Once Around the Northern Quarter, Manchester 25.06.11

Saturday night, time to hit the town. First up: a visit to the new Korean place on Shude Hill to take on solid sustenance. Baekdu has a slightly stark look, but the chairs are comfortable, the clientèle mostly Korean students (always a good sign when a restaurant is frequented by a lot of people who really know the cuisine in question, I reckon) and the food is very good indeed. Well, actually, the salmon salad I had as a starter was a bit of a let-down; I was expecting something Korean and interesting, but instead I got mostly iceberg lettuce and a few lumps of salmon sushi, garnished with… salad cream. But Jo’s chicken skewers were very tasty and the main courses – beef bibimbab for Jo and spicy, stir-fried, thin-sliced pork for me – were excellent. Food done, it was time for a beer or four.

First stop, the Marble Arch. One of my three very favourite Manchester pubs and a regular session-starting location. We timed it just right, hitting the early evening lull, and managed to get a seat. Up to the bar, and there was no question whatsoever what we were both going to have: Marble Ginger Stout. I was moved to tweet at the time that it was **bloody gorgeous** and I stand by that. A deep, rich mouth-feel, with semi-sweet, dark chocolate & vanilla-cream flavours to begin with; then a lingering, dry-sharp root ginger finish. The bastard offspring of a dark chocolate brownie and a ginger nut biscuit, in a glass. Also the best draught stout I’ve had in quite a while, bar none. One slight snag: I thought the pump-clip said 4.2% but on closer examination that turned out to be 6.7%. So, not a session-swigger. But still, I could happily have supped a few more of those over the course of the evening… before sliding slowly under the table with a stupid grin plastered all over my face.

Instead, we erred on the side of caution and upped-sticks to The Angel, favourite Manchester pub #2. Marble Ginger Stout was always going to be a tough act to follow, but to be fair the Bowland Black Dragon Porter had a good go. An ebony body with ruby highlights and a tight white head was promising. Dry, biscuity malt flavours with a raisin and chocolate finish was a result. Very drinkable, quite sessionable at 4.5%. Jo went for a Pictish Ginger (I think that’s what it was called). She’s very particular about her ginger beers is Jo. She’s sampled many, disliking the ones that are basically fermented ginger pop (too sweet) or anything with too strong a clove flavour (sorry, Marble Ginger and Big Ginger as well) and she declared this one a good ‘un. Again, we could’ve stayed for a couple more at The Angel (there was an IPA that looked interesting), but we had a stagger-plan, so onward we went…

…to The Castle Hotel, on Oldham Road. This place has a decent rep as a bit of a node on the Manchester real-ale scene, but for some reason we’d never been in for a pint; maybe because the last couple of times we’ve been past on a weekend night it had been hammered. Saturday wasn’t so bad; we managed to find a seat and then I sidled up to the bar to peruse the range of mainly Robinson’s beers on offer. I got Jo a Hatter’s Dark Mild (pleasant enough, if not exactly amazing) and I was going to have a half of Old Tom, but instead I opted for a pint of the Robinson’s Crusoe. A seasonal beer, apparently it’s a “double-hopped” golden ale, but it I’m afraid it wasn’t particularly hoppy, or particularly malty, or for that matter particularly good. I ended up wishing I’d stuck to my original plan, but there you go. You live and learn. The pub itself was nice enough, although far too warm. We’ll probably come back and give it a fresh go another time, maybe on a Friday afternoon or some other quieter time.

Onwards again, and this time to favourite Manchester pub #3 (the order changes, by the way, depending on which one I’m sitting in and what’s in the glass in front of me) – The Port Street Beer House. The usual bewildering array of cask and keg ales and draught beers to choose from. Jo went in search of seats and I got her a Dark Star Festival; a deep chestnut coloured ale that was very pleasant indeed. I took a little longer choosing my own and, after consultation with the bar-fella, eschewed the cask Thornbridge Jaipur (which took some willpower) and eventually decided on a half each of Odell IPA and Hardknott Queboid.

The former was very nice indeed, even better than the bottled version that I sampled a while back, with a big, orange-citrus hop aroma and a smooth, clementine hop-blast leading the flavour-charge. It was cool and refreshing, just the right drop for an increasingly-muggy Saturday night. Alas, I think the Queboid had turned. When I sampled it on Tuesday it was beautifully fresh but by Saturday it was a very different beast; sour on the tongue and with a faint whiff of Stilton about it (and not in a good way). I reluctantly took it back to the bar and the bar-fella graciously swapped it for a half of cask Jaipur* with nary a quibble. The Jaipur was as Jaipur pretty much always is: a hoppy blast of liquid sunshine and a pure joy to end the evening on.

