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

500 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Very dark brown with a reddish hue, decent light tan head. Moderate but very pleasant aroma of roasted barley and oatmeal, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, seaweed, tar and woodwork. Roasty flavour with distinct elements of tar and peaty smoke, notes of coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Can’t detect the honey, not very sweet. Mouthfeel is acceptable but could have been fuller. Moderate roasty aftertaste. All in all an enjoyable brew.

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

Vintage 2004, 250 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Bottle No. P 08270. I know I should have cellared this beer for 25 years, but I just couldn’t wait. 25 years from now - I might have been dead a long time by then. Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. No head, minimal carbonation. Intense sweet aroma of raisins, also notes of molasses, oak and leather. VERY sweet flavour, oak, molasses and raisins again, alcoholic and "raw" in the edges, notes of pipe tobacco. Not nearly as good as the 1990 vintage I sampled at the RBESG 2005, which proves that this beer really NEEDS to be cellared for at least a decade. Its "old sherry or port"-like qualities are not there yet. The brewers are not just teasing you when they recommend cellaring - they actually mean it. But even at this "raw" and unfinished stage it is clear that this beer has capabilities. Be prepared for a substantial sweetness even after many years of cellaring, though.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

330 ml clear bottle, bought in Norway. As if the European brewed "Indian" Cobra was not boring enough, they HAD to brew this special low carb version for slimmers who really don’t like beer, but like the buzz. God, I hate the low carb craze! This "beer" is very pale golden, foamy white head. Fruity aroma, citrus, pineapple and maize, could have been worse. "Flavour" is very bland and tasteless, just a hint of fruity sweetness. No bitterness. Very thin and watery mouthfeel. Extremely flat and bland aftertaste, as far as there is any at all. This is definitely a beer to avoid.

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

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway. ABV here is 4.7%. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Moderate carbonation. Aroma is initially surprisingly moderate but nice and pleasant, improves as the beer warms up a little (started drinking it too cold), flowery and citrussy hops (Hersbrücker and Challenger), hints of honey too. Flavour is zesty and grapefruity, the hops dominate but there is also a sufficient malty base. Bitter aftertaste of grapefruit peel. A very unusual lager, clearly related to its golden ale cousin, the Bitter & Twisted. Also sampled cask conditioned at The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. Deep golden colour, minimal head. Nice aroma of fruity hops. Hoppy flavour.

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

(This is, as far as I'm informed, the same beer as A. le Coq Imperial Stout. Harveys changed the name to keep it in line with their other products and avoid confusion with the present Estonian A. le Coq beers). Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Harvey’s Double Extra Russian Stout". ABV was 9.5%. Gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, low head. LOVELY complex aroma, surprisingly fruity: Plums, cherries, oranges. Roastiness, oak and cigars too. Flavour is extremely roasty and bitter, but also elements of oak and dark fruits. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from a 9.5% ABV beer. The roasty and bitter aftertaste lasts "forever", making it difficult to move on to another beer. Belongs in the top division of beers.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Black (= VERY dark brown) colour. Some natural carbonation, zesty, very nice. Pleasant roasty aroma. Flavour has dark chocolate, walnuts and roast barley. Not overdone, easy drinking.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Simply called "Elgood’s Winter Warmer" at the festival, and the ABV was listed as 7.2%, not 7.5%, but I take it that this must be the same beer? No other winter warmer is mentioned at the brewery website. The brewery had kept a cask of this winter seasonal for the festival in May. Brown to mahogany colour, minimal carbonation, no head. Caramel, leather and dark fruits in the aroma. Warming mouthfeel, sweet but not cloying. Spices, dark fruits and treacle in the flavour. Hoppy finish. Not bad.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Dark reddish brown colour. Complex aroma of dark fruits, spices and oak, various woodwork, some chocolate. Flavour is spicy, oaky, malty, chocolate, there’s vinous qualities (old sherry, marsala). Nutty / dusty hops finish. A great beer! Rerate, 330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.5%. Dark ruby coloured beer, low off-white head. Nice vinous aroma with notes of dark dried fruits, hints of oak. The flavour is rich, sweet and malty, notes of figs and molasses. Spicy hops and nuts in the finish. Not quite as complex as the cask version, but still a good beer.

