Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Cask at Pigs Ear 2016 - London. Pours brown with a frothy, khaki head. The aroma holds muted toasted bread, a little earth, a little leather. Light sweet flavor with noes of toasted sugar, berries, nips of plastic, caramel. Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation. The finish doesn’t tantalise - just a bit more berry sweetness, toasted sugars, bready malts and impressions of caramel.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle shared at London Brewers’ Market. Pours clear, dark brown with a thick, creamy yellow head. The nose holds burnt honey, toasted bread. Light sweet flavour with burnt toast, a little earth, orange peel. Medium bodied with massaging carboantion. Finishes with more burnt honey, toasted brown bread, earthy bitterness. Decent novelty.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Keg at the London Brewers’ Market. Pours unclear gold with a dense, creamy white head. The nose has some dusty pale malts, whiffs of dry cocoa, pale grains. Light sweet flavour with a little citrus rind bitterness, modest bitter cocoa, more rind. Medium bodied with average carbonation. Finishes with light resin, more rindy bitterness, background cocoa. Not bad overall.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Cask (gravity) @ 31th Pigs Ear Beer and Cider Festival 2014, at The Round Chapel in Hackney, London, England [ As Laines Empire Stout ].ABV: 5.0%. Clear dark brown color with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, sweet malt, light earthy. Flavor is moderate to light light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, earthy, malt sweet, chocolate notes. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft to flat. [20141202]
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Cask (gravity) @ 31th Pigs Ear Beer and Cider Festival 2014, at The Round Chapel in Hackney, London, England [ As Laines Bourgeois Scum ].Clear dark brown color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, dark malt, moderate to heavy hoppy, grapefruit, pine, licorice notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, licorice, grapefruit, pine, dark malt, fruity, hoppy. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft to flat. [20141202]
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cask at Pigs Ear 2015, day 1 - London. Pours deep brown with a light, beige foam cap. Dark malts in the nose, some mellow dark berries, hints of chocolate. Light to medium sweet flavour with leathery berries, more cocoa, some earthy bitterness. Light bodied with average carbonation. Further dark berries in the finish, earth, mild bittersweet cocoa. Pretty OK.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
1st December 2015
Pigs Ear Day 1. Cask. Clear dark amber beer, small pale tan head. Palate is light, airy and semi dry. Tangy dark malts and a little dark chocolate. Touch of lactose. Mild and tangy dark fruits. Light dry finish. Just another stout.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cask gravity at Pigs Ear 2015. Black beer lasting tan head. no huge aroma. Some chocolate some dryness on the finish. It’s fine. OK stout.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Cask Gravity at Pig’s Ear 2015. It pours darkest brown with a small beige head. The nose is toasty, grainy, liquorice, umami, salted liquorice and a touch of smoke. The taste is toasty, earthy, some acidity, charred wood, peppery spice and cocoa with a dry, mildly astringent finish. Light - medium body and fine carbonation. I found this a touch too light and weak. So-so.