Audio Drama 01 // 2000 AD Presents Death Trap by Big FInish Productions

With work being so busy this time of year, I sometimes struggle to find time to read. But there is always time to listen, be it in the shower or on a bus. So with that in mind I open up my reviews to the audio books. Lucky for me 2000 AD has produced loads of audio dramas, some even performed with the BBC which is pretty damn cool. So at work in the brewery I sometimes have to label the cans, with that in mind I wanted something that is easy to listen to and wouldn't be too taxing on my brain, so I chose:

2000 AD presents Judge Dredd: Death Trap
(produced by Big Finish Productions and written by David Bishop)

Commercial Fluff: "On the 15th anniversary of the Necropolis, Mega-city One's Judge Death is broken out of prison by a terrorist group, known as disciples of Death. Judge Dredd and his partner, Judge Amy Steel must track down the alien killer before he repeats his mass murder spree."

Starring the following Voice Actors
Toby Longworth - Judge Dredd
Claire Buckfield - Amy Steel
Mark Gatiss - Judge Death
Regina Reagan - Enigma Smith
Jeremy James - Control
Julia Righton - Nigella Gaiman
Liza Ross - Mrs. Gunderson

The tale was pretty straight forward which was a blessing and contained some popular characters like Mrs. Gunderson and Walter the Wobot. It also takes place in some of the most famous MC-1 locations like Sylvia Plath block and Tech 21. The voice acting is great especially Mark Gatiss as Judge Death, so good at all the Ssssss. The story has a quick and it's easy to follow, whilst keeping your attention right up till the end. It felt as though I was reading a comic strip in my head, with the added effect that it was my imagination providing the pictures!

All in all if you have a spare hour on the way to work or whilst painting, then I highly recommend listening to these. Only problem now is finding or buying the rest! If like me you're interested in the full range then follow this LINK to the Big Finish home page. There you will find Dredd and Strontium Dogs audio books to name a few.

As this is my first audio book adventure I don't have a set standard let. So this will be my base mark
of 3 out of 5.

As always drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

Sector 102 // Character Fact File The Angel Gang

So I finally finished my Angel gang from Judge Dredd Complete Case Files 04. This makes me extremely happy as these guys have been collecting dust for way too long. For those who don't know the Angel Gang then please read the Complete Case Files 04 review to find out more. Basically they are the roughest, toughest, meanest and deadliest desperados in all the Cursed Earth! Here is my fluff.

++ Sector House 102 Street Judge Briefing ++
++ Subject: The Angel Gang ++

" Judges it has come to our attention via our Wally Squad Division. That the Angel Gang are active within our sector! If sighted call in backup. No heroics, your not Dredd. Now get on the streets and arrest some perps."-Unknown Senior Judge.

Further info: The Angel Gang are the most feared and infamous band of thugs to have come out of Texas City, the Angel Gang were responsible for a near endless string of crimes with one overriding common factor- violence. They are believed to have been killed during the Judge Child mission, but seemingly keep appearing either due to time travel, extra dimensional travel or they just didn't die. Either way when you see the Angel gang run the other way.

Never one to commit a murder when an atrocity will do. The Angels are led by the father of the Family, Elmer "Pa" Angel.

Pa Angel has four sons, Link Angel is a classic psycho with a Shotgun. Classic attire includes a biker costume and an old bulls ring through his nose.

Then there is "Junior" Angel, youngest and smartest (which isn't saying much) of the boys. He is the closest of the boys to his father. He is never seen without his trademark Derby Hat.

"Mean Machine" Angel, a cyborg. Originally known just as "Machine" was nothing like his antisocial family, so "Pa" forced a Texas City surgeon to come out to their hideout in the Cursed Earth and surgically modify him. He now has a mechanical arm, and his skull is covered with a metal dome with a dial. The dial's setting range from 1, where he is surly and mean and nasty, on up to 4, where he is full on berserk!

Then there is "Fink" Angel the Eldest of Pa's boys. Fink rarely lives with the rest of the family, preferring to live in holes he digs or finds. He has a skeletal face, and is the family specialist in all things poisons. His arsenal includes poisons which can temporarily paralyse a victim, as well as ones that can kill quickly. Fink was known to have had a child called Ratfink.

Hope your enjoying these, please drop a comment below and let me know what you think and that I'm not alone. Until the next time, cheers.

Beer Review 52 // Black Jack by Left Hand Brewing

Welcome back after Christmas folks. Hope you all had a fun, treat filled day with lots of beer! Now now back to the reviewing and gearing up for New Years Eve. This time I'm going back to Left Hand Brewing for another one of their dark beers. Having enjoyed the Milk Stout I'm hoping this beer will rise to the occassion.

Details

Name: Black Jack
Style: Porter
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing
Country: USA, Colorado
Price: Unknown
ABV: 6.8%

Commercial Fluff: "A traditional London style beer, our Black Jack Porter highlights chocolate malt and Kent Goldings hops. Its slight initial sweetness quickly yields to the distinctive roastiness of the chocolate malt. The Kent Goldings hops perfectly balance the malt, making it very smooth, with a surprisingly clean finish."