* It occurred to me afterwards that they actually had keg Jaipur as well as cask, so I could’ve done one of those taste-comparison thingies. But to be honest, I couldn’t be bothered. It was the end of the night, and I only had room for a half after all of the above (Korean food is surprisingly filling, especially when you’ve finished off your wife’s bibimbab for her). Maybe next time, eh?

Brewery: Goose Island Beer Company [MyBreweryTap.com

These are the first two bottles I’ve opened from the winter US 52 Week Beer Club consignment from MyBreweryTap.com (and as I drank them last Saturday evening, my first two beers of the year).

I’ve never had either of these before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Goose Island Harvest Ale turned out to be a toffee-brown ale with a lively head and a malt-sweet aroma. Fresh and refreshing with flavours of orange-citrus and a distinctly floral character. Sweet but not too sweet, light but not overly-hoppy. Very easy-drinking, even at 5.7% ABV, and all in all, quite delicious. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this one in future.

Mild Winter was a much odder bird. A 5.6% ABV malty, dark brown ale, Mild Winter was nutty and slightly spiced, but had a slightly odd follow-through; the after-taste struck me as quite savoury for a beer that seemed like it ought to taste quite sweet. The tasting notes from MyBreweryTap suggest “spicy rye flavours” and the Goose Island website confirms that rye flakes were used in the brewing – perhaps that’s what I was tasting. Still, I have to confess that I wasn’t so sure about this one. It wasn’t bad, but it’s probably not one I’d rush back to.

I called in at the already-legendary Euston Tap for the first time yesterday evening, on the way back to my home-bound train. It’s a rather tiny place, with an excellent range of beers, much like The Rake in Borough Market. It wasn’t too busy when I arrived at around 17.45 (but got considerably busier shortly after 18.00) so I plonked myself and my luggage down at a bar-side seat and fired up my decision-making engine.

No easy task, that: I took a good couple of minutes to peruse the beer-blackboard which, with its choice of eight cask ales and a further nineteen draft beers, took some time to sort and digest (and that was without even glancing at the two large and exceedingly well-stocked beer fridges on the back wall). I spotted Brewdog Paradox right away, but decided that starting with that one might be… unwise. Instead, after a quick chat to Australian Barman about dark & malty options, I went for a half of Bristol Beer Factory Bristol Stout.

A classic black and white stout configuration, it’s a deceptive little beggar, this one. There really wasn’t much flavour up front, instead everything was saved for the follow-through; a dab of chocolate and a subtly pleasant milk-coffee dryness on the finish. Turns out (according to the BBF website) that this one’s an oat stout, which could explain the overall mildness of the flavours (I’ve noticed that oat stouts or oatmeal stouts tend to be quite mellow in comparison to drier, coffee stouts and not as sweet as chocolate or milk stouts). Anyhow, I enjoyed my half and have made a mental note to introduce Jo to this one if the opportunity ever arises, as I think it would be right up her street.

Next up, I asked Australian Barman for another two halves, please (and keep the change). The first of these was Bath Ales Barnstormer. I’m quite familiar with this one in bottled form – it’s a definite go-to beer when it turns up in the supermarket special offers – so I was interested in trying the draught version. It poured a rich chestnut-brown, with a thick, creamy head and was very, very smooth indeed. I have to admit I had trouble picking out any particularly unique flavours. It was pleasant malty and nutty but in a rather generic way; nothing that really threatened to grab hold of my taste-buds and gave them a good work-out. Nonetheless, a good, solid easy-drinker and one I could happily sup all evening if I was in the mood for sessioning rather than sampling.

The other half was of the aforementioned BrewDog Paradox. I’ve had a couple of bottles of this rather excellent imperial stout in my time – Smokehead and Longrow – and I’ve got various varieties (or do they call them ‘expressions’, whisky-style?) stashed away in the special cupboard. It’s one of my all-time favourite beers, so I couldn’t possibly pass up on an opportunity to try the draught version, even though there were plenty of other great options on offer (including Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which I was extremely tempted by).

