Pilgrim Pudding

Cask Fresh @ The Claret - a Freehouse, near Croyden. A good, traditional Winter Warmer - a dark, sweet, plummy beer with a bitter licorice finish. Full bodied without being syrupy. A flavoursome and comforting brew with only a hint of the alcohol strength in the taste. Licorice aroma. Very pleasant and decently made. I love Winter Warmers!

Slight gushing to towering orangey head, collapsing; deep brown, slight reddish shine. Very vinous, rich woody nose - blind I'd say Flemish Oud Bruin immediately; lactic acid is no doubt there - but also milk powder and a bit of milk chocolate. The idea of Oud bruin disappears not entirely in the taste, but is diminished with a very bitter beginning, extremely woody/tanninelike in character. Lactic-sour too, lots of fruit, esters and just again a bit of sweet chocolate. Medium bodied, acids make it seem thinner. Lactic sourness keeps hanging around quite long. This is certainly not a bad try - rather the opposite. but a real Flemish Oud Bruin would have more depth, more complexity, I'm sure. I'm still amazed to find Surrey instead of Flanders on the label. What it is not at all, is liquid Christmas pudding. And then Silk rates it, and finds no sourness. So yours truly goes looking and discovers his bottle had to be drunk before 8/98... Shame on me, the beer had been aged, and NOT prematurely!