Cauldron Snout
Darwin Brewery Ltd.

Purchased at the Nelson Wines, South Wimbledon, London. BB 01/01/2006, consumed overdue by almost five months... served cool in a straight imperial-pint glass.

A: pours a dark mahogany hue, coming with a frothy, beige-hued beer head which settles to a thin cap sustaining throughout the drink.
S: lovely smell of an old ale, with its subtly sour-sweet aroma of wood-barrels and a deep note of dark fruits, like ripe plums+dried black plums+smoked prunes+lightly roasty hint of charred malts+ treacle-ish => sour-sweet fruity, herbal, sticky and richly dark malty, but not sweet at all (making sense?); overall, the nose is rich, full-bodied, smoothly-textured and full of depth. Really really attractive but understated...
T: black-plummy, date-fruity, bitter-sweet crystal malty flavour upfront, backed by profound roasted maltiness, black beans, and a naturally herbal edge of licorice and roast-nuttiness at the back--all intertwined perfectly together... leaving a tangy bitter aftertaste, added with a healthy touch of sour-fruitiness (like damson-berries), dryish hoppy touch, and lingering, tongue-shattering bitterness from black malts, the kind of impact only a robust porter or stout could achieve... chewy texture and a dryish finish--simply marvellous!!!
M&D: perfectly-balanced, full-bodied, robust, ever so mellow yet also refreshing on the mouthfeel with subtle carbonation... This is a true winner, and deserves its awards as Winner of North East champion beer of the year 1998, 1999, 2000, and Silver Medalist Championship Winter Beer of the Year 2000. I truly enjoy this bloody good ale, be it porter, fruity stout, or old ale... Highly recommended anyway!!!