UPDATED: NOV 20, 2021 English style strong ale from this originally 18th-century brand, most renowned for its Old Speckled Hen; from a colourless (!) 50 cl bottle with crown cap. Thick and frothy, yellowish pale beige, uneven-bubbled but dense and moussy, paper-lacing, stable head on a crystal clear, deep glowing amber beer with darker copper red hue and lots of visible sparkling. Aroma of heavy pasteurization (damp cotton cloth, freshly ironed clothes), damp autumn leaves, unsalted peanuts, wet toast, moist nutmeg, hard caramel without the sweetness, hints of Earl Grey tea, green walnuts, dried apple peel, unsmoked cigarette shag, brown bread dough, dry beech tree bark, very vague paraffin and brown soap. Crisp, clean onset, low in sweetness, some dried apple peel and apricot perhaps but very vague, lively and minerally carbonation, smooth and supple body, medium thick; slick hard-caramelly and peanutty maltiness, toasty edges with a nice bitterishness to it accentuating the overall dryish character of this beer and gaining prominence towards the end. Herbal, tea- and even slightly tobacco leaf-like hoppiness greatly enhances the end bitterness, aided by the toasty aspect and by an all too subtle, but certainly noticeable woody note of oak chips (quite tannic in the end even) - but everything still feels 'cooked' and somewhat soapy due to that pasteurization. The 'macro treatment' by owner Greene King - including the choice for cheap 'white' glass and the pasteurization - overpower the whole beer, which does show a basic degree of complexity but only in a superficial way; feels a bit akin to that oak-aged Leffe Charactère we had in Belgium some years ago, in that sense. Could be great when cask- or bottle-conditioned, perhaps, but I doubt if I will ever know...

UPDATED: DEC 30, 2021 500ml (6.5%; 21194) at home on 26 Aug 2021, purchased 24 Aug 2021 from Asda, Liberator Drive, Heathfield Retail Park, Ayr (bb 2 Feb 2023):

UPDATED: AUG 16, 2021 Bottle from Tesco. Pours a clear copper colour with a thin white head. Aromas of toffee, caramel, dry dark fruits, a hint of cherries, bread, wood and a touch of alcohol. Taste has more of the dark fruits and caramel, also a touch spicy with some warming alcohol and some earthy wood on the finish. Medium to full body. Nice enough but i am sure the beer would benefit more from being bottled in a brown rather than clear glass bottle.

UPDATED: MAY 4, 2021 Аромат классиечский для Англии. Весьма много континентального хмеля, немного намеков на карамель, много солода обычного, оттенки травянистости. Цвет темно коричневый, пенки почти нету, мыльная и быстрая. Вкус солодовый, умеренно хмелевой. Немного травянистости снова при глотке. Почти нету карамели, но немного сливы. На этом все, слишком невзрачно и горько местами.

UPDATED: FEB 20, 2021 Old rating from 27-03-15 - 500ml bottle, pours clear copper with a off white head. Aromas & tastes of caramel, toffee, biscuit, bread, raisin & malt. Moderate body. Moderate bitter finish.

UPDATED: DEC 19, 2020 Piwo o bursztynowej, piana biała drobnopęcherzykowa pozostawia lacing. W aromacie słodowe, ciasteczkowy. W smaku fajne słodowe ciało, delikatne, bardzo przyjemne piwo

UPDATED: NOV 15, 2020 Great aroma on opening. Malty. Pours chestnut brown with a thin off white head. Notes of malt, toffee and slight banana flavour. Decent buzz.

UPDATED: OCT 30, 2020 500ml clear bottle but hey ho, I've not come across anything light-struck yet. Chestnut brown, thin off white head, some circular retention. Big malty aroma, toffee, wood, raisins, stone fruits. Taste is big on raisins and toffee malts, also dried fruits and vanilla, a slight orange resinous note in the finish with a mild bitterness. A good strong English ale but it doesn't touch Adnam's Broadside

UPDATED: OCT 7, 2020 Aroma : Deeply toasted toffee maltiness, rich fruity & nutty almond Dundee cake with a littlr hint of oaky spice. Taste : Pretty much as aroma. Medium to full bodied. Smooth and very malty. Medium bittersweet throughout. Toffee, dried dark fruits, and hint of oakiness. Decent

UPDATED: SEP 21, 2020 Rated as 'Old Crafty Dad' in celebration of fathers worldwide. Aroma is mostly grass and malt. Taste is nutty, hints of wood and vanilla, some herbs. Lasting woody aftertaste. It does indeed possess some oak age character. Better than the other beers from this brewery.