Portsmouth British Mild Ale

(22 oz. bottle from the brewpub (although bottle is labelled "Seasonal - Mild" my receipt says "Dark Light" - at the time of purchase Portsmouth had a beer on tap called "Dark Light" - I’m assuming here "Dark Light" is just a different name for British Mild) This beer is quite interesting and I think the flavor is anything but mild...Pours slightly murky ruddy brown with three fingers of creamy biscuit head. Aroma of I’m not sure what - it is sweet and I’ll call it a combo of licorice, caramel and brown sugar. Mouthfeel quite soft and pretty smooth, seems only lightly carbonated. Some thick sloppy lacing. Flavor takes off in alot of directions - peat, licorice, wood, tar, smoke, caramel, earthy funk, Fishermen’s Friend cough drops. Light-medium bitterness overlays and carries through finish. Light bitter and light malty sweet aftertaste. I kind of liked it but think the flavor’s a bit much for a "session" beer.

Dark brown in color with ruby highlights and a small off-white head. Aroma is of mellow roasted malts and a touch of caramel. No hop charcater, all malt like it should be IMO, light in body and very quaffable.

2004 draught. Lovely dark brown, with some hints of auburn and dark yellow. Godd beige head. Smells of light caramel/toffee and hints of molasses. Flavor is lightly bitter, but mostly caramel and honey-cream sweet, with a good earthy malt on the finish (slightly dusty/musty). No hops apparent, as they shouldnt be. Loose, light body, but enough flavor not to be a problem. Soft, mild carbonation. Quite lovely.

Draught: This was a dark golden color. It was also slightly hazy. There was some head, which died quickly. There was very little carbonation. Some, but not much lacing. Hint of hops and sweetness to the nose. It is a nice rendition of the style, even if you have to let it warm up a bit to the right temperature.