Tetley, Imperial, 5.3% ABV

A delicious mid- to dark-golden beer from Tetley. It’s such a pity that Tetley’s more interesting brews, like this, aren’t widely available on draught, for it’s far superior to its mundane draught bitter. If you pour it just right, you will get a smooth, lacey head, that stays all the way to the bottom. If you don’t pour it right, then it’ll just remain patchy and eventually dissipate.

It is a full-bodied beer, that has malt dominating its flavour, producing a caramel overtone, with blackberry and aniseed undertones. The aftertaste contains grapes (rather like Ribena), as well as caramel and chocolate, giving it quite a charcoal finish. It has scents of blackberries, caramel, malt and some fruitiness (perhaps lemons). Although not of great alcohol content, the aroma gives it the impression of being a lot stronger than it actually is. It possesses a smooth, juicy texture, fizzy and wholesome, with hints of chocolate. It’s quite a sweet beer, with medium to high levels of unfermented sugars.