Summer 2006 bottle from American Beer Distributors, drunk on 9/27/06.
Brassy-golden colored body is chalk-full of large bubbles, bursting on the surface and creating a small, white head that slowly dissipates to partial cover. Little to no lacing produced. Obviously filtered/force-carbonated, the beer is highly clear.
Meaty, juicy, highly aromatic blueberries stand in the nose. Very strong up front, asserting the fruit character of the beer and adding a light perfumey, berry-skin-like note through the middle. It dries out a good deal (it’s not very sweet to begin with) and captures malt notes of straw and light breadiness. A slightly sourish note sits on the end, not quite metallic, almost yeasty and certainly redolent of some mineral or other. Blueberries continue to sit foremost in the nose. Strength is medium, but complexity is rather weak; it still seems like a blueberry drink first, followed by malt notes as an afterthought. Alcohol not noted.
Dry, grainy pale malts with a touch of substantial doughiness provide texture for a soft, natural blueberry essence that is lightly sweet, lightly tart at times and quite full in the overall flavor. Light graininess and some simple sugars play about on the end, but the carbonation makes it rather gassy and overly loose in mouthfeel, without much defining beer character. Some mild hop bitterness. That being said, the blueberry flavor is quite true, and never cloys. Just can’t get past the filtration/carbonation levels with this brewery’s bottled products.

Cask. Dark clear brown ale with a big bubbled off white head. A roasted toast aroma with nutty notes. In mouth, a smokey peat malt with nutty notes, light moka, a dry powdery finish. Medium bodied. The Real Beer Expo - Rochester, NY, Oct. 21, 2006.

Sample at brewery tasting room. light amber color with a small head. Aroma is a basic octoberfest. You know really there is nothing special about this beer. Nothing separates this from all those numerous Octoberfests out now. A slightly more malty lager and still boring.

Sample at the brewery tasting room. A rather unattractive yellow color with a thick head. Has a deceptively medicinal and herbal aroma. However, all this leads to a surprising and deliciously sweet malt flavor. Slightly biscuit-y a la a British bitter mixed some strong sweet malts. Mouthfeel has a perfect level of felt carbonation. A surprising delight. 6/2/8/4/15

Rerate: definitely a different batch and a very different beer. Not so unattractive yellow anymore. Taste is a lot more hoppy (some citrus some herbal hops) and less on the biscuit. Still very quaffable though. 7//3/7/3/15.

Sample at Brewery tasting room. Pours very black with a large frothy head. Just a tad of brown translucence but otherwise no clarity. Aroma is slightly roasty with a small hop presence. Flavor is a soapy mess with hints of chocolate and roasty flavors. Seems promising but maybe too young right now.

Tap and cask at the brewery - sampled side by side - dark ruby, almost black, with a creamy head from the cask (obviously), and none from the tap - aroma of roasted grains, a bit of coffee, a tiny hint of caramel and chocolate - the mouthfeel is quite smooth from the cask, but a bit too bubbly out of the tap - how does it tastes from the tap? - light roasted qualities, with a bit of cream and coffee, and a very prominent, fruity, almost blueberry-ish flavor - and from the cask? - the roasted flavor and coffee hints are more prominent, and the fruitiness is subdued - the body is a bit thin, and the finish kind of falls flat in the flavor department, but this is a pretty decent effort (and quite authentically "British" on cask) - I prefer it from the cask, but it’s worth a shot no matter how it’s served.

nice frothy head in the plastic sample cup at the brewery. Brown medium head that quickly disappears leaving barely any lacing. Very roasty coffee all around. Taste has a strong sweetness aspect as well. Aftertaste is coffee without any bitterness. Good stuff.

Plastic sample cup at the brewery tasting room. Color is macro colored yellow with a weak flimsy head. Slightly hoppy aroma followed by a moderately hopped taste. I wouldnt call it an APA but a hoppy pale ale. A weak malt presence. Finish is moderate bitterness. One demonsional, also get some cooked vegetable aroma.

ohh very nice beer. Plastic sample cup at the brewery. Small head that quickly turns into lacing. Amber color and can see through it. Present aroma of light roastiness, very earthy and toasty. Nice malt in this puppy. Taste is moderately toasty sweet. Low but present bitterness at the end to round things off. Leaves a really fruity, sweet aftertaste. Really good level of carbontation allowing a proper enjoyment of this beer. This really might be the best beer Blue Point makes. I really recommend it. This also may be the best ESB I have every tried.

Plastic sample cup at the brewery. Dark yellow to light orange color. Can see through the beer and vsisible carbonation. Nothing too discernable in the aroma. Present though, a humble earthy hefe. Taste I get banana but in a different manner than usual. I get a sweet aspect of banana only. A pretty full bodied hefe. But again not much too discernable in the taste either. Finishes with just a hint of bitterness. Average mouthfeel.