Okells Aile

Bottle: Regular. Cask: Occasional (originally a Wetherspoons special - May 2006).
This is a smoked Celtic porter, with an initial sweet flavour leading to a full-bodied silky-smooth liquorice on the palate and a bitter hop finish.
Hops used: Cascade, Willamette, Styrian Goldings.

3.5

170 reviews

Douglas, Isle of Man

Community reviews

3.5 Bottle at home, courtesy of Cuso. Pours deep brown/reddish color, nearly black, beige head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, cocoa. Taste is medium sweet, lightly sourish, lot of roasted malt, coffee, bitter finish.

3.7 Pours a deep black color, topped with and aevrage sized dark cream colored head. Mild malty aroma, roasted, some notes of caramel and a little bit of coffee. Taste starts sweet, slightly roasty and with some coffee notes in the back. Finishes without any real bitterness, but mildly roasty with some caramel. Gentle and easily drinkable.

3.7 Bottle from friend, many thanks Daniel. Very dark brown color with medium beige head. Dark chocolate, coffee in aroma. Roasted malt, caramel, lot of coffee, pleasant hops in taste. Long coffee bitter finish. Enjoyable beer.

3.5 Bottle from Nuneaton B&M. Good dirty tar pour with a nicotine-tan collar. Rich peated single malt, prune, dark bread spread with yeast extract, carob and bitter high cocoa chocolate nose. Full and complex beyond its modest ABV with plenty of inky, briny peat, coffee dunked black bread, burnt toast, high cocoa and finishing burnt nut. Finally smoky. Good peaty porter.

3.6 Bottle. B&M. Clear, dark red. Thin, sticky, tan head. Smoky, nutty, and chocolatey. Taste is ashy dry. A little woody bitter. Soft palate. Finishes a little sweet, at first. Closes fruity dry.

3.3 Bottle. Loose tan head. Deep mahogany body. Nose is chocolate, lots of peat smoke, malt whisky and wood. Sweet then bitter with a dry finish.

4.4 500ml bottle. Pours jet-black with little to no tan-coloured head. Aroma is very earthy and smoky with brown sugar. Taste is caramel, cereal and bread with a bitter kick to finish. The texture is gloopy and warming. A very good beer, a hidden gem!

3.6 500ml bottle from B&M. Pours black with decent off-white head. Lovely bitter choc aroma with smoked malts, coffee and cigarette ash in the taste. Mouthfeel’s a bit thin but like their other beers it’s a little quirky and different.

3.8 500ml bottle from I can’t remember where. Deepest ruby brown with a creamy tan head. Smoky mocha aroma. Mocha, liquorice, smoke flavours. Full bodied soft carbonation silky mouth-feel. Deeply pleasurable.

3.9 Bottle from Ales By Mail [120814] Black, ruby edges, frothy tan head, good lacing Aroma of savoury malts, soft light smoke, roasted malts, earthy malts, some yeast, complex smoke roast aroma for abv, bit spicy Taste of dark malts, nice soft roast, savoury malts, touch of stilton(!), dark sweet malts, slightly earthy, the peat works in here, subtle smoke, yummy beer Palate - soft carb, light to medium body, perhaps a little thin, dark sweet malts, light bitter smoke roast. Finish of dark malts, savoury roast malt finish Overall - Apart from it being a bit thin, it’s an excellent soft smoky porter, really tasty beer

3.4 Bottle from Ales By Mail. Pours cloudy very dark brown with airy light tan head. Clear aroma of malt, caramel, and fruit, with notes of coffee. Bitter, roasty flavour, with sweetish touches of caramel malt, ending on a biiter, hoppy note again. Touches of liquorice. Bitter and roasty aftertaste. Okay, decent but nothing really extraordinary.

3.3 Poured a deep dark brown with a bubbly beige head. Aroma of sweet dark fruit, roast malt and liquorice. Medium body, quite smooth, flavour as the aroma, quite roasty.

3.2 Bottle from B&M Bargains; dark chestnut brown pour with a foamy tan head, dark fruit and roast aroma, taste has some initial smokey peat action backed up with some dark fruits, a hint of liquorice, roast malts, ok.

