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

Sampled RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Amber colour, moderate head. Reasonably hoppy aroma (Goldings). Moderate hops in the flavour too, but the body is too thin.

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

500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV on the label is 4.2%, also confirmed by the brewery website. (ABV of the cask version is also the same.) Clear amber colour, large off-white lasting head. Moderate carbonation. Moderate but pleasant hoppy aroma, hints of fruits, oak and leather. Flavour is mildly spicy and fruity, slightly acidic. Tolerable hops in the finish. Refreshing and easy drinking. Not too bad for a pasteurised moderate-ABV bitter.

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

Sample from 500 ml bottle, Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay Organic Ale, ABV 4.5%. Courtesy of Cardinal, Stavanger. Beautiful deep amber colour, low head (the bottle had been open a while, though). Malty aroma with toffee and caramel notes. Mouthfeel has a bit too much carbonation for my taste. Flavour has fairly bitter hops throughout, which dominate whatever maltiness there might be. Fairly dry and "dusty" finish.

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

On tap at the Suomenlinnan Panimo brewpub on the island of Sveaborg/Suomenlinna at the seaward approach to Helsinki (a UNESCO World Heritage site). This is an English style ale, golden to amber colour, slightly cloudy, moderate to low head. Moderate yeasty and hoppy aroma, some yeastiness and cloves in the well rounded flavour. Sufficient body to be a treat, light enough to be refreshing. Pleasant bitterness in the aftertaste. I'd say the brewer has done a good job with this one.

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

On tap at the brewpub. Served at correct cellar temperature. Deep golden to amber colour, creamy head, leaves a nice lacing. Moderate but nice aroma of toffee and butterscotch. Flavour is moderately malty and mellow with "dusty" hops (East Kent Goldings). Some bitterness in the finish / aftertaste. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to make it stand out from your average bitter either.

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

Cask conditioned at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen. Golden / amber colour, low head. Moderate malty aroma with fruity hops. A moderate but nice and crisp hoppiness in the flavour, well balanced with the malts. Easy drinking. A nice little beer this one!

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

One of my favourite English session bitters (had it from cask in London).

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

Some of the smoothest stuff you can pour from a can. Perhaps not too much character, but I like it anyhow. Easily accessible even in Norway, a lot better than most of the stuff we get here.

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

(Bottle, bought in Denmark). Deep amber (okay, chestnut) colour, moderate head. Too much CO2 for a bitter. Moderate aroma of toffee/caramel and malts, hints of dried fruits / fruitcake. Flavour is malty with a reasonable bitterness, finish is a bit watery. Easy drinking, nice enough - but nothing special either.

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

This is a pleasant standard English bitter, nothing remarkable. I've had it from cask, keg, nitro widget can and non-widget can. Nitro version is also known as Tetley's Smoothflow.

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

Cask conditioned at the Blackbird, Earls Court, London (a Fuller's pub). Served at cellar temperature, minimal natural carbonation, low head. Golden to amber colour. Moderate citrussy aroma, hints of horse stable. Light bodied, decent bitterness. A nice little beer this one, but nothing to knock your socks off. (I admit I really wanted the ESB, but ratings are ratings!)