What can I say? It was absolutely gorgeous. The same rich blend of dark chocolate, bitter coffee, heady port-wine sweetness and light, wood-smokiness as the bottled version, only more so. The difference was in the mouth-feel, which just took the velvety smoothness up that extra notch. By this point I was chatting away to a couple of gents in the immediate vicinity (one of whom is in charge of staffing at next year’s London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival, which looks well worth a visit) and I could feel myself settling down quite nicely. But I had one of those pesky trains to catch, so I had to bid them a good evening and head on over to the station, the taste of Paradox lingering long.

All in all: a great little pub, highly recommended, although I can imagine it could be a big of a nightmare at peak drinking times; if you can get there for lunchtime, or mid-afternoon, you might have a better chance of getting in the door. I’m in London fairly regularly and nearly always on a day-trip basis, so I can see myself becoming a lot more familiar with the Euston Tap in the months to come.

Edit 17.11.10: There are some photos of the interior – including those beer fridges – over at Alan P’s East London Drinker blog.

The Euston Tap:

Brewery: Svyturys
Location: Lithuania
ABV: 5.8%
Version: Bottled
Source: Deli Delicious, Abergavenny

Well this is an unusual one. I popped into Deli Delicious in my local town of Abergavenny because they had a Chocolate Tasting day on. Now, chocolate and I have been very good friends for a long time, and with my wife and two kids in tow, we were like four kids welcomed into Willie Wonka’s factory. Choccy duly tasted – oh blimey, it was good – I naturally asked whether they had any ales. “We have these Lithuanian beers, and our regulars come back to them again and again.” I didn’t need much more encouragement. And what an interesting drink it turned out to be!

It pours with a dark amber colour and a thick head, which it retains, and a heavy caramel/coffee smell. I wasn’t too excited about trying it after that – the smell was pretty heavy – but the beer itself was a delicious delight. The strength came through, but not too cloying, and the slightly sweet taste – and strong aftertaste – competed with the chocolate for Best Tasted Thing Of The Day. The beer won, just, and I’ll certainly be returning to Deli Delicious to pick up some more soon.

Brewery: The Black Sheep Brewery
Location: Masham, North Yorkshire
ABV: 5.7%
Version: bottled
Source: Asda

Father Christmas was there when I bought this.  Not shopping – I don’t think he shops in Asda – but sitting around in a shed charging little kids to go and see him.  I wonder if my kids have ever noticed that … the fact that Santa charges for them to go and chat with him for two minutes then get a present?  I doubt it, and that’s nice.  Oh to be a kid again.

This is a lovely drop.  I’ve sampled it many times, but I don’t think anyone has blogged about it here, so I thought it was about time.  It pours a lovely golden brown, maintaining a generous head all the way down the glass.  It’s a very smooth ale-perhaps too creamy? – but the taste more than makes up for that.  Rich, complex, beginning banana-sweet and ending with a definite coffee aftertase, though not too cloying.  You can taste the strength of this one too, and after a couple of bottles you can feel it.

Santa noticed that I’d bought a couple of bottles of this, and he made admiring noises.  But his nose was red enough already.  It was only 2pm, and he had hours to go, so I promised him – in front of my kids – that I’d leave him a nice glass of single malt on Christmas Eve.  He didn’t seem as pleased as I’d hoped.

The Wetherspoon‘s mega-chain is currently running their 2008 Real Ale Festival and so last Friday evening, Jo and I thought we’d nip along and see what they had to offer.

The branch we went along to was the Waterhouse on Princess Street in Manchester City Centre – a former solicitors’ office (if I remember correctly) which has retained most of its internal dividing walls, making for a more intimate and secluded venue than its cross-city partner The Moon Under Water. The latter was previously a cinema and is now a cavernous, riotous open space, usually packed to the rafters on a weekend night and extremely noisy.

Of course, the smaller venue has a smaller number of pumps / taps and so the range of festival ales on offer was limited to a rather narrow selection from the 50 in the full festival range. Mind you, I don’t think it helped that last Friday was Hallowe’en, because they still had a couple of spooky-themed beers on, along with a couple more that, whilst displayed with Festival clips on the taps, weren’t actually part of the Festival… unless they’re allowed a couple of local additions to the range? Anyhow, just a case of poor timing on our part, I guess. Next weekend might have been a better bet.

