7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 6
Texture 7
Overall 7
Hazy yellow-gold in colour. Last night wasn't dreamless and involved hiding something in a cave of mud! Back to reality here with a crisp, mildly carbonated keg pour, which is easy-drinking and is citrus based, although much blander in taste than its aroma in this respect. There's pine available in both.
Tried
from Draft
at
City Arms
on 31 Jan 2026
at 20:36
6.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 5.5
Texture 7
Overall 5
Cask @ Salopian. Pours unclear dark, tan head. No salted caramel coming through but definitely quite chocolatey.. as it is it's quite decent, but marked down for the lack of salted caramel.
Tried
from Cask
at
Salopian Bar
on 05 Jan 2026
at 10:26
7.3/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Dark brown, near black black, with a frothy tan head and a chocolate and coffee aroma. Smooth and creamy, roasted malt, caramel sweetness, coffee bitterness and a dry bitter finish.
Tried
from Cask
at
Salopian Bar
on 03 Jan 2026
at 13:00
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Cask at Hops, Crewe. Pours a very dark reddish-brown with a sizable frothy tan head and good lacing. The aroma has malts and chocolate alongside some sweet nuttiness. /in the mouth it is surprisingly bitter with a little underlying sharpness. Flavour initially is malts, almonds and oranges with hints of dark fruits and molasses coming later. Bitterness also gives way to sweetness in a fruity and slightly dry finish. This is decent – I like how it changes character as you progress down the glass.
Tried
from Cask
at
Hops
on 20 Dec 2025
at 15:20
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Tried
from Cask
at
Redwillow Buxton
on 20 Dec 2025
at 12:33
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Tried
from Cask
at
Redwillow Buxton
on 20 Dec 2025
at 12:07
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
'Mad Friday' 2025 Beer#14. Fourteenth brew on one of the busiest drinking days of the year. A year's ageing is apparent and gives the brew a mature roasted character, which is relatively soft in texture for its strength. It's certainly full-bodied though. Quite smooth with chocolate desperate to escape.
Tried
from Cask
at
West Riding Refreshment Rooms (Free)
on 19 Dec 2025
at 18:12
6.9/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 6
Flavor 6.5
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
'Mad Friday' 2025 Beer#15. Fifteenth brew on one of the busiest drinking days of the year. Deeper clear amber coloured brew. Looks good. Quite a pleasant supping, fairly full-bodied tasting ale, with the style of the beer more than evident and obvious.
Tried
from Cask
at
West Riding Refreshment Rooms (Free)
on 19 Dec 2025
at 18:10
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Penny Less - I felt like it after purchasing this one. Strong heavy, but not particularly boozy barley wine. It's quite smooth too with mild liquorice notes.
Tried
from Cask
at
City Arms
on 06 Dec 2025
at 19:58