Own Opinion

Label: What's not to like it's a Squid!
Sight: Pours a dark, dark brown with a mocha head, pretty standard looking stout.
Aroma: Malty, slight hints of chocolate.
Taste: Smooth chocolate, hints of roasted coffee. Pretty easy drinking.

Would I buy it again? Unsurprisingly yes, I like porters and stouts and this one sits right up there with the good ones. Does it beat their Milk Stout, well no, the milk stout will always win out. But what this beer does achieve is being one that I could comfortably drink two or three off in a night at the pub. Now just to locate some more of their beers and see what else they have to offer.

Sector 102 // Judge Dual

Hey Dreddheads and welcome to another JDMG mission post. This time it's for a Judge Duel! Now this is a fun mission to play as you only need two models and not a lot of space. The mission itself is based on a story from the Complete Case Files 1-Mutie the Pig. So here is the background story:

The Story of Judge Gibson AKA Mutie the Pig
Judge Gibson had been a cadet at the same time as Dredd, and was a close friend – but in his disguise as Mutie the Pig he also undertook numerous hideous crimes. When Gibson realised his alter-ego and life of crime had been uncovered by Dredd, Gibson sought to murder his old friend. Fortunately for Dredd, he felt Gibson’s laser sight linger on him just before Gibson pulled the trigger, and avoided being shot. However, in order to nail Gibson, Dredd needed the bent Judge to think he was dead so the crimes would continue to be perpetrated, affording Dredd the necessary evidence. Dredd faked his own funeral, then burst in on Gibson while he was committing another crime as Mutie the Pig.

In their days as cadets, the two men had sworn to patch up any differences by duelling one another, and they agreed the same should hold true even now. Dredd and Gibson returned to the Academy of Law, and fought a fearsome battle in a simulation of Mega-City One, watched by the current cadets. Dredd’s reactions were fractionally superior to that of his friend, and he shot Gibson, causing Gibson to fall to the ground from a great height. Though the Principal congratulated Dredd on his victory, Dredd felt no joy for he had lost a friend, regretfully painting over Gibson’s name on the Academy’s Roll of Honour.

Forces
One player has Judge Gibson, the other Judge Dredd. This Famous Firefight took place during an earlier time in Dredd’s career, so use the entry below for him rather than the one in the main rulebook.
Note that Judges Dredd and Gibson trained together in the Academy of Law and remained close friends thereafter, and so are very similar – they both use the same entry below.

Set Up

The duel takes place in a simulation of a dense area of Mega-City One, so try to fill the table up as much as possible! The table should measure 24” by 24”, and the two Judges start 12” away from one another, in Line of Sight.Judge Dredd takes the first Phase of the game.

Special Rules
Neither Judge can try to arrest the other in this scenario – Judge Gibson has already been arrested! This will be a duel to the death…


Victory Conditions
The Judge who manages to dispatch his opponent is the victor (however, Dredd will not consider this a victory and Gibson will be off to Titan if he wins!).

Stats

Judge Dredd & Gibson: 275 Credits


Move: 5"
Agility: +3
Shoot: +3
Melee: +2
Melee Dice: 4D
Will: +2
Armour: +5
Hits: 8

Type: Level 6 Infantry Hero
Equipment: Boot Knife, Day Stick, Lawgiver, Standard Issue Armour, Stumm Gas Grenades
Talents: Academy Star, Accurate, Close Combat Shooter, Crackshot, Headbreaking, Leg Shot, Situational Awareness
Available To: Apocalypse War Resistance Unit, Brit-Cit Justice Department, Justice Department

Just a fun mini game, takes maybe 20-30 minutes to play. I use it as a way to introduce people to the game who can understand slightly more complicate special rules.

Book Review 15 // Ravenwing by Gav Thorpe (Legacy of Caliban Part One)

It's happened I've completed my 2017 challenge of reading and reviewing a book a month. As a suffer of dyslexia it has actually helped me motivate myself more and challenge myself to push harder on my reading for next year. The plan is to read eighteen books minium next year and publish a post on each, giving me a 50% increase in reading. So please wish me luck!

Books of 2017 has been an adventure. Nine are from Black Library set in one of their verses, the remaining three came from the 2000 AD comic verses. All shared the theme of Sci-fi and all where enjoyable. I want to finish a few series before I move on so expect more Dark Angels, Space Wolves and Ahriman. I also need to go back and start at the beginning of the Horus Heresy Series along with Gaunt's Ghosts so they should also appear soon. On top of this I want to try out some fantasy novels and even an autobiography so watch this space in the new year!