All of which meant that I didn’t get the chance to try (or reacquaint myself with) a number of beers from the Festival brochure that I really would have liked to have a go at, such as: Triple FFF Alton’s Pride (CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2008, no less), Hilden Molly’s Stout, Caledonian Smokey Pete, Exmoor Wild Cat, Banks’s Winter Ale, St Austell Proper Job, Harviestoun Thistle Do, Woodforde’s Norfolk Nog, Baron’s Black Wattle Original Ale, Meantime Coffee Porter (enjoyed the bottled version, would have loved to been able to sample the draught), Robinson’s Old Tom Chocolate Ale, Titanic Iron Curtain Russian Stout and York Centurion’s Ghost (any excuse to drink one of my all-time favourites…)

In the end, Jo and I managed to sample six beers – Festival or otherwise and all in half pint sampler-sizes – between the two of us us and then, having pretty much exhausted the possibilities, we went next door to the City Arms for a couple more, so I suppose I shouldn’t grumble. And those beers were:

Yo-Ho Yona Yona – A new beer brewed especially for the Festival by Japanese brewer Toshi Ishii at Banks’s brewery in Wolverhampton, Yona Yona Real Ale is a 5% American-style pale ale that poured a dark amber colour with a light head. It was quite hoppy, with a distinct grapefruit flavour that became more and more pronounced as the glass went on. In fact, I’d say it was probably a bit too pronounced for my taste, with the sourness and acidity over-powering the sweeter, maltier notes to the point where I wasn’t actually enjoying it all that much by the end. Which was a shame, because it seems as though the rest of the Yo-Ho range is meant to be somewhat legendary, by all accounts…

Moorhouses Black Witch – Part of the Moorhouses seasonal range, Jo decided to try a half and ended up having a couple more. It’s a 4.2%, dark, chestnut-brown ale with a nutty, coffee-toned flavour and a chocolately after-taste. Quite sweet, very easy-drinking. Not one of the Festival ales but probably the most enjoyable beer we sampled on the evening. So there you go.

George Wright Skeleton – I think this has to be one of the most aptly-named beers I’ve encountered to-date, because this 4.1% light ale had almost no body and very little meat on its bones at all. Almost devoid of any sort of flavour or even a notable leaning towards either dryness or sweetness, it was bland and watery throughout. Caveat emptor.

Outlaw Wrangler – I think this is brewed by Knaresborough-based Roosters under their Outlaw Brewing Co label, but it wasn’t an official Festival beer and I couldn’t get close enough to the cask-clip to double-check (it was a Friday night and two or three deep at that part of the bar…) Anyhow, Wrangler is a very pale ale with a frothy, bubbly head, which I assume has been brewed American-style, seeing as it was very dry with lots of hops. Quite pleasant and refreshing, just not the sort of style I usually make a point of seeking out.

Hydes Mumbo Jumbo – This locally-brewed, 4.9% Hydes seasonal ale is an interesting little number. Pouring a deep, stout-black with just a hint of chestnut, the impression I got on first tasting was a tannin-rich, wine-like character, backed up with coffee and chicory and then raisins, with lots of malt throughout. It was pleasant enough, but let down slightly by its mouth-feel, which just wasn’t as rich and thick as the rest of its characteristics would seem to suggest it ought to be.

Stateside IPA – Again, I failed in my research and couldn’t get close enough to make out the name of the brewery, but I’m going to assume this was Mikkeller‘s Stateside IPA that I was drinking [Edit 08.11.08 - maieb tells me it was actually from the Thwaite’s Nutty Black – By this point Jo and I had de-camped to the City Arms, where we actually found one of Wetherspoon’s Festival beers that Wetherspoon’s didn’t have. Nutty Black (formerly “dark mild”) has been named CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain more than once, and made for a very pleasant counter-point to the previous uber-hopped monster IPA. Mild, slightly sweet, weighing in at a slight 3.3% and, yes, quite nutty, this is the sort of session easy-drinker you could easily keep going on all-night long, which probably would have been a good idea, seeing as I was back on full pints by this point…

Everards Original – …but instead, I decided to stray and for my last pint of the night I went for the strongest beer on the blackboard (one of those 10.45 p.m. decisions that you pay for with a fuzzy head all the next day). Everard’s Original poured a lovely mid-brown colour with a creamy head. I found it quite sweet, with a hint of cinder toffee and a definite almond tang (as Jo suggested: strong hints of bakewell tart) and I think if I’d been drinking it earlier in the night I would have enjoyed it more than I ended up doing… in the end it was just a bit much on top of everything else I’d sampled.

