Goachers Dark Ale (aka Original)

Tasting Summary

East Malling Beer & Cider Festival 2010, East Malling, Kent

Lobster Pot, West Malling, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Pedro		28 Aug 2010
Pedro	Not Tried	27 Aug 2010
Ian		16 Sep 2005	Badged as Best Dark. Just misses being a 5/5. Reddy brown colour with lasting beige head. Dark malts and Goachers yeast aroma with chocolate and coffee. Grainy throughout with burnt malt flavours which are excellent

The Royal Paper Mill, Maidstone, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Pedro		26 Aug 2010
Andrew		22 Aug 2008	Although there was a pump clip on a pump for this the landlady went out the back to pour the beer. It was a bit cloudy and tasted a little out of condition with none of the fresh rich Goachers flavours I associate with this beer. It was drinkable but nothing to write home about.

Black Lion, Lynsted, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		17 Aug 2010	Nice toasted malts. Good Goacher's bitterness. Nice.
Andrew		08 Jun 2009	Roasted malt and syrupy bite. Excellent condition. Good quality Goacher's but then it's Goacher's so I'd expect nothing less.
Ian		12 Jan 2008	First pint was drinkable, but lacked that malty intensity. After that it was plain sailing all the way and Andrew and myself ended the session with 2 pints of it each as it was perfect.
Andrew		12 Jan 2008	Ian's first pint of this was a bit watery but I though I better have it anyway so I ordered it in the next round. My pint was nothing like Ian's previous one. This was the best Goacher's Dark I've had for probably 6 or 7 years. It truely was, "Goacher's for the Goacher's Drinker". Looking at my notes sober I see I wrote, "If I wasn't marrying Jane I'd marry this", a comment that didn't go down too well with Jane at the time I recall.
Andrew	Not Tried	29 Dec 2007	Badged as Goacher's Dark
Andrew	Not Tried	31 Dec 2006	Badged as 'Dark'
Andrew		01 Aug 2006	Badged as 'Dark'. I'm beginning to wonder if Dark and Original are actually different. Anyway this was wonderfully smooth with a dark burnt sugar bite on the end coupled with that tell-tale Goacher's hop finish

Kent Beer Festival 2010, Canterbury, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		24 Jul 2010	The last half out of the barrel and it was still good. Roasted with a hint of red fruit.

King's Head, Canterbury, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Kentish Al		23 Jul 2010	Surpised to see two Goachers ales on here, and very good too.

2nd K&ES Railway Beer Festival 2010, Tenterden, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Kentish Al	Not Tried	12 Jun 2010
Pedro		12 Jun 2010

The Flower Pot, Maidstone, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Pedro		29 May 2010
Angie	Not Tried	27 Mar 2010
Pedro		26 Mar 2010
Kentish Al		26 Mar 2010	In tip top condition here.
Pedro		25 Mar 2010
Pedro		24 Mar 2010	super
Pedro	Not Tried	31 Jan 2010
Pedro		30 Jan 2010

Haywain, Bramling, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		26 Sep 2009	Is it me or is this lighter in colour than normal? Whatever, it's superb. Great and interessting malts ranging in texture and flavour. Simply one of the best beers in Kent.

Red Lion, Snargate, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		01 Aug 2009	Good, malty, strong tasting Dark. Goachers for the Goachers drinker
Andrew		23 Jun 2007	Badged as 'Goachers Dark'. Toasted roasted ruby brown beer. Slightly sweet with an earthy acrid malt bite

Crabble Corn Mill Beer Festival 2009, Dover, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Mick		22 May 2009	Superb, dark, rich with toffee/malt and a good hop balance. Could have drunk this all afternoon.

Shipwright Arms, Faversham, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew	Not Tried	15 Feb 2009
Steve	Not Tried	10 Aug 2007
Andrew		03 Mar 2007	Toasted nutty malt with a good toasted malt bite on the finish.
Andrew		21 Jan 2006	Same peaty over-flavour as the Special. Subtle toasted caramel on finish. Umm... no Goacher's signiture taste of malt and progress hops. My guess is this barrel had only just been tapped so hadn't mellowed yet.
Ian	Not Tried	29 Aug 2005
Andrew		26 Aug 2005	Interesting. Tasted of acetate. Very burnt flavours to start with a slight sweetness and then burnt malt on the finish. Not the usual taste of Goacher's Dark
Andrew		09 Apr 2005	That good old goachers taste but a bit more earthy than usual
Andrew		28 Aug 2004
Andrew		16 Apr 2004

Blakes, Dover, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Dubbel		06 Feb 2009	Gravity dispensed, malt-led with some chocolate coming through. Very drinkable but we'd finished on barley wine at the festival so apologies if I'm doing it a disservice.
Brian		04 Feb 2006	Superb. Don't remember much else except the overall impression was lovely.
Ian	Not Tried	01 Feb 2006	Badged as Dark and came on just as I was leaving.

Woolpack Inn, Warehorne, Kent

The Bull, West Malling, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		26 Jul 2008	Andrew and I always say that this beer is Goachers for the Goachers drinker. Look wonderful, clear deep amber with thick bubbly cream head. Tastes fresh. Lovely toasty roasty malt. Rich yet agile. Not quite as intense as the pint at Xmas at the Black Lion, Lynsted, but still very very good. Little bit of milky coffee.

Crabble Corn Mill Beer Festival 2007, Dover, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		25 May 2007	Fine, if a little dull

Rose & Crown, Perry Wood, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		09 Apr 2007	Badged as "Best Dark". Fresh and clean with a toasted malt bite on the finish.

Man of Kent, Rochester, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		10 Mar 2007	Badged as Goachers Dark. Just not that wide mouth feel you associate with this beer. Not quite roasty/toasty enough for me. Nothing wrong with it, but I know it can taste better.
Andrew		10 Mar 2007	Badged as Goacher's Dark. The first pint of this I had got a 5/5 score but the second only a 3.5/5. Anyway, the beer had good earthy hops with a toasted malt bite to the finish. I liked it a lot.

The Elephant, Faversham, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		26 Aug 2006	Badged as Goachers Dark. Deep chestnut colour with lasting beige head. Goachers distinctive aroma, good malty flavour. Choc/malt aroma. Bit acidic. Fine but needs a bit more depth

Kent Beer Festival 2006, Canterbury, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		20 Jul 2006	Badged as Goacher's Dark. Quite fizzy. Bit too much sherbert for a ber that's usually a cooked sugar & fuggles hop treat

Rare Breeds Beer Festival 2006, Woodchurch, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		02 Jun 2006	Little bit of malt to start with followed by lots of burnt sugar

Crabble Corn Mill Beer Festival 2006, Dover, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		27 May 2006	Badged as Goacher's Dark. A dark brown beer. Balding head and a slight goacher's smell to it. Slight attrified burnt treacle taste but not much going on which is a shame as this can be a lovely beer

The Sugar Loaves, Hollingbourne, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		16 Sep 2005	Badged as Dark. This was off so I had to return it.
Ian		30 Jan 2005	Badged as Goachers Dark this has wonderful dark malty burnt flavours

Kent Beer Festival 2005, Canterbury, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		21 Jul 2005	Badged as Goachers Dark but I think there are the same thing. Anyway it was too lively which was a shame.

Crabble Corn Mill Beer Festival 2005, Dover, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian		27 May 2005	Badged as Best Dark Ale. Dark brown beer. Grainy roasted matl nose, full in mouth with chocolate and caramel malts leading to dry malty finish. Superb dark ale