Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle condtioned, 500 ml. Bottle No. 001880. Pours with a large, thick and lasting beige head. Beautiful copper colour, transparent, no sediment in bottle. Delightful sweet aroma - Christmas spices, caramel, brown sugar, oak, fruits (sultanas, plums), sherry. Flavour is malty and spicy with some brown sugar notes, but not too sweet. A substantial hoppy bitterness from start to finish. Very good!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Deep brown colour. Strong ensilage aroma, some would probably say "with a hint of vomit", some caramel too. Mouthfeel maybe a bit thin. Malty flavour with some caramel. Not much bitterness.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. A gift from chris_o (a fellow beer rater), a very fine gift indeed! Thanks! Pours with an enormous and lingering foamy head, deep golden colour. Fairly clear till I disturbed the sediment in the end. Lovely hoppy aroma, "typically British" - at its best. Flavour is hoppy throughout on a nice malty background with some toffee notes, again "typically British". This is what John Smith’s SHOULD have tasted like! Rerate: now available in Norway at Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Still a great beer! This time I also get some hints of smoke in the flavour, which does not make the beer any worse.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Deep amber colour. Strong treacle / burnt caramel aroma, lovely. Butterscotch flavour, moderately sweet but with a hoppy finish. Unusual and nice.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Brownish golden colour. Complex aroma of blackcurrants, blackberries and hay, some sherry too. Malty flavour with tolerable hops, hints of blackcurrant leaves and marsala (Italian fortified wine). Very moderate hops in the finish, slightly dusty.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Belhaven Classic Fruit Beer". Dark amber colour. Strong fruity aroma of blackcurrants, blackberries, boysenberries and maybe some redcurrants too. Flavour is extremely fruity, raspberry, blackberries and redcurrants abound. A tolerable maltiness and a decent hoppy finish makes this an above-average ale. From the ratings of the pasteurized and bottled version it seems apparent that the cask version is superior.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Wensleydale Rowley Mild". Gravity dispense. Dark brown colour. Lovely aroma of dark fruits with slightly roasty notes. Flavour is moderately malty with a moderate fruity character - lacking in hops, but that’s the traditional mild for yer, mate. Not too much of a mouthfeel at 3.2% ABV, but decent enough.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4.9%. The brewery website does not mention the ABV, it might vary. This is another lovely citrussy golden ale from Oakham, a style which seems to be their specialty. Golden colour, low head. Plenty of citrus, tropical fruits and honey in the aroma. Flavour has some citrus, but also some of the dusty hoppiness you’ll find in many Southern English ales.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. One of the craziest beer names so far - a fellow beer rater told me it’s adopted from a Cream song (I guess I should have known that). Dark brown colour, low head, some natural carbonation. According to the CBF programme it’s "a little too hoppy to be a classic mild" - still it is not VERY hoppy, just the typical Southern English dusty hoppiness. Aroma and flavour are malty with some caramel (but not really sweet), some cola notes.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Pale golden colour. Lovely citrussy sweet aroma, hints of honey. Some natural carbonation, zesty. Some wheat character. A nice hoppy bitterness throughout. Another great session beer from Oakham.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Brownish colour. Moderate caramel and nuts aroma. Fairly malty premium bitter with a tolerable dusty hoppiness.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4%, but brewery website says 4.1%. Intensely clear red (and I mean RED - like a cranberry soda) colour. Minimal carbonation. Moderate cranberry aroma. Very thin mouthfeel - like water with artificial red colouring added. The colour makes you expect something very sweet, but it is not. Not sour either. Relatively dry, actually, with just a very moderate flavour of cranberries and some faint hops. Not much wheat character. Did I mention a thin and watery mouthfeel? Yes, I know it’s not a fruit lambic, but I feel entitled to expect something better than this. Better leave brewing fruit beers to the Belgians, I guess ....