But still, a good night out – Jo and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and if we weren’t booked up next Friday and Saturday then we’d probably be back down to the ‘Spoons again for another stab at the Festival selection. But I guess those missed beers will just have to be added to the ever-growing wish-list, for now…

[DT:] Ladies and gents, it gives me very great pleasure indeed to present BlogoBeer.com’s very first Guest Post. The author of the following piece is none other than Mr Tim Lebbon, one of the UK’s best-loved and most prolific modern horror and dark fantasy writers. He’s the author of recent novels including Dusk, Dawn, The Everlasting, Fallen, Mind the Gap (with Christopher Golden) – and many, many more besides, see his website at www.timlebbon.net for details – as well as the winner of multiple awards for his fiction and a thoroughly good bloke to boot.

Tim and I were e-chatting a couple of weeks ago and he happened to mention a forthcoming trip to Cornwall, during which he was planning to make a point of sampling a few local beers. I asked if he’d be interested in writing a guest post for us, Tim said he was up for it (I said “Huzzah!”) and so, without any further ado, here we go:

Beheaded at the Polperro Beer Festival, by Tim Lebbon

Sometimes, I don’t think my wife believes me. Let’s face it, we booked that weekend in Cornwall at the beginning of the year, and it was only a week before we were due to leave that a friend told me that the Polperro Beer Festival was on at the same time (3rd – 5th October). Once we arrived at our caravan site and her suspicions faded away, we popped along with the two kids for a couple of hours trying out some of Devon’s and Cornwall’s finest (I was doing the trying, not the kids). It would have been rude not to.

The Old Mill House in Polperro is a proper pub. The atmosphere is very friendly, locals sit at the bar with their lazy dogs, the staff are welcoming and very cheery, old pub games hang on the walls or sit around on little tables, and there’s a cat sleeping on the bar. “It’s a real one!” my 5 year old son merrily confided in me as he poked it in the head. It was indeed.

The theme of the festival this year was ‘Beer Less Travelled’ – in an admirable effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the event, all the beers were from local breweries. There were twenty-nine ales on offer, ranging from light session beers to several stouts and porters. My kids didn’t fancy a pint, and my wife isn’t a fan (I know … I know …), so I ordered food for the hooligans and a prawn curry for Tracey, and went about trying a few for myself.

I headed straight in with a pint of Black Prince from St Austell Brewery. I’m a big fan of dark ales – Hobgoblin and Theakston’s Old Peculier are two particular faves – so Black Prince was an absolute delight. Deep and dark when it was poured, a rich nutty nose, and it went down a treat, leaving a surprisingly full-bodied fruity taste afterwards. A gentle 4.0% volume, it tasted stronger, very rich in body and feel. I’d have happily had a couple more … if there weren’t twenty-eight other ales on offer.

So next I plumped for Organic Brewhouse‘s Serpentine. Not as heavy as the Black Prince, this was a deep ruby colour, quite tangy (a bit too tangy for me, I think), and though it was 4.5%, there was something lacking. Perhaps going for a lighter pint after Black Prince was a mistake, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.

The kids were almost finished with their meals now, and Tracey’s prawn korma was reduced to a single sad bugger swimming around in what was left of the sauce. Startled, I took a closer look, but the ripples were merely caused by my son kicking the table. “I’m bored!” he said, so I offered him a swig of Serpentine. Bless him, he quite enjoyed it. Fighting the temptation to ensure a good night’s sleep for us all, I finished the drink myself, and then went up to peruse the menu of ales.

The pub has a perfect set-up for an ale festival, with the barrels stacked nicely in a marquee that connects through a set of French doors into the rear of the pub. So those not indulging in the festival ales (and it’s a very reasonable £3.00 entry, which includes a commemorative glass and a programme) can sit at the bar and enjoy the still-impressive selection of beers available as standard. But I didn’t want that – oh no – not with twenty-seven other brews to choose from.