So the final Book of 2017, who to finish with? It was a hard choice as I did think of reading a Gaunt's Ghosts tale as I really enjoyed it, then I also have the follow up to Asurman along with Space Wolves. But as I looked at my shelves I noticed the Legacy of Caliban by Gav Thorpe and knew it had to be it. Thorpe is one of my favourite authors at moment especially with his work on the Eldar stories and with the Christmas release of Dark Angels maybe it would inspire me to build a new army. The book itself is a mighty tome so I am breaking it up into the three main books- Ravenwing, Master of Sanctity and The Unforgiven. For this review it is all the short stories before Ravenwing and then a Ravenwing review. Totaling 310 pages and 4 stories. So let us jump in:

A Hunt in the Dark 

Pages: 26
Commercial Fluff: "The Master of the Ravenwing is dead. Gideon, the last holder of that august position, has nominated the brash young Black Knight, Sammael, as his successor. But the secretive masters of the Dark Angels Chapter have their doubts about Sammael, and about the events surrounding Gideon’s untimely demise. As they subject him to psychic interrogation and test him to his very limits, Sammael must discover if he is suitable for the role of lord of the hunt, or if he harbours a secret taint…" 
Overview: A great view to the inner workings of the secretive Dark Angel Commanders. As Sammael is tested for the right to lead the second company, we get to relive the the dying moments of Grand Master Gideon and read as the Ravenwing charge headlong into the guns of a Chaos Reaver Titan. But as Sammael tells his story it would seem a prisoner has escaped, should Sammael follow orders or hunt down the prisoner? An enjoyable introduction to Sammael, fast paced and actioned packed for a 26 page piece.

Honour of the Third

Pages: 6
Commercial Fluff: "Furion’s Black Crusade has reached its height, and all that stands between the Chaos Lord and victory is a single warrior… Belial, a sergeant of the Dark Angels, stands before this mightiest of foes, determined to achieve victory or die trying. Will a new legend be forged, or will Furion add another skull to his tally?"

Overview: A short story of 1,000 words. Set early in Belial's career we start to see the makings of the Marine who would eventually lead the Deathwatch. For me it felt rushed due to the word count and that Furion wasn't as much as a threat as they made out. He razed seventeen planets and was beaten with ease. Not a bad tale but if given the space could have been epic!

Holder of the Keys

Pages: 8
Commercial Fluff: "One of the Fallen, the Dark Angels who betrayed their oaths and turned on their brothers, relives his past under the psychic interrogation of Chief Librarian Ezekiel. But with treachery and falsehood in his nature, nothing the Fallen says can be trusted – does Ezekiel hold the key to unlocking the truth and discovering the warrior’s role in the fall of Caliban?"

Overview: Originally designed as an audio drama this is the written version of what was acted out. By receiving and reliving the confessions of a Fallen, Chief Librarian Ezekiel has to question everything is it the Fallen who lies or is the Inner Circle of Leaders that lie. Once more you are left wondering who are the real traitors; the ones who followed Luthor or the ones who followed the Lion?

Ravenwing

Pages: 270
Commercial Fluff: "The Ravenwing stand apart from the rest of the Dark Angels Chapter - these dynamic Space Marines take to the battlefield upon steeds of adamantium and plasteel, and swoop from the skies in lightning-fast speeders to bring death to the foes of the Imperium.
When he joins their prestigious ranks, Brother Annael finds himself thrust into a whole new world of shadowy intrigue, and privy to secrets unknown to his common battle-brothers. In the wake of the conflict at Kadillus, hints of a dark conspiracy begin to emerge, and it soon becomes apparent that the Ravenwing has a sacred duty far more vital than hunting down orks..."
Overview: So I like Gav Thorpe written tales (he is possibly one of my favourite authors) so I went into Ravenwing ready to enjoy it. The story begins by following Brother Annael as he is raised into the elite 2nd Company commonly known as the Ravenwing. Here he enters the first circle and learns of the true hunt and has to embrace the dark secrets and shame of the chapter. At the same time we also follow a section of the 5th company as they struggle to understand why the Ravenwing aren't allowing to assist more in the battles. The book travels between warzones pretty quickly in an attempt to showcase how the ravenwing work. It was great to go back to Piscina as I have fond memories of the original campaign appearing in White Dwarf (back then it was Orks vs Dark Angels). Then we travel to Port Imperial, get a bit of a space battle and then a boarding action this is properly my favourite part of the book. Finally we land on the final planet to end the hunt. Here the Angels face off against the Deathguard and stories of the 2nd company and 5th company combine. The book ends with a slightly rushed battle then the capture of the Fallen target. We also get to see Brother Annael promoted to a Black Knight and Telemenus of the 5th becoming a member of the 1st Company aka the Deathwing.

The book has it's faults with it's sometimes rushed planet hoping combined with short, choppy and weird dialogue. But for me it was an enjoyable read, it peaked my interest in Dark Angels and I'm wondering where the story is heading, it was also fun to remember the Piscina campaign. Overall a good read.

