Cask at the Taproom SE18 Beer Festival, April 2016. Dark brown pour with a beige head. Lots of smoke in the aroma with a splash of chocolate and coffee. Flavours of chocolate, bonfire toffee, Woodsmoke and coffee. Deep roasty finish Nice brew.

14th April 2016
Bottlshare at Mr Smith’s pad. Thanks to Leighton. Lightly hazy amber beer, short pale tan head. Light palate, smooth and semi dry. Decent fine carbonation. For a CDA the malts are quite pale and bring thin creamy sweetness. Dry pithy citric hops, some relief from smooth pine. A little fruit before a dry floral bitter finish. Any Earl Grey buried under the hops.Decent brew but lacks the darker malts of proper CDA.

Keg at the Bootlegger, High Wycombe. Amber with a thick white head. Fizzy. Lot of biscuit and fake caramel. Odd hit of absinthe. Grass and plastic. Not convinced on this one.

Bottle at home in London - picked up down in Clapham somewhere. Pours clear, orangey amber with a mellow, frothy off-white head. The aroma gives off lightly toasted grains, leaves, ripening berries, English yeast. Light to medium sweet flavour with a fairly simplistic overall character, further bready malts, light caramel, earthy and leafy bitterness, faint citrus, more berries. Light bodied with fine to average carbonation. Pretty well balanced on the finish, with more sweet bread, low bitterness, subtle leaves and berries. Quite easygoing and drinkable.

Bottle shared at Leightons place 14/04/2016. Many thanks to Leighton for this one. Reddy amber coloured pour with a halo of dirty head. Aroma is toasted malts, piney citrus hop with a little floral note. Flavour is composed of nutty toasted malts, tart berry, earthy malts, pine, berry, a little tea leaves. Palate is medium light, semi sweet, moderate carbonation. Semi drying finish. Decent,

Bottle shared in London - picked up in South London. Pours clear reddish brown with a frothy, tan head. The nose holds toasted grains, ripe berries, earth. Light to medium sweet flavour with bitter with, grainy toast, faint cocoa. Medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. Finishes with more toasty malts, ripe fruits, light pine and earth. Tasty stuff.

Bottle at Bespin, thanks to Leighton, 14/04/16. Rich chestnut brown with a decent tan head that dissipates to a swirl. Nose is light plastic, bitter orange peel, citric sherbet, spice, light charr, cocoa light. Taste comprises earthy hop, trace of pine, bitter orange, straw, grassy, light charring. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with light hop bitterness. Ok.

Bottle thanks to the guys at Belleville.It pours black with a thick tan head. The aroma is rich, bitter - sweet, sweet roast, dark chocolate, chocolate orange and earthy tea. The taste is rich roasted, bitter pine, orange peel, peppery spice, dark chocolate, dry, coffee grounds, charcoal and earth with a lingering dry, roasted finish. Medium + body and moderate, foamy carbonation. Rich and robust. Very flavoursome. Probably Belleville’s best.