Huge fluffy yellowish head, stable, over unclear orange beer with olive shine. Toasted, caramel nose, parsley, herbal-based liqueurs. Very liqueurish taste; syrup, alcohol & herbal bitterness. Very creamy MF from the head. Well-carbonated, slick & warming. Alcoholsweetness wars with the burning-bitterish throatfeel. Only medium bodied, all the same. Absolutely not bad, but for it to grapple with the big Belgian abbey ales, might be a bridge too far. <i> Big thanks to Darren! </i>

Sweet malt stone fruit aroma. Murky brown colour with poor head and lacing. Sweet fruit malt flavour. Smooth palate.

Bottle (in NZ), pours a hazy orange-amber with a white pillowy head. Big fruity aroma, with oak, some caramal, and the obvious presense of the alcohol. An incredibly complex aroma, medicinal yet peppery, caramal and fruity, with very strong alcohol in the finish. A big beer to come in a 500ml bottle. Not sure how good this is, can’t see my head being any clearer at the bottom of the glass!

Pours a deep golden. Sweet fruity aromas, slight alcohol tinge. Wow, is this really 8.4%??? This has to be the most drinkable Barley Wine I’ve had. Quite dangerous! Sweet flavours balance with some spicy bitterness. Alcohol is evident in the aftertaste but not very intense. A lot of caramel flavours in the body, and a wee bit of hop. Dry to finish. Awesome! But 500mL of this stuff is dangerous on your own...

Bottle, Beer Ritz, Leeds. Poured a deep cloudy golden amber colour, with a smallish white head. Fruity aroma with spicy yeast, malt and caramel notes. Smooth and very well balanced. Lovely grassy hop on the flavour balanced perfectly with the malt and fruit. Gently warming alcohol, not overpowering. Works really well. Lingering bitter finish. Yum. Really impressed by some of these Durham brews.