Comic Review 22 // Festive Thrillpower 2017

Welcome to a Christmas Eve edition of my comic reviews, what better comic to review than 2000 AD's festive thrillpower 2017. If you aren't already signed up to their mailing list then you are living life wrong, so head over to 2000ad.com and join in the madness. Now that is out of the way onto the issue. The comic is firstly digital just how I like them, it's 91 pages long and completely free. The cover is a repurposed cover from the Judge Dredd Megazine issue 355 and features a Santa Judge and a penguin with a sign that states I heart Dredd. Swiftly moving on you get the normal writers pages and Rebellion Publishing pages. Now to the good stuff:

Story: Judge Dredd: Choose your own Xmas- Poor Jackson Packard has been in accident at West 17
Test Labs and now his life will change forever. Just like the choose your adventure books of my youth you are meant to guide the hero on his quest. But in fact your not, if you read it panel by panel you come to realise the story is progressing as normal, worst let, you keep getting killed by Dredd who gets more and confused every time he meets you. Ultimately you will cause the death of over a 1000 citizens and die many times. Weird but funny tale.
Highlight: The hero's name is a combo of Steve Jackson and Edward Packard both choose your own adventure authors. He lives in Joe Denver block aka the author of the Lone Wolf Choose your own adventure books and his best friend is called Steve Livingstone of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone the creators of Choose your own adventure and Games Workshop! Great nod to this genre of books.

Story: Judge Dredd: The Santa Affair- The entire tale is written in the style of the christmas tale Twas the Night before Christmas, Dredd and a group of Judges are undercover dressed as Santa and they are attempting to stop a robbery. Unfortunately a guy with a sniper rifle is attempting to kill his target who is also dressed as Santa. Soon chaos reigns and it is up to Dredd to solve the problem.
Highlight: Great artwork by A. Ranson, but I don't like the poem format of the tale so a bit of a miss for me.

Story: Sinister Dexter: Ray and Finny's Daze of Christmas- Weirdly opening panel and then no story? Such a shame as I love Sinister Dexter tales.

Story: Zombo: Merry Christmas, Mr Zombo- Hands up not a fan of Zombo, this tale didn't work for me at all for the simple reason it is part of a bigger tale. It's not a one shot story, so you are kind of left wondering what exactly is going on? Who are the guys trying to jam the signal, who are the guys in the last panel? Why is that mutant hunting Zombo? Just to random for me.
Highlight: Henry Flint's artwork as always was a true highlight of this strip.

Story: Dandridge: A Christmas Ghost Story- Basically an episode of  Goosebumps or Eerie Indiana. I did enjoy it though and not having read a Dandridge tale before I look forward to reading more soon!
Highlight: The image of the Peddler at the end, so sinister and creepy looking. Loved it.

Story: Tharg's Futureshocks: One Christmas during Eternity- A sad tale of how man has created the immortality pill and can live forever. But with a never dying population a rule had to be brought in to control overcrowding...no more children! So every christmas families around the world rent robot children for the day in an attempt to have a merry christmas.

Story: Judge Dredd: A Very Creepy Christmas- Creep is lose in a MC-1 kook holding cell. As the little creature moves from Zone to Zone he unleashes mayhem. For once we see a Dredd out of league, not only does he fail to stop the creep but loses to Rookie judges in the process! Bad day for Dredd.

Story: Stickleback: 'Twas the Fight before Christmas- Another poem comic strip. Not a fan at all the main character Stickleback basically has a fight with Santa and leaves a mocking note for the defeated Santa Claus. Swiftly moving on.

Story: Cal-Hab Justice: Hogmanay- A slow burning tale mostly slow casing the main characters of tale Cal-Hab. Seems like a filler piece but fun to go back to such an old tale.

Story: Judge Dredd: Melt- Think classic Snowman cartoon meets Judge Dredd. A fun actioned packed tale that once you understand the Snowmen's needs you just end up feeling sorry for them. I hope the young boy of the story gets to come back as an adult in a later tale as he seems to now have a hatred for Judges.

Highlight: Once again Henry Flint delivers the goods as far as artwork goes. Great work on this one.

Story: Max Normal: No comic for old men- Max Normal comes across a down and out Ex-Don Vitto from the Jungle, sharing a drink they reminisce about old crimes they got up to together. Soon the drink gets the better off them and they are off raiding a Judges Storage facility in search of some busted comics. Comical capers soon follow and the strip ends with them reading some classic comics from their younger days.

Highlight: In my opinion best comic strip was saved till last. I enjoyed the artists interpretation of the the Max Normal classic scene of him hailing down Dredd and it was fun light hearted tale and ended with a Merry Christmas. Perfect!

Overall a good free comic. Just a shame the Sinister Dexter striped failed to be the download. So don't mess around go sign up to the thrill mail and a Merry Xmas!

