Orkney Dark Island (Cask)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Old Ale
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Cockney Pub, Aarhus, DK. Cask. Dark brown with small head. Aroma of chocolate and coffee, Flavor of roasted malt with a hint of red berries

Handpulled cask at the Hamilton Hall (JDW) Liverpool St. during recent international beer fest.Almost black with a big khaki head. Rich chocolate and coffee aroma. Espresso flavours dominate,especially towards the finish,but there is plenty of chocolate and hints of berries as well. Well-carbonated.A greatdark scotish beer.

Cask, Clachnaharry Inn, Inverness. Black with a thin beige head. Aroma is roasted coffee with some dark brandy sodden fruit and smoky liquorice notes. Flavour is full bodied, rich and malty. Coffee, choclolate and some smoky herbiness evident. Very tasty indeed.

cask at the worlds end in edinburgh- i had my doubts, i only ordered it because of everything else was greene king. but jesus, this beer was on form. ive had it bottled a few times, and maybe even cask once, but it was nothing special. this time, it poured engine oil nearly opaque, with a guiness look to it. nose was coffee toffee, big toffee, and caramel, some chocolate and oat. it had a grand nose, and a taste to match. what a session ale. and well balanced. i still can’t believe how good it was.

Cask, Penny Black, Bicester. Sampled with Fin and Traci. Deep black/brown, dense fine tan cap. Aroma is big, rich and lovely: warm toasted caramel, vanilla, chocolate. So nice to sniff, I almost hate to sip. And once I’ve sipped, I kinda wish I hadn’t. Compared to the richness of the aroma, the flavor is pretty dull. A bit of roast, a bit of coffee left on the burner. Thin, kind of acrid. Thoroughly dissappointing, and all the more as the aroma really is a beauty.

Cask at JDW, The Penny Black, Bicester, Oxon 12-04-08 Big vanilla nose and actually I have to check my surroundings to make sure that I’m not in Thorntons as this has tons of fudge and toffee aromas flooding out. This is like that wonderfully promising present under the christmas tree well wrapped and with great promise unfortunatley you unwrap this one only to find that its another jumper from your aunty, ok it looks nice, and will do you well but you’d hoped that it was a new football kit. Its a bit thin but tastes fine, some nice maltiness and cream qualities but after that there’s little else there.

Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading. Deep reddish brown with a trace of tan head; roasted malt aroma; initially dry then creamy chocolate with some fruit; gently bitter coffee finish.

Liqourice chocolate and a slightly meaty quality over treacley malt. Really good all round.