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: 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

(500 ml bottle). Golden brown colour, good head, moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma with some caramel; malts and heavy bitterness in the flavour and aftertaste, perhaps too bitter in the finish. Not very complex. Decent effort, but the English do it better!

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

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

275 ml bottle, unfortunately served far too cold at The Marquess of Anglesey, London. Amber colour, moderate head. Sweet alcoholic (despite ABV only 5%) candylike aroma. Flavour is a bit sweet with hints of nuts and cherries. Not my favourite this one.

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

Cask conditioned at The Marquess of Anglesey, Covent Garden, London. Served at cellar temperature. Amber colour, low head, moderate malty aroma with some oak, mellow rounded flavour, moderate but decent bitterness. A good pint!

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

I quite agree with all the positive things that has been said about this ale by others. Good stuff!

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

One of the best bitters around. Rerate: Cask conditioned at the Blackbird, Earls Court, London. Copper coloured, no head, minimal carbonation. Moderate aroma, initial mellow flavour, then a dominant but pleasant hoppiness. Rerate bottle: 500 ml bottle, now available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Clear amber colour, large fluffy head. Pleasant aroma of citrussy hops and toffee, hints of oak and leather. Flavour has some toffee and nuttiness, but first and foremost a distinct hoppy bitterness from start to finish, grapefruity notes. Hops linger in the long aftertaste. Not quite as good as the cask version, but still very good!

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). I’m a big fan of Monthy Python movies, which, however, is irrelevant when sampling this beer. Inside the gimmicky bottle is a decent English bitter, and decent English bitters are always welcome in my home (no cask ales available around here, I’m afraid). Colour is deep golden, pours with a good head which leaves a nice lacing. Decent hoppy aroma (oranges and some toffee), flavour has sufficient malts and a pleasant hoppiness that lasts through the long aftertaste. Maybe not a true masterpiece, but a nice beer indeed!

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

(500 ml bottle, bought in Denmark). Amber colour, moderate head. Lovely hoppy aroma, hints of heather, tobacco and spices. Flavour is nutty and biscuity, a hint of toffee but not really sweet, good bitterness which lingers in the aftertaste. Very nice.

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

Rich aroma and flavour, but lacks a little "freshness" to be absolutely "perfect". Still a nice cask ale!

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

Cask at The Hogshead, Ipswich. Deep amber to brown colour. Moderate aroma of English malt vinegar and plums. Flavour is dusty malty with notes of malt vinegar and sour fruits. Dusty hops finish.

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

Cask conditioned at the Prince of Wales, Wimbledon, London, Christmas 2004. Copper coloured. Nutty, pleasant, hints of Christmas spices. Very nice Christmas ale with a moderate ABV.

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

Rerate, cask at the Station Hotel, Ipswich: Some of the same English malt vinegar aroma as Courage Best, but the flavour is fuller and richer with more pronounced hops. Original rating, 4.1: (Cask conditioned). One of my favourite English Bitters. Perhaps not so very special, but always drinkable.

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

Rerate, cask conditioned at the Robin Hood & Little John, a large Greene King pub in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. The Old Speck’ was in perfect nick, even better than the bottled version which I think is fairly decent for a pasteurized beer. Nut brown colour, low head. Aroma and flavour of nuts, toffee and caramel with a nice but not overdone hoppiness throughout. A solid pint from this ever-expanding regional (now national) brewery, much better than the cask Abbot Ale that I had afterwards. Original rating: (500 ml bottle). Beautiful brown / dark golden colour, moderate to low head. Moderate malty aroma, malty flavour with a good bitterness. A decent ale I always come back too, as it's now available in Norway.

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

Cask conditioned at The Tottenham, London. Deep amber/copper colour, minimal head. Aroma of nuts and red fruits. Flavour is a bit alcoholic with a substantial hoppy bitterness, which leaves a nice aftertaste.