Bottle from Appellation Wines. Appearance - cherry cola with no head. Nose - sheep wool, lanolin, cherry is faint, the yeast is king here. With woody edges. Taste - cherry lozenge that gets cleans instantly with wood and cleansing sourness. Palate - tangy and medium bodied. Long, persistent and elegant! Overall - stunning beer, Chris. Sauvignon Blanc not usually barrel aged or fermented, so wondering if it's a Californian barrel (Fume Blanc).

Can from the Plumsteadshire online shop. Black pour with a tan head. Dark roast coffee, black cherries, sweet tobacco, light smoke, nuts in the nose. Taste is black cherry, coffee, more nuts, spot of dark fruits. Sweet spicy fruity finish. Very nice.

440ml can from sophiesbeerstore.co.uk. Pours pitch black, good foamy tan head. Prominent coffee nose with soft cherry. Taste presents an intense rich coffee grain presence with layered dark malts and teasing cherry glimpses on the close. Quite a hefty beer this, with a menacing coffee side and good malt body. Excellent balance. Serious stuff.

Advent calendar beer 3/12. Bags of rum attacking the nose when you open it. Pours a lovely amber, with a little bit of white foam. Mouthfeel is proper thick and smooth, like old school barleywines should be. Some nice hoppy bitterness over malts. And rum.