4.2 Bottles from The Ale Cellar, Darlington (now closed) and b&m, Team Valley, Gateshead. A black ale with a rich chocolate, coffee and brine flavour, coffee and red fruity notes with a sweet, silky, dry, gentle smoked finish.

3.6 smells like open woodfire... pitch black body just thin white lacing on top. very smokey flavour smooth and velvety more watery than i expected but still nice.

3.4 500ml bottle. Opaque, black colour with small, thick, frothy to creamy, fairly lasting and lacing, tan head. Roasty, dark malty aroma, a salty touch of liquorice. Taste is roasty dark malty, hints of milk chocolate, a nuttily touch, some salty liquorice; smooth, soft, silky palate. Very nice.

3.5 500ml Bottle: BBD 10/2014, poured out on 17th 09/2014 at home. Black body, thin tan head. Semi-sweet malty nose, and taste with liquorice notes also in both the aroma and flavours. Although obviously malt based it does have a good hop bitterness within the mouth. A good, easy to drink Porter: cheap too, from B & M Bargains.

3.5 500ml bottle from B&M. Tasty porter. Didn’t get much smoke. Nice toasty flavour with hop tingle finish which adds a sharpness to the end. Medium bodied fresh tasting. Good.

3.9 Bottle. The beer starts smooth, malty and slightly roasted. Easy to drink but deep as well. Malty-smooth, fresh, great. Roasted malt harmonises great with the slightly sweetness and a subtle bitterness. Great!

3.7 500ml bottle at 4.7%. Pours very dark brown with a small head. Aroma is peat, tcp and treacle. Taste is treacle to start with a meaty, peaty finish.

3.4 500ml bottle from B&M. Deep dark brown colour. With small tan head. Aroma has cocoa, smoke, and treacle. Flavour has dark roast coffee, some toasty malt, and a hint citrus.

3.8 Bottle from B&M. Black beer with medium tan head. Aroma of chocolate and lactose with a hint of smoke. Taste is moderate peat smoke, roasted malts, chocolate and some ash. Medium bodied. Very good.

3.2 Bottle from B&M. Pours black with a tan head. Plenty of smoke in both the aroma and the taste. Some sweetness, a hint of spice and notes of chocolate. Some decent flavour to it, but it really lacks body. OK.

3.3 Appearance: Dark brown/black with finger thick beige head. Aroma: Nutty, woody, burnt malts, smoky, cold coffee, toffee. Taste: Low sweetness, low/medium bitterness and sourness. Palate: Light fairly smooth texture, light body, average carbonation, lingering malty, toffee, smoky quite dry finish. Comments: Good and glass lace. Rating is for bottled version ABV 4.7%.

3.2 Bottle bier huis ossett. Black colour thin tan head slight lacing. Aroma is dark malts cocoa. Taste is dark malts some liquorice coffee notes some sweet chocolate and little smokiness. Medium thin body medium carbonation. Standard porter ok.

3.3 Appearance: Black color with a fine beige head that leaves a fine lacing. Aroma: Dark malt and fruity. Some smoked notes. Palate: Medium body. Slightly sweet and a moderate bitterness. Soft to average carbonation. Dry texture. Taste: Dark malt, some roasted malt and mild smoked. Overall impression: Powerful and tasty porter. Personal stats: Bottle at The Bridge in Douglas, Isle of Man.

3.2 500ml bottle courtesy of Ann - very dark brown near black, thin rapidly disappearing tan head, roasted malt, coffee, liquorice aroma, flavours as aroma, some smokiness, carbonation on the high side, dry hopped finish

3.5 500 ml bottle as Coal Fire Porter sampled in 2009. Dark reddish body, almost black with a beige head. Aroma of roasted malt and coffee with a hint of liquorice. Flavor is sweet, roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, some fruit and liquorice. A bit light but balanced bitterness. Medium body and a good aftertaste. Smooth and quite quaffable.

3.6 50 cl bottle. Originally rated on 20110323. Pours dark brown color with a small off-white head. Aroma of malts, faint smoke notes, chocolate, some ash and caramel. Flavor of caramel malts, chocolate and cocoa. Nice.

3.3 500 ml bottle poured a clear dark reddish brown with a lingering ring of tan foam. Aromas of smoke, dark fruit, roastiness and bakers cocoa. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of smoke, roastiness, bakers cocoa and light dark fruit with a smooth lingering smokey finish.