Dark Raven
Beowulf Brewing Company

Chocolate ruby with tight steady pocked tan carpet. 4
Cocoa, earth, plum, and birch beer nose. 4
Bit of char, sweet roast, some fig, brown sugar, licorice, and Fuggle-y tobacco leaf end. 3.75
Black cherry bon bon finish and dry, slightly papery linger.
Fizzy, almost medium, round. 4

Pretty black notes for a mild - almost more like a junior porter. That plus the strength make this a bit off target for me. But there's enough sweetness and dark fruit to make it work. Not my favourite, but easy to get through. 3.75

 

Mild in May: bottle conditioned 500ml. Out of date by some four months, poured slowly into an Abbot Ale glass tankard on 8th May 2012.

Deep, dark Ruby red body with a huge biege head that gushed out the bottle.

Malty nose and taste, fairly rich and full bodied, well carbonated and interesting. Chocolate and coffee hints from the maltiness, but not too heavy or overpowering.

Fuggles hops kick in late and give the beer a balanced bitterness to counteract the malty sweetness initially found in the flavour.