Beer Review 51 // Ribes Nigrum (Cassis) by Auval

Wow we hit 51 beer reviews. For this beer I am posting something special. This brewery has always excited me but is hard to come across. I lucky during the first half of the year and was lucky to try a few. This one really stood out for me so let's get going!

Details

Name: Ribes Nigrum Cassis
Style: Sour
Brewery: Auval
Country: Canada, Val'dEspoir, Quebec.
Price: Unknown had at a bottle share.
ABV: 5.7%

Commercial Fluff:
"Sour beer with fruits. Assembly of mixed fermentation beers refermented on the fruit (blackcurrant)"

Own Opinion

Sight: Pours a beautiful purple red, topped up a foam of pink clouds. Looks so good it is crazy.

Aroma: Fruity, blackcurrant, cherries, plums, basically tart fruit. 

Taste: Tart all the fruits from the aroma shine through in the taste. A mouth watering funk and sourness makes you want more.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I was lucky and didn't pay for this one, but if I can find it again I will buy without at thought.

Final thoughts: Extremely drinkable, wish I didn't have to share it. Mouth watered in a good way, the fruit was present but not over powering and it was a great introduction to what this brewery is all about! Loved it.

As always thanks for reading. Drop me message below.

Comic Review 21 // Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 05 (Part 1)

Welcome back for another epic Judge Dredd Case Files review. This time we delve into number Five,  which I believe to be one of the best. A bold striking purple jacket greets us from this 404 paged tome. Spanning progs 208 till 270 (62 progs worths) it covers the Mob wars, the return of Judge Death and the Apocalypse war years of 2103-2104. I love this era of Judge Dredd as we see great artwork, stunning stories and the rise and fall of some great heroes and villains. For this book I am going to break it down into separate sections starting with the Mega Rackets. So let us jump in.

Story: The Problem with Sonny Bono- In the future city of MC-1 housing is a real nightmare. To combat this certain blocks become designated 'Problem Blocks', the idea being that all ex-criminals, rent dodgers and troublemakers live there in an attempt to segregate them from 'normal' citizens. Sonny Bono block is one such place and soon it's citizens are in open revolt against MC-1 and Judge Dredd.
Highlight: The ending to this tale is quite comically and a classic Dredd answer to a problem.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Body Sharks- Body Sharking is a popular crime in MC-1.Basically it is the legal dealings of the bodies of living humans. It is a crime so popular that it will affect one in four citizens! The story revolves around Ratners Rest Home for the Semi Dead. On the outside it looks like a cryogenics rest home, let inside it is a front for Remington Raters Body Sharker's. Here you can leave a loved one and take out a huge loan on their body! If you don't pay the loved one ends up dead or stripped of organs... Even criminals will come here in an attempt to fund robbies or off world transport. In this tale we see how hard it is for the Judges to shut down these operations and how the main Kingpins are never caught.
Highlight: The whole idea of Body Sharking is truly an interesting. It shows how low people of MC-1 will sink to secure money and power.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Perp Runners- We continue the Mega-Racket theme this time with Perp Runners. Perp Runners are criminals who aid in the escape of other criminals off world. In an attempt to shut down one operation, Dredd under goes facial surgery to look like escaped criminal Icepick Joe and hires a perp runner. Soon things turn bad off world for Dredd as he is uncovered and captured by the runners. Once caught and chained Dredd bares witness to the full extent of the ship crews crimes. The criminals once aided by the perp runners are in turn sold to alien slavers for a pretty profit! Then the perp runners fill up on Aliens wishing to visit earth, who unfortunately for them never get there as they are dumped into the vacuum of space (an acted called chump dumping). With the ship preparing for another Chump Dump, Dredd escapes and panics the aliens onboard. Using the confussion Dredd is able to force the crew into surrendering.
Highlight: Unable to prove Slik Ike Kolorado as the man in charge, Dredd informs him that the last batch of perps (the ones sold into slavery) are heading back to earth. Maybe the street Justice of MC-1 will get Slik.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Umpty Baggers-The illegal manufacture and sale of the super addictive umpty candy. Judge Dredd believed he had solved the Umpty problem years ago after forcing it's creator Uncle Umpty into a deep space exile. What he hadn't planned on was the Jong crime family raiding the spacecraft that carried Uncle Umpty. Now with the knowledge of how to produce the candy a massive black market business has evolved in MC-1, even some Judges have been lured into the crime!
Highlight: Even though the Jong family is gone the recipe is still loose in MC-1 meaning this crime is here to stay.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Blitz Agencies- Basically Murders for hire. Once paid they will stop at nothing to get the job done. Annoyingly for Dredd no blitzer has ever been captured, due to an explosive in the brain stem that actives as soon as the user knows they are captured!
Highlight: Once a contract is taken out the blitz agents just keep coming.The victim in this tale chooses life in an ISO-Cube over the idea of constant assassination attempts.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Psykers- The mob can make anything or anyone into a business including psykers. In the city of the future some citizens are born with psychic abilities be it able to read minds, predict the future or in this case alter and manipulate a mans mind. Having witnessed another death at the hands of a psyker Dredd decides to start applying some heat to the organisation protecting the psyker. Soon Dredd has pissed off the mob enough that they permanently end their contract with the psyker in question.
Highlight: Synthetti Men that aid in the killing of Restaurateur Aldo Pollo

