Buzzard Dark Ale
Nuttycombe Brewery

 

500ml Bottle: shared with my brother-in-law on 9th June 2013.

Pours a dark brown colour with an off-white head of uneven foam.

Old malts with a chocolate hint in the nose: these carry on into the taste: add some bark and nut traces within the fairly complex flavours and you get an almost interesting brew. Semi-sweet with a mild hop content.

Better than OK, but only just, it just lacked something to rise it above the 'Joe Average' beer list.

 

A: dark, opaque brown, with a mocha-tan head

S: roast-y, with a robust quality that seems to promise a much bigger beer

T: roasted malts, rich coffee, and a bit of tobacco at the finish

M: medium-bodied and smooth

D: a nice, solid brew

Notes from 02.15.10 at Oliver Twist in Stockholm

Tried 2/26/08 in England.

A: Tiny head with large bubbles, Very dark red, not hazy.

S: Dark fruit, some chocolate, banana. Very sweet.

T: Nice refreshing taste of fruit and some light hops in the first flavors. Dark fruit, some spice and nice better hops come through in the aftertaste. Perhaps some chocolate there as well.

M: Medium-light bodied, a little watery, but good for the style. Not enough carbonation. Low astringency.

D: Drinkable, but not a favorite.

Yet another winter warmer to appear at my local Wetherspoon's pub recently.
A: pours a dark-ruby hue, with a negligible rimmed foam on top of the beer, against a rather static body. Nothing to write home about...
S: lightly caramel or burned-sugar note, very mouth-watering on top of a bed of crystal malts--softly sweet, with minimum hop aroma.
T: deeply nutty-sweet and lightly-roasted malty flavour plus mildly caramelised sugary flavour, gradually turning bitter-sweet, with more roastiness and light herbal hoppy bitterness deep down on the sides of the tongue; finished dryish. Quite expectable flavour overall, not as complex as I'd wish a dark ale like this to be.
M&D: soft palate throughout, though a bit thin on mouthfeel, a fact I suppose is not unrelated to its relatively low freshness. Overall an o.k. beer, but could be better when served fresher.

This is a nice, dark ale that initially seems quite hard to drink. It is incredibly dry, with a silty feel similar to Nethergate Old Growler. Still, if you can cope with this awkward flavour, it is an awfully good pint. Probably not so good as a session beer, though.

Deep amber that bordered on burgundy. Color was crystal clear head was airy but retained well, though no lacing was to be found. Had a sweetish aroma and the flavor was sweet tilted. Hoppy finish was long and dry. A bit different from some of the others but enjoyable and well made.