Cask conditioned at a Wetherspoons. Reddish amber with white head. Sweet malty fruity beer with hints of strawberry in the body and honey on the palate, giving a heavier mouthfeel. Reasonable beer without hitting the heights.

Cask at ’Spoons, Milton Keynes. Dark gold with a small white head. Sweet berry fruit aroma. Sweet malt taste with late bitterness. Not bad.

<i>A Mes rate: Cask at Baker St. ’Sporks.</i><br />Nice clean mid brown colour with a tenacious off white head. Sweetish malty aroma with lots of fruity notes. The malts become almost smoky in the flavour with more fruit and some caramel and vanilla. Chewy finish that is rather uneventful. Pretty decent all rounder.

Counting house. Aroma starts slightly eggy, but goes to s richer biscuity fruity malt character with ghrassy hops balancing. Taste is similar but without the eggyness, quite drinkable and in good shape.

<i>Any first impressions?</i><br /> -Respectable head looks down on the clear light copper.<br /> -Herbal hops expand into citrusy proclivities, but the overall aroma remains tame.<br /> -Wooden, fruity hops play with the honeyed maltiness.<br /> -Rather carbonated, the lean maltiness is still able to form a competent mouthfeel.<br /> <br /> <i>What if you dig deeper?</i><br /> -The honeyed malt sweetness barely shows up in the nose, which is a shame.<br /> -The finish is rather well hopped, developing herbal and leafy notes.<br /> -I thought this was a nice pint of bitter, although I didn’t see anything special about it, and this is a Christmas offering.<br /> <br /> <b>From the Bow Bar, Edinburgh.</b>