Story: The Mega-Rackets Numbers Racket- A specialist type of fraud involving a company's computer code. Once the underworld has access to the coding they are able to manipulate the company and bleed it dry of wealth. After the death of a numbers specialist due to an acid bath, Dredd is soon on the trail of Lumpy Lepke, one of the biggest number game mobsters in MC-1. Using subterfuge Dredd is able to anger Lepke just enough to link him to the crime and then all hell breaks lose.
Highlight: Dredd dropping from an overpass tunnel onto a moving mopad, classic badass Judging.

Story: The Mega-Rackets Stookie Glanders- Since the discovery in 2059 that the glands of a xeno known as a Stookie has been proven to delay aging, Stookie Glanders have been making big money. Made illegal in MC-1 as Stookies are an intelligent race, the gland farms have now moved into the Cursed Earth. Making the ability to shut them down all the harder. After a routine search of a Cursed Earth trawler a Stookie escapes, tattooed on him the location of one such farm. Soon Dredd is leading the charge to close down the business for good.
Highlight: A pretty actioned packed strip as we watch a squad of Judges tear through a bunch of perps working at the farm. Purely effective and brutal work!

Story: The Mega-Rackets Mob Wars- In MC-1 full out mob wars are rare. Most crime families have decided it is hard enough fighting Judges to fight each other too. But after the Xeno race Mophioso come to town everything changes. The mobsters have to make a choice work for the Mophioso or die! of course this doesn't go down well with some of the families and soon it is open warfare in the underworld as the Mophioso push to take control.
Highlight: Dredd using the situation to clear out the mob. At any point Dredd was allowed to deport the Mophioso, but instead he allows them to fight the mob. A brutal and underhanded way to deal with MC-1 mob problem.

And with that the Mega-Racket tales come to an end. This was a great opening to this book. The artwork was on point and the tales in my opinion are the correct length at a couple of progs a piece. The standout tales for me are the Stookie Glanders mainly due to the Emberton artwork and the Perp Runners showcasing the lengths criminals will go to in order to make money. I also enjoyed the fact that Dredd has to rely on the underworld to solve a lot of the crime problems. We get to see Dredd manipulate the situations and then standing back ready to clean up what is left. This really opens up Dredd's characters and shows off just how far he is willing to go to protect the law and his city.

Be sure to check back soon as the next installment involves the sinister Judge Death and the return of Judge Anderson!

Craftworld Iyanden 14 // Spiritseer Shear'ann

Spirit Seers are the heart and soul of Iyanden, more so after their destructive blow from Hive Fleet Kraken (more on that story another day). Now these specialised Warlocks have the task of acting as the link between the Dead and the living. It falls on the Spiritseers to maintain, summon and guide the spirits of the dead into their Wraith Construct shells, specifically the war constructs of the Wraithguard and Wraithlord. It is most commonly believed that the first Spiritseer was a Farseer hailing from Iyanden, who having lost his lover released his living spirit into the Infinity Circuit to be with her. In this act of selfishness he found himself able to bridge the gap between living and the dead and thus the Spiritseers were born.

Unsurprisingly Iyanden has the most active Spiritseers of any Craftworld, due to the low number of the living and are believed by many to be the best at their craft. The Spiritseers' speciality training has hardened their own souls against the danger of becoming too enthralled by their command over the dead and thus actually becoming a true necromancer (possible fallen/corsair eldar conversion). Whilst the use of the Wraithguard and the Wraithlords is seen as a last resort by the Craftworlds and only when their Farseers believe that they face the direst necessity. The use of such units is seen as little better than engaging in petty necromancy among the common Eldar, but is tolerated because the Eldar's low population makes reliance upon their dead a necessity if the race is to survive in its weakened state.

One such Spiritseer is Shear'ann of Iyanden. Having trodden the path of the Seer it soon became apparent that Shear'ann talents laid with communicating with the dead and soon he rose to a position of recognition. In one battle when Iyanden's forces began to fair poorly in battle with an Ork horde of the Evil Sunz Clan, Shear'ann was charged with killing the Warlord that led them in battle. When the Warlord's location was finally discovered, Shear'ann led a Wraith host, including the Wraithlord Bemenacth, in an ambush against the xeno menace and in turn change the battle to Iyanden's favour. Even with the powerful forces under his command, Shear'ann feared the omens of the coming battle were not good, a fact he shared with the ancient Bemenacth. The great Wraithlord, considered a hero to the Eldar of Iyanden, assured him they would prevail and when the Warlord approached their hidden location, she proved it when she single-handedly killed the Warlord herself.

