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

Draught (keg) at Hogan’s, Darlington. Amber colour, low head. Moderate toffee aroma. Smooth, malty, easy drinking "bitter" in the North-Eastern style, low bitterness. Reminds me of Tetley’s.

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

(500 ml bottle). Exquisite aroma, beautiful colour, very bitter aftertaste (perhaps too bitter?) Rerate: I regret part of my first comment: The flavour is NOT too hoppy - it’s just an acquired taste. And the aroma IS exquisite!

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

Cask conditioned this is just an excellent ale. Enough said. Rerate May 14 2002: Had this one again today from can + bottle (bottle slightly better) in Norway, not nearly as good as cask conditioned, but still a very drinkable ale. Could use a little more aromatic hops. Rerate 2: I take back what I said about can vs. bottle. I found a retailer who stores the cans cold, and they're a helluva lot better than the frequently skunky (clear!) bottles, which are stored warm at my other retailer's. Well kept, I just love the nutty freshness of this ale.

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

Cask conditioned at The Spanish Galleon, Greenwich, London. Served at cellar temperature. Copper coloured, low head. Fruity aroma. Flavour is malty and nutty with a nice bitterness. Good beer!

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

(500 ml bottle). Kentish strong ale of golden brown colour, good head, malty aroma with caramel and oak. Nutty flavour, well hopped, "raw" in the edges (which I like). Would love to try this one cask conditioned!

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

Cask conditioned at The Wheatsheaf, Parsons Green, London. Served a bit too cold for a cask ale. Honey coloured. Minimal head. Little detectable aroma, a smoky pub probably had most of the blame. This is a smooth and very drinkable bitter without too much character. Moderate hoppiness, hardly an "authentic" IPA. Also had the pasteurized bottled version (now available in Norway), not much different.

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

Cask conditioned at the Courtfield, Earls Court, London. Low head, some carbonation. Colour is amber to brown, I think (the pub was not well lighted). Modest aroma. Flavour is very much a "standard bitter", which is not necessarily a bad thing, but not very exciting either. Lacks a "fresh" touch. Reasonably bitter aftertaste.

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

(Cask conditioned). Guest ale in the-first-pub-you-get-to-after-crossing-Tower-Bridge-(left-side)-South-bank- of-the-Thames (you guessed it, I forgot the pub's name). Copper coloured, malty & nutty. Very tasty.

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

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Pale golden colour, low to none head. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Some hops in the aroma and flavour, but not remarkable. This is an ale for the girls!

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

(Draught in Newcastle). Darker than Newcastle Brown, more flavour too - but still a bit thin. Moderate head, good lacing. Drinkable, but not the best one around.

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

Cask conditioned at the Spread Eagle, London. Smoother and less bitter than the canned version. Aroma and flavour have strong elements of english malt vinegar, but are not really acidic. Maybe the cask was a bit "over the hilltop"? Can, Norwegian version (4.7% ABV) - first rating: Most English 'bitters' are not very bitter at all - but this one is! Too bitter for my taste. Rerate: It's NOT too bitter for my taste! (What was I thinking the first time I had it? I must have been out of my mind!) The nutty bitterness is just right, great refreshment on a hot day. Not outstanding, but a GOOD ale, for sure.

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

(500 ml bottle). This is really just a decent English bitter with a bit more alcohol. Other raters claim that the bottle is more heavily hopped than the draught version - that might be true, at least the golden beer in front of me has a lovely hoppy aroma and a nice bitterness. Good head. Rather light bodied (too light?), which makes the brewery advertize it as "deceptively drinkable". Very refreshing it is, would like to sample the draught version too.

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

(500 ml bottle). Deep golden colour, good head. Nice hoppy and elderflower aroma. Elderflower is probably what I get in the flavour too, but I've never eaten elderflowers, so I can't really tell. There's some caramel and a reasonably decent hoppiness, but it's a bit too sweet IMO. A bit alcoholic too, despite only 5% ABV.

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml. Bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. A delightful little shop! All beers they stock are local and bottle conditioned. This beer pours with a low head and hazy amber (nearly orange) colour. Moderate but pleasant aroma of caramel / toffee, hops and yeast (I poured it all in). Flavour is slightly yeasty, rounded and well balanced with a moderate but delicious hoppiness that lasts through the aftertaste. Who said the English can’t bottle condition beers?

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

Bottle conditioned, 500 ml, bought at Memorable Cheeses, Ipswich. Dark copper coloured, hazy (poured the yeast in). Low head, moderate natural carbonation. Moderate malty aroma, hints of caramel, spices and camphor. Flavour is well balanced, malty and a bit spicy, but has a substantial hoppy bitterness in the finish. Very good.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

(275 ml bottle). A low carb bitter - what an idea! Commercial description: "Full flavoured English beer" - my ass! Weak malty aroma, very weak flavour. They sure haven’t used too much of the Golding and Fuggle hops which the label boasts! Quite dry. I used most of it to wash down a meal. Definitely not a beer I’ll buy again!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black (and I mean BLACK) colour, even when held to the light. Aroma has some dark chocolate, coffee and wood. Roast malt flavour. Hints of tar in the finish. Dry, woody aftertaste. This is not a stout of the "smooth and velvety" kind, but an interesting aquaintance indeed!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. The hops are what it’s all about with this light and refreshing golden ale. Would benefit from being served at a slightly cooler temperature than was the case at the IBF. Lovely hoppy aroma and flavour, notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Recommended!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Colour is black / very dark ruby. Aroma is roast malts on an initially unpleasant background of vomit, gets better as the beer warms up. Flavour is much better, again: roast malts and coffee. Bitterness seems just right. Easy drinking.

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

Cask at The Cricketers, Ipswich. Black colour, moderate roasted malts aroma. Flavour is all roasted and smoked malts with some faint vinegary sidenotes. Very nice.

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

Cask conditioned at the Smithfield, Derby. Black (= very dark ruby) colour, low head. Prune / plum aroma. Flavour is quite fruity for a stout, but the coffee notes are there too. Decent.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lambton Worm (JDW), Sunderland. Copper coloured, moderate head. Fruity sweet aroma with malts and hints of barnyard. Flavour is instantly very sweet, but there’s also an instant breakthrough of zesty hops that are not very bitter but still add nicely to the flavour. Slightly warming mouthfeel, you might think it’s stronger than it actually is. (No particular effect on my willie, though.) An interesting beer!

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival, where it was served at room temperature. Low natural carbonation. Looks like a pale/blonde/golden ale. Good aroma, quite fruity flavour. Would probably taste a lot better if served cooler.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004. Deep copper coloured. Roasted malts, fruit and chocolate. Flavourwise if fits in the gap between a premium bitter and a porter, proving that "styles" are not an accurate science. Good beer.

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

Oops - forgot to write in the ABV when I added this beer to the database: It's 5.2% (described as "deceptively strong" by the brewery - but then, the English are used to cask bitters at 3.8%). Sampled cask conditioned at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature). Golden coloured strong bitter, rather heavily hopped.