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

(Bottle conditioned). A new favourite of mine - and I'm the first one to rate it, even! (It has been in the database for quite a while. Btw, cask conditioned this beer is called "Magnificat", otherwise it's the same brew.) I had this wonderful bottle conditioned beer under the vaulted ceiling of Durham Cathedral and Cloister Restaurant, where it rightly belongs. The commercial description seems pretty accurate, but this beer may have more in common (strength, yeastiness) with some belgian ales than most British IPAs. Durham Brewery is not much more than 10 years old, but this rich and full flavoured beer would be worthy of St. Cuthbert himself (he died 687 AD, btw). Colour is golden and hazy, carbonation (natural) is low to moderate. If one needs a textbook example of the fact that beer is made of the three elements malts, yeast and hops (+ water, of course), and that each of those three elements should be clearly discernible in aroma and flavour - well, here it is. To quote the brewery: "Despite being strong, this beer is not too sweet, but has a luscious malty base over which a complex bitterness makes balancing, thirst quenching properties." Amen!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Copper coloured. Moderate malty aroma. Drier than you expect from a beer this colour. Nice hoppy bitterness. Finished it with my burger & chips - good combo. Review bottle, 2007: 500 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal pub, Stavanger. Labeled "real ale in a bottle", so probably NOT pasteurised. ABV is 4.2%. Amber to copper colour, large off-white head. Pleasant fruity aroma, notes of red berries, hints of oak and spices. The flavour is fairly malty with a touch of caramel. Moderate hops. Easy drinking.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I think fellow rater chris_o is spot on in his comment (no surprise, as we sampled this beer from the same glass): "The colour was pale amber, but somewhat cloudy. There was certainly a noticeable resinous hop blast in the aroma but, not for the first time at this festival, there was a distinct whiff of sulphur too. I can only assume that was unintentional as the combination was not too appealing. The mouthfeel was zippy, but the initial hop aroma just didn’t carry through onto the palate and the flavours were not well defined. Finished soft and not very hoppy. I get the feeling that this could be a much more impressive beer, but wasn’t in tip top condition here." This is an OKish strong pale ale, alcohol is well hidden but the flavour is not very exciting.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Another dark mild. Fruit and cigarbox aroma. Soft coffee and burnt malts flavour. A decent beer.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Pitch black colour. Aroma of coffee and plums. Flavour is roasted malts, coffee and bitter dark chocolate. Very well balanced, just the right bitterness. Nearly a stout - in a blind test I’d probably say it was. "Addictive" indeed. This was "Beer of the Festival" for me - delightful!

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

Cask conditioned at the White Horse, Parsons Green, London. Deep golden colour, moderate head. Minimal carbonation, aroma was hard to detect due to a smoky pub, some aromatic hops around. Flavour is instantly Cascade hops (I think), elderberry-like qualities, not really bitter. An OKish beer, not great, lacks some "bite".

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature, low natural carbonation). Listed there as a stout (I would even say dry stout, though it's a tad sweeter than the Irish ones), but another local CAMRA website claims that a beer named Luddite has been judged as a "strong dark mild". I'll leave that to the category freaks. Anyway, this beer is pitch black with a delicious roast aroma and flavour, but the mouthfeel is a bit thin despite the relatively high ABV. Add a little nitrogen, and it would compete with draught Guinness (or rather: Beamish).

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

Cask at The Hogshead, Ipswich. My first Ringwood beer. Deep golden colour, light bodied, fruity flavour with a faint hint of barnyard. OKish, but not a favourite of mine.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Deep golden colour. IBF programme said "hoppy & fruity throughout", and I can’t object to that. Not impressive, though.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. I had a sip or two of distinguished beer rater chris_o’s sample of this beer at the festival, and found his rating to be quite accurate. This organic dark ale is not a typical English best bitter (organic Hallertau hops from New Zealand are used), it's more of a cross between a bitter and a dark mild, like chris_o says: Deep tawny/chestnut colour, sulphurous aroma, grainy and some roasted malts flavour with low bitterness, a slight sweetness, dry finish.