Following the rise of the Ynnari, Shear'ann has become a true believer in the cause and has joined up with the resurrected Prince Yriel in his quest to help bring about Ynnead. Shear'ann can be found leading the Wraithblades of Yriel's Fury into battle were the aids them with his abilities of Quickening.

Sector 102 // Character Fact File Orlock the Assassin Sov Block

++ Sector House 102 ++

++ All Channel Emergency Broadcast ++

++ Subject: Orlok the Assassin ++

"Emergency broadcast on all channels. Be on the look out for an armed assailant. Considered to be extremely dangerous and if encountered executed with extreme prejudice!"

Few men have plagued Mega City One's history like Orlok. As a mass murderer few come close, unless one wishes to bracket Orlok with his Sov Block masters such as War Marshal Kazan; and as a persistent foe of the west, Orlok has no equal..

As a child Orlok was heavily conditioned by the state to become its tool. His memories were selectively removed, his behaviour controlled and manipulated through exceedingly harsh discipline (such as the survival of the fittest tests in which 100 cadets would be locked in a Gulag with food only enough for 50) and an instilled desire to kill on a large scale, unhampered by remorse.Orlok can be considered Judge Dredd's equal in terms of his resilience and skill; the two men differ considerably in terms of ideology, however. Dredd might have been driven to destroy Sov Block in retaliation for the nuclear holocaust that reduced great swathes of his city to irradiated ruin, but Orlok was an instigator - the trigger for desperate measures in desperate times.

Orlok can be considered Judge Dredd's equal in terms of his resilience and skill; the two men differ considerably in terms of ideology, however. Dredd might have been driven to destroy Sov Block in retaliation for the nuclear holocaust that reduced great swathes of his city to irradiated ruin, but Orlok was an instigator - the trigger for desperate measures in desperate times.

Orlok is one of my all time favourite villains from the Dredd Universe. He's killed off major characters, jumped from Dredd story lines to Anderson to Dredd and even managed to snag a spin off comic series of his early career. Whilst in the JDMG, Orlok stats and skill are only second to Dredd's and then it would be a close match up (might have to play that out). The figure from the game was a clean white metal sculpt, needing minimal mold lines removed. It represents Orlok at the height of the Sov invasion and has Orlok in his trademark jumpsuit. But unlike the comic I choose to move away for the Sov Red and hit up a green instead, The way I went about it was with a blue undercoat and dry brushing of green on top. To me it gives it a kind of pearlescent effect which I really like. I can imagine it being able to change colour to help Orlok blend in. Main downside to this character is weapon option, just a pistol. I would have liked to have seen more, maybe a sniper option, poison or rifles. Just to make him a bit more of a range threat.

Well that's Orlok Sov-City Ones biggest and greatest weapon against the Western Capitalist machine. Hope you've enjoyed reading and if you have drop me a comment below.

Best showdown ever.

Comic Review 20 // Predator vs Dredd vs Alien

Surprise it has been a while but it is time for a comic review. For this review we turn to Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens. Yes you did read that correctly, two of cinemas most scary sci-fi aliens have come to Mega-City One (and I don't mean Sly's attempt at Judge Dredd) and only Judge Dredd stands between them and the unprepared citizens. The book is roughly A4 size format with a beautiful dust jacket, portraying the three antagonists of the tales. Hidden away under the dust jacket is the matt black hard cover, with red font writing which reminds me of the original Predator Movie font which was a nice touch. So let us get into the stories:

Dredd VS Predator
First up in the book is Judge Dredd vs Predator. The story begins in the outskirts of Mega-City One in the Cursed Earth. A lonely scrap prospector named Gomer and his robot assistant Ben, see what they believe to be a shooting star. Thinking that a fortune of precious metals has just crashed over the hill, Gomer goes off to investigate. Instead of finding his weight in precious metals, the poor prospector instead finds an alien spaceship!

