Dark ruby ale, nice red glow and aroma of warm winter fruits, more crisp in its taste rather than flavoursome.

Cask (handpump) @ Port Street Beer House, 39-41 Port Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England M1 2EQ.Clear medium to dark amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, nutty, caramel, earthy, light hoppy, fruity. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20120122]

Gravity dispense at the Prince of Wales, Farnborough BF - 12/10/12. Dark mahogony brown with a thin tan head. Dark fruits on the nose, little dark malt, licqourice, toffee and some nutiness. Dark fruits at the fore of the taste, prunes, dates, toffee, licqourice and a pinch of tobacco. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation leading to a dry finish. Decent enough porter.

Bottled. Clear mahogany colour, small head. Caramelly nose with some spices. Mid sweet and malty with treacle and notes of licorice. Some resin in a mid bitter finish.

3rd August 2012 saw me in ‘The Crown Inn’ Oakengates and having four hand-pulled pints of this fine brew. Almost clear body of light amber/deep gold with a white, lasting head of bubbles. Very floral nose: some malts in the aroma as well, but completely overshadowed by the floral hops. The taste is almost a reverse of the smell: the hops now playing second fiddle to the maltier content and only coming into their own as the mouth dries and a semi-bitterness arrives. Medium bodied; and easy to drink (hence the four pints).

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Draft at Walsall Beer Festival. Clear golden pour with a medium white head. Aroma is hoppy, slightly yeasty and light fruit. Flavours of citrus, yeast, fruit and caramel. Thin bodied with light carbonation.

Brown 500ml bottle, best before Nov 09, drank Jun 09. Poured into a pint glass, it looked a golden pale colour. A firm white head sat on top, this head slowly became a collar and wispy covering. Hoppy aroma, not overpowering, but strong enough to hide anything else. Pale and Crystal malts used in the brew, but the hops win the battle of the flavours like they did in the nose. There are some citrus notes within the taste as well. Good mouthfeel considering it is only 3.6% ABV beer, plenty of taste and bite to it. A nicely put together beer.

Brown 500ml bottle best before Oct 09, drank and reviewed 7th Oct 09 (whoops). Made with Welsh mountain water and brought back from Wales by my wife after walking up Mount Snowden! It is labelled as a dark bitter, so no guessing its colour: It is in fact a deep hamogany brown, clear, bright and flawless in appearance. An off-white head sat on top. The head did fall away but a lot of lacing held in the glass, so the beer was in good condition for this review. Toffee apples and malts are in the smell, both more pronounced as the beer warmed. A real malty flavour, add a blend of hops, some summer orchard fruits and you get a really interesting and flavoursome beer. The beer has a yeast presence too, but the maltiness holds fort over everything else. I liked the feel and overall taste of this beer, glad my wife bought home a bottle, even if she paid ’through the nose for it!’. I have had this beer in cask form, but that was during a drinking mission in Shrewsbury, no reviewing can take place while out on such evenings, it’s the law.

Cask at the London Drinker. Pours clear brown with a frothy, off-white head. Some very light cocoa in the nose. Light sweet flavor, some treacle candy, faint cocoa, light roast, some burnt grass. Light bodied with fine, smooth carbonation. Fairly sweet finish, some light chocolate, some dirt. Nothing special, but OK.