Cask gravity at Nottingham BF 2007. Very dark brown with thin beige head. Decent bitter choc, roasted malts. Nice creamy chocolate, really good mild, choccy grainyness is superb, lots of flavour.

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Arms, Kettering, Northants’, 25-05-07. Poured black with very little head. This was stunning, the aroma was nice and roasty with maybe a touch of woodiness and these key characteristics carried on through into the taste which finished with a nice smoothness, it was simplicity itself but wonderful for it. This beer should really be put up as a benchmark for how a good English Mild should be. There are some great Milds around with Potbelly Beijing Black being one of most memorable of recent years, but it is rare that I’ve stumbled across a new mild at the more usual low abv that has had such an impact on me, simply superb. [i] [b] Updated again at Merton Winter Beer Fesatival Feb’ 08 [/i] [/b] This little mild still tastes great, and as Mild’s go it sets quite a high benchmark, but it isn’t quite the force that it was last time out so I’m going to have to knock it don a point or two.

Cask, Far from the Madding Crowd Beer Fest’ in the company of Doppelganger. This beer poured a warm golden colour. Aroma hoppy and with some citrus notes but the taste was sublime, a real explosion of zestiness and fruitiness, with grapefruit flavours forcing their way through in this wonderfully hoppy beer, wonderful lingering bittereness and a most enjoyable finish. Maybe it was the condition of this beer which was top notch in my opinion, or maybe it was just because I got so much more from it than I expected, but this really was a superb session beer that I really savoured.