Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bottle shared at Leightons gaff , 19/09/2016. Many thanks to Leighton for this one. A dark orange coloured pour with a loose off white head. Aroma is semi sweet toasted malts, cola cubes, papery, old malts. Flavour is composed of aged papery malts, faint oak and vanilla, toast, nutty, papery. Palate is dry, airy carbonation, drying finish. Lingering roast and dried fruits.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bottle thanks to LKS. It pours clear deep brown with a medium off-white head. The aroma is earthy, wood, toasted nut, leather, caramel sweetness, rivita and a touch of dried fruits. The taste is dry, wood, leather, toasted nut, caramel, toffee, big of alcohol heat, syrupy, honeyed fruits and toasted brown sugar with a dry, slightly astringenct finish. Medium + body and high, foamy carbonation. Pretty dry and woody. OK at best.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle shared in London - sourced from CPK. Pours clear, deep gold with a creamy, off-white head. Quite woody in the nose, some varnish, ripe berries. Medium sweet flavour with strong woody character, dried berries, some toffee, bread. Medium to full bodied with average carbonation. Warming finish with some woody dryness, earth, more dried berries, a little ham, orange peel. Not bad.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Pours mahogany tinged deep brown into a shaker. Off white head with excellent retention recedes leaving spot lacing. Dark caramel, cocoa and pit fruit aromas. Soft with dusty cocoa and sourdough upfront turning to souring pit fruit before the lasting mocha finish.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

A hazed dark amber Barley Wine with a thin light mocha head. In aroma, beautiful sweet fruity caramel malt with light vinous notes, treacle, light vanilla, alcohol warmth, very nice and smooth. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity caramel malt with light grassy floral hops, resinous and smooth, vinous character, alcohol warmth, very nice for its age. Bottled on March 4, 2011.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Combination rate of bottle pour into pint glass (2016), taster pour at Craft Brew Race, Worcester (2019). Appearance is light-to-medium brown with finger-width beige head with decent retention and lacing. Aroma is caramel roast, hint of coffee (2019), strong oak (2016). Taste is strong oak--hard to get anything else (2016), caramel roast and mild coffee with hint of oak and nuts (2019). Palate is light-to-medium bodied with thin, smooth texture and average-to-lively carbonation with oaky finish. Overall, the oak dominated the 2016 experience to the exclusion of other aroma/flavors so rated it 2.9 but the 2019 pour had more mellow oak (maybe too mellow) so other flavors shined through (rated 3.8). So, perhaps the length of time it's been aged in the barrels or the age in the bottle may have been different between the two.

Late checkin

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

750 ml bottle purchased at Table and Vine, West Spring field. Bottled on 10 March 2014. Amber orange in color without head. Aroma is earthy malts, (like dried leaves), toffee, weak dark fruit and alcohol.

Flavor has dark fruit through the center with a sticky / syrupy texture. The maple syrup just comes off as sugar. Booze is still pretty obvious giving a warm sensation after the swallow. Body is medium with the carbonation starting to slip away.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

A hazed dark amber ale with a thick frothy lacing light mocha head. In aroma, sweet fruity caramel malt with light nutty notes, light grassy hops, treacle, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity caramel malt with smooth herbal hops, grapefruit pulp, light pine needles, nice and smooth.