cask at Winterfest 2015. Pours a clear gold with a bubbly white head that lasts throughout the beer. Aroma has a good amount of grassy hops, a bit of pine, a sweet grain backbone and a bit of rose. Flavor has grassy hops and slight pine with a bit of rose in there and a sweet grain backbone.

Winterfest 2015. Pulled from a cask, which was good for the palate, making it very smooth, almost creamy. Just some very light notes of flowers, and if I didn’t know they were in there, I am not sure I would have picked that up. Light, soft palate.

On tap at Happy Gnome. Pours a near amber with a near white head that dissipates to the edges and laces. Aroma has light grains and rye up front with some straw, light citrus and grass backing. Flavor has light citrus and grass up front with a bit of grain and rye backing.

12oz bottle. Filtered orange-red body, frothy off-white head. Piny, earthy aroma, not so impressive. Kind of like a big Pale Lager, maybe a touch of steam beer. The spruce tip flavor isn’t really desirable or enjoyable here. Definitely has some macro, bland, antiquated qualities. The maple attempts to rescue it from the bland mehness, but it falls short. Not an impressive start for Christian.

Cask (gravity) @ GBBF 2013, Great British Beer Festival, London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX. [ As Summit Vanilla Cafe Mocha Oatmeal Stout ].Clear dark black brown color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, fully diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is heavy malty, roasted, oat, chocolate, coffee, vanilla. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate to heavy bitter with a long duration, dusty coffee - mocha, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla beans. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is flat flat. [20130814]

On tap. Pours a clear deep amber with a light brown head that dissipates slowly to the edges and laces. Aroma has lots of bread with a bit of sweetness and light spice. Flavor has bread, toffee and sweet grains with a bit of spice underlying.

12oz bottle. Filtered copper-amber body. Creamy off-white head. Inoffensive, sort of bland aroma. Bready, thick malt tones, but the filtration keeps it pretty drinkable. In no way a traditional English style mild, but not a bad beer, the malt tones are quite pleasant and rich, almost oaky. Its really something along the lines of an "imperial". The hops give it some pleasant balance. Enjoyable.

12 ounce can into dimpled mug, best before 1/3/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Slight earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of dark/bready malt and earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Very clean on lager flavor with no overly estery notes present. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice oktoberfest style. All around good robustness, balance, and complexity of dark/bready malt and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.