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 3.9%. Golden colour. Unusual aroma of horse stable, spices, painting varnish, old leather and fermenting fruits. Flavour is quite soft with just a hint of fruits and spices, moderate hops.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the Baron of Beef, Cambridge. Was also available at the Cambridge Beer Festival. Deep golden colour, low head. Nice refreshing hoppiness throughout, citrussy elements in aroma and flavour. Decent.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

280 ml green bottle, a gift from a fellow beer rater, to add another "beer country" to my list. ABV was 4.1%. Don’t expect me to search all over Lebanon for their "great" beers in the future, though. The whiff of fresh skunkiness when opening the bottle is actually the best thing with this beer. Pale golden colour, fizzy, low head that disappears rapidly, little lacing. In the glass the aroma is sickly, soap and rotting vegetables. The flavour (as far as there is any) is grainy and utterly forgettable. Soapy aftertaste. This beer might save your life if you happen to be stuck in the Lebanon heat, anywhere else it’s just a bad joke.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Golden colour. Like the CBF programme says, it is: "Fruity, hoppy and bitter, powerful and warming" - but "tripel style??? This is a strong English pale ale, as far as I’m concerned. Oh well, the brewers call it an abbey tripel, so be it. Typical pale ale aroma and flavour.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Black colour, low head. Roasty aroma, hints of dark chocolate. Flavour is decidedly roasty with coffee notes, quite dry. Not very complex, but beats Guinness any day! Rerate: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.0%. Black colour, big and creamy brown head. Pleasant aroma of dark roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate, hints of smoke and tar. The flavour has roasted malts, mild coffee and dark bitter chocolate, some fruit in the finish, with a roasty bitterness and moderate hops in the aftertaste. Good beer, but would probably profit from a higher ABV.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Golden colour, moderate natural carbonation. Lovely INTENSE hoppy aroma - fruits (citrus), honey, flowers. Flavour is extremely pleasant and well balanced with a citrussy hoppiness throughout. One of the best session beers I’ve had.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Golden / amber colour, no head or carbonation. Peachy aroma (no surprise!). Flavour is slightly fruity and moderately malty, with moderate dusty hops.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Pitch black (= very, very dark brown) colour, no head or carbonation. Strong roasted coffee aroma. Coffee flavour, a bit on the sweet and mellow side.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy. Malty pleasant aroma with notes of apricot and honey. Moderately malty flavour, moderate hops. Certainly no "IPA" by American standards, but a drinkable ale all the same.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Like the name says - black. LOVELY roasty aroma with strong notes of chocolate, hints of plums and prunes. Flavour is definitely dark chocolate with some coffee roastiness. Very good.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Barrel at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. The perry variety on tap here was simply called "Orchards", as the variety that would be available was not known when the festival programme went into print. ABV was listed as 6.4%, same as the bottled version of Orchards Blakeney Red Medium Dry Perry. But the colour of the perry I drank was considerably paler than the one the raters of "Blakeney Red" seem to have had. I presume the cask perries will vary in colour with the pear varieties that are available at any given time. The one I had was supposed to be "dry", and "made from fruits from renovated derelict orchards". It was actually pale straw coloured and cloudy. Aroma of pears (of course), yeast, and (if you want to be unpleasant:) toilet cleaning agent. Flavour was fruity (of course) - pears, sweeter than expected from an allegedly "dry" perry, hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Not too bad.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Black / dark brown colour. Fruity aroma mixed with a moderate roastiness. A bit thin mouthfeel despite the ABV. Moderate roast flavour with coffee and prunes notes.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Correct ABV is 4.2%. Black colour. Coffee, old leather and cigarbox aroma, hints of prunes. Distinct espresso coffee flavour throughout, hints of prunes, quite dry. 500 ml brown bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. ABV is 4.2%. Black colour, decent brown head. Distinct aroma of fresh coffee, hints of liquorice and dark chocolate, maybe some prunes, old leather and cigarbox too (but not as noticeable as in the cask version). Coffee in the flavour too (as expected), but not overdone, the beer is quite balanced and fairly smooth to drink. A moderate sweetness carries notes of dark chocolate, with a hint of prunes. Bitter finish and aftertaste, both from the roasted malts, the espresso coffee and Challenger hops. The cask version was maybe a tad better, but the bottled version is still excellent!