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

Cask conditioned at The Pickerel, Cambridge (guest beer). Golden brown colour, no head. Comes forward as a standard premium bitter, quite flat. Moderate malty aroma with notes of caramel, hints of malt vinegar. Flavour is .... err, like an ordinary bitter, nothing particular stands out at all. I may have suffered from "palate fatigue" after many hours at the Cambridge Beer Festival earlier that day, but I don’t think this beer rates above the "OKish" category anyhow.

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

Cask conditioned at the St. Radegund pub, Cambridge. Dark, nearly black colour. Fruity (plums) and some smoke in the aroma and flavour. Decent. More like a porter than a stout in my book, but who cares?

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

Sampled cask conditioned at the St. Radegund pub in Cambridge. This tiny real ale pub is famous for this session ale, brewed specially for them. Golden brownish colour, if my memory serves me right. Malty aroma. Malty smooth flavour, easily drinkable. Nice! Tolerable hops. I could easily have downed a few of these, if it hadn’t been on top of a beer festival session.

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

Cask conditioned at The Pickerel, Cambridge. Deep golden colour. Very nice honey and flowery aroma. Flavour is moderately honey sweet, minimal bitterness. Some malts too. A bit thin mouthfeel, though. Not my favourite this one.

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

Cask conditioned at The Pickerel, Cambridge. (Was also available at the Cambridge Beer Festival.) Deep golden colour. Slightly sulphurous aroma, some fruits (plums, cherries?) too. Very nice moderately hoppy flavour with citrussy elements. A decent session bitter.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, as "Greene King Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale", vintage 2000, sampled May 2005 at the Champion of the Thames, Cambridge. Served too cold from the fridge. Deep brown to ruby colour, large thick head. Vinous aroma, oak and claret, hints of English pipe tobacco. (One of the punters was smoking his pipe in the pub when I sampled this beer, but I swear the beer had some unsmoked pipe tobacco aroma too.) Vinous flavour (old port wine) with caramel and raisins. A bit too sweet for my taste (or maybe I was too drunk to fully appreciate the sweetness?)

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

Cask conditioned at The Mitre, Cambridge. Deep golden colour, low to none head. A decent session bitter, nothing wrong, nothing spectacular. Tolerably malty aroma and flavour with a decent hoppy finish.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Listed there as "All Nations Dabley Bitter", I've seen it listed as "Dabley Ale" and "Dabley Gold" too. Pale golden colour. Lovely aroma of citrus and tropical fruits, reminds me of the Oakham ales. Light bodied, fruity flavour. Hoppy finish. A nice session bitter / golden ale, esp. for the summer months.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Black colour. LOVELY aroma of dark fruits with roasty notes. Flavour is roasty sweet and malty (too sweet?), some coffee and dark fruits notes.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. (Not mentioned in the festival programme, as far as I could see - must have been brought in last minute as an extra beer.) Pitch black colour, nearly impenetrable for light. Some natural carbonation. Dark chocolate aroma with some roastiness. Smooth roasty flavour with coffee and chocolate notes. Medium dry. Nice.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate but pleasant roast aroma, notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits and tobacco. Moderate roast flavour, notes of coffee and dried fruits. Medium dry (or medium sweet, if you like).

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Very dark brown to chestnut, nearly black. Lovely strong aroma of roast malts, dark chocolate and prunes. Notes of oak and cigars too. Flavour is roasty, smooth and mellow with chocolate notes. Roasty aftertaste. Very good.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Golden colour. LOVELY aroma of tropical fruits. Fruity and malty flavour. Hazelnuts, fruits/berries and hops in the finish. Very good.

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

Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Allegedly "brewed in some of the oldest brewery equipment in the UK, possibly some of the oldest in Europe". This should suggest that this beer is now again brewed in the refurbished Blue Anchor brewery, not at Keltek. The festival programme also lists it as brewed in the Blue Anchor. Golden colour. Hops and malt vinegar in the aroma, hints of cowshed. Decent hoppy flavour, but honestly: not that much out of the ordinary.

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

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival (2005), gravity dispense. ABV was listed as 4.2%. Golden colour. Aroma of spices and fruits of the forest (no surprise). Flavour is slightly spicy and "forest fruity" (of course), blackberries and blackcurrants come through. Not bad at all.

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!

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.