Cask at the Pigs Ear Beer Festival, East London. Black pour with a tan head. Very nice aromas of dark chocolate, a little licorice, some coffee. Oh yes that’s nice! The taste reminds me of liquid bourneville chocolate. Also has a strong coffee approach. Long coffee linger. Roasty, toasty finish. Yum!

Bottle at Craft Beer Co. It pours very dark brown with a small tan head. The nose is roasted malt, caramel, vanilla, coconut and wood. The taste is chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, light earth, light spice and vanilla. Medium body and fine carbonation. Solid porter.

Bottle from Craft Beer Co. It pours darkest brown with a small light tan head. The nose is roasted malt, coffee grinds, earth, light jam and dark fruit. The taste is roasted malt, milk chocolate, acidity, sour milk, dark fruit, coffee, jam, light sourness and earth with a dry finish. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Nice beer from this new brewery. Pretty tasty stuff.

3rd December 2012
Craft Clerkenwell. Thanks to Frederic for locating and sharing. Cheers mate! Light haze on this gold beer, good white head. Palate is light and dry and a little crispy. Mild seltzer minerals, tiny bit of citrus. Semi dry finish. Inoffensive fluff!

Keg at Craft Beer Co. - Clerkenwell, London. I gather this beer (on tap) was not in optimal form, and I didn’t buy it; I did try a taste from someone else and I didn’t think it was that bad. There is a strong, doughy element to the beer characteristic of high levels of diacetyl. Indeed, there is also a lightly creamy, buttery texture, which I also associate with diacetyl. I wouldn’t call these traits ’bad’, per se, as I am not a person who writes off a beer because of diacetyl presence; although as this beer may not have been served as the brewer had intended I will try it again when I can. As it was, I enjoyed the beer. Plenty of dough, berries, rich sugars, vanilla frosting. Perhaps a bit heavy on the buttered biscuit front, but not bad overall.

Bottle shared at Craft Beer Co. - Clerkenwell, London. Pours rich brown with a thick, beige cream head. Huge coffee nose with hints of roasted malts and dark cocoa poking through. Medium sweet flavor with just tons of coffee. Background notes of roasted malts, dark fruits. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Rich, medium sweet finish, with dark chocolate, massive coffee. You must enjoy coffee to enjoy this beer. It’s almost like drinking an espresso, and at times you may forget it’s actually a beer. Anyway, it’s good stuff.

Bottle shared at Craft Beer Co. - Clerkenwell, London. Pours clear, red-gold with a fine, white cream head. Big funky nose, light manure. Light to medium sweet flavor with lots of funk, moderate berries, bread. Light to medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. Clean finish with more manure (paradoxically), light berries and further bready malts. Decent, although I like the regular saison more.