I guessed this would be my last pint. Sadly, with a tear in my eye and a flutter of excitement – or was that trepidation? – I ordered a glass of the festival’s winning ale, Beheaded, from Keltek Brewery. I say trepidation, because this was noted as a 7.6% ale … and I have to say, every hint of that was there in the taste. Gorgeous. A beautiful deep golden colour, and sweet to the taste, though not cloyingly so. Its power was obvious, but the brewers were patently not simply out to produce an ale of almost apocalyptic strength – they have taken great care to ensure that taste is still present. The name is apt, as I’m sure that after three pints of this you’d feel as if you’d been beheaded and shown your own backside.

I waved a fond farewell to the Old Mill House and all those lovely ales, and promptly went and spent £40 on a leather fedora-like hat. My kids think it makes me look like Indiana Jones (but without the diamond stud earring and bank balance, eh Harrison?), and though I purchased it whilst in the cosy fuzz of real ale squiffyness, at last nearing the age of 40 I believe I’ve found a hat that suits me. “Since when have you been a cowboy?” some kid in my village asked recently. I asked him when was the last time he’d played baseball.

And it’s all thanks to the Polperro Beer Festival.

There are already plans afoot to attend next year as well, but this time for a full weekend, not just a flying visit (live music in the evenings, too, which is also a big draw). I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a fabulous place to stay. Polperro is one of our favourite places in the world, and that love has just been boosted ten-fold. It has many comfortable hotels and bed and breakfasts (including the Old Mill House itself … sleeping above a real ale festival … there is a Heaven after all), and some excellent places to eat.

Also, pasties. Need I say more?

On our long weekend away I also tried several more local brews in bottle form … but that’s a story for another time, and another hat.

Brewery: Meantime Brewing Company
Location: Greenwich, London
ABV: 6.5%
Version: 330ml bottle
Source: The Vineyard, Belfast

Another dinky-sized bottle from The Vineyard, and another very fine beer indeed from Meantime. A dark ale this time, rather than a stout or porter, although my initial impression was that it was quite similar to the Coffee Porter that I’d sampled not long before.

The beer poured a rich, dark black-brown with a thin head and a faint effervescence. It seemed quite sour on first taste (although in an entirely enjoyable, green-apple way, I hasten to add) but then it followed up with a huge hit of sweetness that was almost cloying in its intensity. Judging by the blurb on the Meantime website they’re selling this one as a “dessert beer”, although I think it might actually go better with cheese and biscuits, to help take the edge off some of those sugars.

The chocolate elements seemed to be more distinct in the aroma than the flavour, although there was a definite mocha characteristic. Definitely much more Green & Black’s 80% cocoa than Cadbury’s Dairy Milk though, which is entirely right and proper if you ask me. I’m not sure that Meantime Chocolate is one I’d go for on a regular basis, especially given the rest of the Meantime range to choose from, but I’m very glad I tried it.

Brewery: Fuller’s (Fuller, Smith & Turner)
Location: London, England
ABV: 6.3%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Sainsbury’s

Fuller’s first produced this strong ale for their 150th anniversary, back in 1995 and it seems to have been a firm favourite of their range ever since, winning the CAMRA Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Britain award along the way.

And it was an entirely deserved one, if you ask me. Pouring a clear ruby red with a thick bubbly head, 1845 gives off an enticing scent of spicy fruit cake as it wallows in the glass. The 100-day maturation process results in a rich, smooth beer of strong character as well as strong alcohol content: coffee, toffee and chocolate flavours are most prominent. Great mouth-feel as well; almost chewy.

Definitely one to try, definitely one to savour. I’ll be looking out for 1845 again.

Brewery: Robinson’s
Location: Stockport, England
ABV: 8.5%
Version: 330ml bottle
Source: Sainsbury’s

I’ve had good and bad experiences with beers this strong and I’m happy to say that this was definitely one of the finer ones.

Approaching Old Tom (with due caution and appropriate respect) the first thing you notice is an aroma of smoky liquorice. The liquorice is amplified on first tasting as the thick, sweet brew rolls and washes across the palate. It’s followed by a whole host of rich, dark, sugary, malty flavours: toffee, coffee, muscovadot sugar, molasses and treacle, all combining into an uber-flavour that’s deliciously, dangerously more-ish. Definitely one to savour, despite the temptation to race through a couple more while you’re at it.

The bottle is embossed on the front with the famous Old Tom winking cat (“sup up lad, hangover’s coming”) and the back label extols the virtues of this classic old brew “entered into the head brewer’s hand-written notebook in 1899″, no less. That head brewer was some sort of evil genius, I tell you. May he rest in blissfully inebriated peace…