Bottle @ joes. Slightly hazy amber colour with a small white head. Smells very malty, some tea, sweet. Tastes malty, sweet, tea, bitter. Thin body, soft carbo.

Pint at Henry Addingdon canary i cwharf. Hazed orange coloured pour with a creamy off white head. Aroma is grainy, caraway seeds, spices and English yeast. Flavour is lightly perfumed with some floral and caraway. Finish is bitty grainy tanin. Palate is grainy semi creamy. Pretty dull.

Bottle at home, from ABM, 01/06/14. Very lightly hazed golden with a well appointed off white head that soon dissipates to a covering. Nose is bready malts, Enlgish hops, light caramel and biscuit notes, fruit peel. Taste comprises much the same, light floral and vanilla. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, moderate bitterings in the close. Ok bitter, definately better on cask as you would expect.

Bottle at home, 01/06/14, from ABM. Rich chestnut brown with a moderate light tan covering that dissipates and retains as a swirl and edgework. Nose is light roast, brown bread, tobacco, grain, earthy cocoa. Taste comrpises earthy cocoa, toffee, fruit loaf, brown sugars, sweet notes, vanilla, subtle hop presence noted. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, swee and very light drying effect in the close. Ok porter.

(bottle) Clear, dark brown colour with a ruby shine and a short and tanned foamy head. Earthy dark and roasted malty aroma with notes of liquorice, milk chocolate and withered leaves. Moderately sweet, slightly roasty bitter and delicately sour flavour, rather light bodied with a smooth carbonation. Earthy and leafy, moderately roasted malty aroma with notes of caramel, liquorice and chocolate; moderately dry and mildly roasty bitter finish with notes of chocolate and hints of leather in the aftertaste. 13.V.14

(bottle) Clear, dark amber colour with a short and tanned foamy head. Slightly ashy malty aroma with notes of caramel, accompanied by slightly grassy and subtle fruity hops. Moderately sweet and slightly bitter flavour, light bodied with a soft carbonation. Mildly roasted malty taste with notes of caramel, bread crusts and ashes, combined with lighter spicy and slightly grassy hoppy accents; bitter-sweet and slightly roasted malty finish with spicy and delicately fruity hops. Unspectacular but likeable. 16.IV.14

(bottle, Sambrooks Wandle, 4.2% abv) Clear, deep golden colour with a short off-white foamy layer. Slightly biscuity cara-malty aroma with delicately woody and subtle citric hoppy notes. Slightly sweet flavour, light bodied with a tame carbonation. Slim cara-malt character with mildly fruity and woody hops; slim and slightly sweet malty finish with shy hoppy notes and a touch of caramel. Easy-going brew, nothing special. 16.IV.14

(bottle) Slightly hazy, golden colour with a firm and slightly off-white foamy head. Mildly bready and yeasty malty aroma with delicately sweaty notes and citric hops. Slightly bitter flavour, light bodied with a medium carbonation. Dry malt character with subtle notes of citrus and grassy hops; dry and moderately bitter hoppy finish, again with grassy spots. Decent and refreshing. 16.IV.14

Keg at Draft House Charlotte. It pours deep reddish-brown with a medium beige head. The nose is bitter-sweet, pine, brown bread, dried berry, varnish and leather. The taste is earthy, malt-driven, brown bread, good deal of bitterness, spice, leather, wood and dried fruits with a dry, bitter finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Pretty nice all in all. Good deal of bitterness which carries the beer.

Bottle at home in London - sourced from Kris Wines. Pours clear, rich amber with a creamy, light tan head. The aroma holds a fair bit of ripe berries, brown bread, touches of toffee. Medium sweet flavor with wholegrain bread, some further ripe fruits, berries, plums, cherries, raisins, a bit of bitter pine and earth. Medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. Moderately sweet and sticky on the finish with some bitter toasted grains, light grass, gooey pine, more berries, plums, toffee. There seems to be some disconnect between the sweetness and the bitterness - which is at times fairly pronounced - but otherwise it’s an easy going, malty affair.