Can at mum and dad's, from Nisa Extra Newry, 25/01/23. Irn-Bru orange with a white cap that thins to a swirl. Nose is orange peel, grass, toasted malts, tangerine, floral notes. Taste comprises orange zest, grass, hint of grapefruit, citric tinged straw, melon. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close splashed with balanced juicy come grassy hop bitterness. It's fine ... lacks gop presence and depth of flavour but overall clean drinking and refreshing.

Barrel aged version of an imperial porter I have not even had in its regular form - thanks Craftmember for sharing. Medium sized, moussy, membrane-lacing, pale yellowish beige, relatively stable head on an ink black beer. Aroma of bitter black chocolate, burnt toast, roasted chicory, oak wood but quite low in 'vanilla', cappuccino, hard caramel, whiskey, porcini, deep-fried parsley, bayleaf, salsify, walnut. Sweetish onset but restrainedly so, dried blueberries and dried figs, softish carb, full and oily mouthfeel, light porcini-like umami touch; bitter-chocolatey, toasted-bready and walnutty maltiness with strong bitter roastiness in its tail (black coffee) along with drying woody tannins and warming, whisky-like alcohol, adorned with spicy notes (black pepper, bayleaf) and a leafy hop bitter moment. Roasted, mouth-filling, coffee-like bitterness remains - to that extent that if tasted blind, I would probably have referred to this beer as a stout rather than a porter, but the Irish know best of course and I am aware of the fact that there is hardly a distinction between the two. In any case a very correctly constructed, very Irish strong porter / stout from a specialist in old school Irish stouts - and one that never disappoints, while at the same time remaining very affordable. Cheers to that.

Fles gedeeld door Tomhendriksen. Diep donkerbruin tot zwart bier met matig schuim dat als een film blijft liggen. Aroma van koffie en gebrand hout. Smaak van salmiak en drop maar ook koffie en chocolade komen naar voren. Zacht in de mond. Nasmaak van salmiak, vanille en koffie.

Fles gedeeld met Inoven, het is een pikzwart bier met een volle bruinige schuimkraag. Het heeft een aroma van gebrande mout, hout, rozijnen en whisky. De smaak is vol, gebrande koffie, drop en whisky achtig.

Sample (thanks omhper!). Reddish amber colour, small off-white head. Aroma is sweet malts, some toffee, mild berries and earth. Flavour is floral, some toffee, mild wooden and some sweet maltiness to it. A bit watery.

Bottle 50 cl. Pours a clear, dark, nutty brown with a warm reddish hue and a beige head. Sweet toffee and grainy malts in the nose. Rich, sweet, malty body. Again toffee and some licorice all sorts notes. Warming alcohol finish combined with slightly crude bittering hops. Otherwise an English style Barley Wine about as good as they get. 040123