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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature, low natural carbonation). Copper coloured. A Scottish "heavy" like it should be. Good, but not so very special. Aviemore brewery changed its name in 2001 to Cairngorm brewery. Cairngorm also brew Tomintoul beers.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

(275 ml bottle.) Very dark/black, good tan head. Aroma is malts and coffee, flavour is sweet and malty with coffee and chocolate notes, hardly any bitterness. This beer proves that a low ABV beer can be flavourful, but it's just too sweet to be a favourite of mine.

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

Sampled cask conditioned in Scotland. This is a very pleasant and refreshing British IPA / golden ale, with numerous CAMRA awards. Moderate ABV. Not over-hopped like American IPAs, but a popular and very nice pint indeed. Rerate bottle, ABV 4.4%: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Golden to amber colour, decent lasting head. Pleasant hoppy aroma with fruity notes (citrus, pineapple). Flavour is moderately hoppy and refreshing, grapefruity in the finish. Not quite as good as the the cask version, but even from a pasteurised bottle it is a pleasant session beer without any obvious flaws.

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

Rerate bottle, pasteurised: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Amber to brown colour, large off-white head. Moderate malty aroma, slightly sourish. Flavour is also moderately malty with low bitterness, fairly dry. Mouthfeel is "dusty" and slightly sourish, not very rich. Drinkable, but better cask conditioned. Original rating: Sampled cask conditioned in Scotland. Copper coloured. Smooth and pleasant Scottish "heavy". Nice malty aroma and flavour. I'm ready for another one any time.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I haven't had the bottled version yet, but it is reported to be somewhat different. ABV of the cask version is 4.4%. Golden colour. Flowery and candy-like aroma. Light bodied. Would benefit from a cooler serving temperature than was the case at the IBF. Flavour is moderately hoppy, would no doubt be refreshing if served cooler. As it was, it lacked some "freshness". Dry finish. BTW, it’s organic - "suitable for vegans" = no animals killed for the purpose of brewing this beer. Nice to know before you order your plate of bangers & mash.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.5%. Clear amber to brown colour, moderate head. Moderate aroma with notes of malts and bread, just some faint hints of caramel, sulphur and fruity hops. The flavour has some nutty malts, and the fruity hops are more pronounced. A hint of toffee too, and a moderate bitterness in the finish. It is quite obvious that this is not a "live" beer. Cask conditioned this is a mellow, easily drinkable bitter. Not the very best, but GOOD, to be sure. Available in most of Britain, partly because of Marston's contract with the nationwide pubchain J.D. Wetherspoon.

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

(500 ml bottle). This is an ale (bitter), not a lager! Deep golden to amber colour, moderate head. Aroma is hoppy and dominant vanilla. Flavour is not sweet, quite bitter actually, and the vanilla somehow seems out of place. I guess there's a reason most beers don't smell and taste strongly of vanilla. Nice for a change of pace, though.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black colour (no surprise). Aroma of raisins, cigarbox and coffee. Surprisingly fruity flavour for a stout (=surprising if I hadn’t read the IBF programme), dark fruits on a background of espresso coffee and dusty roasted malts. Interesting beer!

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

Sampled cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Amber colour. Malty ale, reasonable bitterness. Not brilliant, but good!

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The IBF programme description: "Biscuity malt and earthy hop flavours" seemed spot on to me. Decent.

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

500 ml bottle conditioned real ale, bought at Selfridge's, London. Enormous thick tan head. Pitch black colour, even when held to the light. Very possibly the darkest beer in the world. Wonderful aroma of roasted malts, dark bitter chocolate, oak and cedarwood. Flavour is all smoked and heavily roasted malts and oats. A world class stout.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Draught (keg) at Hogan’s, Darlington. Named "Camerons Creamy Bitter". Amber colour, creamy nitro-head. Not much going here in terms of aroma and flavour. Very low bitterness. Slightly dusty aftertaste. Easy drinking. Must be somewhat better cask conditioned?

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

330 ml bottle, at The Beehive, Brentford, London. Copper coloured, moderate head. Malty sweet aroma with hints of dried fruits, oak and sherry. Flavour is malty sweet with oak, dried figs and dusty hops. Warming mouthfeel. Interesting.

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

33 cl bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. Beautiful brown to ruby colour, good beige head. Complex aroma of oak and sandalwood, some pine too, old sherry, leather, pipe tobacco, sour cherries, prunes, hints of smoke . Flavour is woody with a pronounced roastiness, coffee notes, strong tea, hints of bitter chocolate, excellent hoppy bitterness. A truly delightful beer!

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

500 ml bottle, as "Black Sheep Ale" ("Black Sheep Special Ale" is the cask version of the same beer). Amber colour, moderate fluffy head. Aroma of toffee / caramel and dried fruits, hints of barnyard. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, moderate flavour of dusty malts and hops. A bit too carbonated for my taste.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Very dark ruby colour, nearly black. Low thick head. Aroma of leather and roasted malts. Very smooth and drinkable with a well balanced roastiness. Coffee elements. A truly enjoyable dark mild!

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

Cask conditioned (hand pump) at Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby, at their Heavyweight Beer Festival February 2005 (but this one is possibly one of their regular beers). Dark ruby colour, low head. Fruity, chocolate sweet aroma and flavour, moderate roastiness. Very nice.

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

Vintage 2003. 275 ml bottle at the White Horse at Parsons Green, London. Unusual, overwhelming and lovely aroma of port wine, raisins and dried figs, hints of barnyard. Very sweet, like drinking a sweet sherry with carbonation. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from an 11.5% beer. It’s definitely not a beer I’d drink every day, but it sure was an interesting experience. The sweetness makes this an alternative to sherry or port, rather than another beer. 275 ml is definitely enough for one sitting. I understand that some people find it cloying, but with a beer this rich in aroma and flavour, I accept the sweetness.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Deep golden colour, low head. Decent standard bitter, slightly nutty flavour, acceptable hops.

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

Cask conditioned at the Exeter Arms, Derby. Hazy brown colour, low creamy head. Moderate aroma, some English malt vinegar. Malty sweet flavour, full, rich and creamy mouthfeel. Not bad.

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

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield, Derby. Golden colour. Lovely citrussy aroma. Complex hoppy, herbal and citrussy flavour. This is very good! - obviously related to its excellent low ABV brother, the JHB.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Very pale colour, low head. Fruity / citrussy aroma. Hoppy flavour, light bodied. Very nice for its strength.

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

Ex Vaux beer, now brewed by Robinsons for "The Double Maxim Beer Company Sunderland", website www.dmbc.co.uk . 550 ml bottle, straight from the fridge (= served too cold) at The Shipwrights, North Hylton, Sunderland. Deep brown colour, darker than Newcastle Brown. Decent head. Malty and nutty aroma and flavour, hints of toffee, low bitterness. Fuller flavour than NBA, but not remarkable.

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

275 ml bottle, at The Beehive, Brentford, London. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Aroma like a decent standard bitter. Reasonably hoppy flavour. Not bad for a beer this low ABV.

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

500 ml bottle, bought at Selfridge’s, London. This bottle conditioned "original" IPA has a slightly hazy deep golden colour and a fluffy head. The hops are what it’s all about in the aroma and flavour - lovely citrussy aroma with hints of oak and leather, flavour has a distinct resin-like bitterness with notes of grapefruit on a subdued background of dusty malty sweetness. Interesting beer.