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

(33 cl can, bought in Greece). Pale golden colour, poor head. Moderate malty sweet aroma, hints of boiled vegetables. Sweetish boring flavour, some bitterness in the finish. A poor attempt at a pils.

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

(33 cl can, bought in Greece). Pale golden colour, low head. Weak aroma, weak "neutral" flavour. Poor, but not offensive. Definitely not something to search out.

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

(33 cl can, bought in Greece). Golden colour, moderate head. Weak aroma, fairly malty flavour for an industrial lager, probably some maize (corn) too. Drinkable, but not interesting.

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

(33 cl can, bought in Greece). Pale golden colour, low to none head. NO aroma (well, I had a bit of a cold, but there can’t possibly be much there. I had no problem smelling the Hefeweissbier I had afterwards). Thin mouthfeel, sweetish fruity flavour but not unpleasant, just a hint of hop bitterness in the finish.

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Black colour, roasted malty and ...err... MILD flavour. Smooth. Low on hops like expected from this style.

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

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, at Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 4.1%. Clear and deep golden colour, huge white head. Aroma of malts and toffee, hints of herbal and earthy hops. The flavour has the same elements, with a hint of caramelized berries, the earthy hops are now quite distinct, leading to a bitter aftertaste. Original short and slightly exalted comment: "Excellent cask ale! Rule Britannia!" - which means that this is a well balanced and refreshing ale where sufficient malts are accompanied by a distinct hoppy bitterness, like you expect it from a good British bitter. Rerate, cask as guest ale at the Fuller's pub in Euston Street, London: Still solid hops and malts, but drinking experience partly ruined by the fact that the beer was served at room temperature (20-22 degrees C) - a beer like this should definitely be served at cellar temperature (10-12 degr. C). Well, most ales should be served at that temperature, actually. But the American waitress who served us was gorgeous!

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

Cask at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. Aroma of ensilage and barnyard, some sulphur (over-cooked eggs). Flavour is OK, but light bodied and not very exciting. Weak background of acidity.

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

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA beer festival. (Room temperature). Low (natural) carbonation, some lacing. Black. Surprisingly fruity and flowery notes in the aroma. Roasted flavour with fruity tones, nice bitterness.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004. Black (= very dark brown) colour. EXTREMELY fruity aroma and flavour for a stout. Notes of dark chocolate and coffee too. Interesting beer, very good. And it’s vegan, for those who care.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004. Brewed following a 17th Century recipe using rosemary. Rosemary and cloves (? - can't read my own handwriting) in the aroma and flavour, which otherwise have the characteristics of a good standard pale ale. Must be a great accompaniment with lambchops.

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

Wylam’s former summer seasonal "Summer Magic" is now a permanent all year beer in Wylam’s portfolio, and the name has accordingly been changed to "Wylam Magic". ABV is 4.2%. Sampled cask conditioned at the Lambton Worm (JDW), Sunderland, on a cold winter’s day. Pale golden colour, next to none head but a decent lacing. Moderate fruity aroma. Light bodied, flavour is citrussy light and refreshing, with just enough hops to make it interesting.

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

Cask conditioned at the Lambton Worm (JDW), Sunderland. Golden colour, no head, little lacing. Moderate citrussy aroma. Light bodied. Pineapple and grapefruit in the flavour. Quite nice, but unfortunately a bit too sweet to be a definite favourite of mine.

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

Rerate, cask at The Shipwrights, North Hylton, Sunderland. A nice little beer, this one. Aroma a bit like Marston’s Pedigree, but less pronounced. Smooth and mellow, fruit and nuts in the flavour. No true "masterpiece", but certainly a drinkable pint.

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

Cask conditioned at the Ipswich Beer Festival 2004, gravity dispense. A very soft and easy drinking session bitter. Nothing to blow your socks off, but nice enough for an evening in the pub.