To make matters worst for Gomer the owners of said ship are still around, the last panel of this section  is zoomed out, showing the glowing lights of Mega-City One in the distance. Whilst in the big Meg it's business as usual for the MC-1 Judges, chasing down two gangs fighting over turf. Soon the Judges are ambushed by an invisible assailant, pinned down and injured they call for backup and of course Judge Dredd responds. Arriving at the scene, big JD's bionic eyes pick up on the invisible assailant. Opening fire, Dredd uses hi-ex to drive away the assailant, before giving chase. The Predator escaping Dredd's explosive wrath flees to an empty Zoomline shed. It is here that Dredd finally comes face to face with the Ultimate Game Hunter! What follows is a slugfest with the Predator and Dredd going toe to toe, resulting with Dredd losing (what the hell!) and being knocked out cold by a fall. Before backup can arrive to aid Dredd. the Predator makes good it's escape. Judge Dredd having suffered a severe beating is rushed to the medical wing of Justice central, where he spends the next five hours in a rapid heal pod. Slowly a recovered Dredd comes too and discovers that the body has count risen. More shockingly is that the alien seems to be only targeting Judges now thanks to seeing how much of a challenge Dredd was. But the Justice Department hasn't been idle. They have formed a special task force to located and contain this dangerous threat. Dredd in his usual polite manner takes control of the task force and immediately pisses off the PSI auxiliary Schaefer. Schaefer is in fact the Great, great, granddaughter of the late Dutch Schaefer (ref. first predator movie). Dutch was the sole survivor from a previous Predator encounter back in the late 20th century. Schaefer attempts to locate the alien using her psi abilities and the blood of the injured Predator. But as results are slow coming and the body count rising, Dredd and Schaefer have an argument about her claimed abilities. Schaefer storms off with the blood sample and speeds away in her car which she promptly crashes. Due to the accident Schaefer ends up ingesting a sample of the xenos blood (gross!), at this moment she gets a flash of the Predator's nest and a captured Judge hanging near by. Realising this is the break they are after, Schaefer consumes the rest of the blood and forms a psi bond with the alien hunter. Finally with a target, Dredd leads the task force along with support from two Wardroids against the Predator. But it's never that simple and soon the Predator has tallied up an impressive kill ratio on the Judges. Now alone once again Dredd faces off against the ultimate Game Hunter, in a burning down building. This time though the lawman of the future is triumphant and leaves the fallen body of the xeno to burn with the building.

Overview
This was a great story and I wouldn't expect anything less from a Wagner written piece. But I felt that Schaefer as a character, didn't really add anything to the story and could have been any old psi within the department. Would have liked to have seen more effort put into her, to make a more well rounded persona. Also if I had been Tech-Judge, I would be so pissed off at Dredd for burning the aliens tech, though I'm sure the lawman wouldn't care. But a good start to the book.

Incubus a.k.a Dredd VS Aliens
The second strip involves Wagners script writing skills again, but this time the artist is Henry Flint. Flint is one of my favourite Dredd artists. So I'm extremely excited to get into this story. Straight off this story is set later than the Predator story. How can I tell...well in the Predator story Dredd was armed with the MKI lawgiver, whilst in the Alien story Dredd has the MKII. The story begins with Dredd on crowd control in a Southern Sector of MC-1. The crowd are protesting the building of a new power tower and who could blame them after the last one became an active volcano. With the sectors road grinding to a halt, we come across a very sweaty and sick looking Jimmy Godber. Who is trying to get to the Eisenhower Hospital. But Godber is not alone. He is being chased by two armed assailants. Soon gunfire is echoing in front of the Hospital, which gains Dredd's aggressive response. The assailants are soon dealt with and Dredd takes a very sick Godber into the hospital.

Within moments of reaching the medical staff, Godber begins to suffer fits. As the Judges struggle to restrain Godber, his chest bursts open in a fountain of gore. From within the injury appears a worm like creature that escapes into the hospital vents. Dredd unsure what exactly he had seen immediately quarantines the hospital and calls in the Justice Department's specialists. This elite team is called 'Verminators' specialising in pest control of the future. Equipped with the best armour and weapons the team are expected to clear out pests, from rad roaches all the way up to nests of albino sewer gators. The 'Verminators' team consists of Packer, Butterman, Wilson, Maier, Marinello, Fisk, Millar, Orson and Shook. Straight away Packer orders all the wards into lockdown to restrict movement in the hospital. And launches a hover camera into the vents. Feeling this situation is under control Dredd heads off with Giant and Sanchez to investigate Godber's background.

Soon it becomes apparent that they are dealing with an off world creature and the death toll starts rising rapidly. Not wanting to give too much away. All I can say is the next few pages are classic Alien movie scenes, as the teams finds out the hard way about these aliens. There's gore, blood, acid, missing body parts, acid, confined spaces and did I mention acid? There is even a fight scene of Dredd versus Alien on top of a moving Zoom train, which is epic! But as the case unravels we find out the real mastermind behind this infestation, is Mr. Bones. A mutant banished to the Cursed Earth as a child and forced into becoming a space pirate. During his time as a freebooter Mr. Bones' hatred for the justice department grew. Then one day he came across the aliens and had the answer for his revenge. Harvesting the eggs Mr. Bones and his mutant band of merry men, transported the eggs to the undercity and set about growing a hive, directly beneath Justice Central! With fear that the Judges were onto them, Mr. Bones brings his plans forward. Blasting a hole into the basement levels of Justice Central, through this hundreds of aliens swarm in. Dredd and Giant find themselves swamped by the xenos threat. Imagine epic last stands, a judge death toll unheard of since the Apocalypse war, a rescue/suicide mission and coming face to face with a Queen! These last fifteen odd pages are so action packed, that if I went into any real detail you would still be reading for another week. But rest assured our future lawman deals with the bugs in an unforgiving way.

Overview

This story was epic! I have no other way to describe it. It was full on action packed from the first page to last. The suspense had me on a knife's edge and I couldn't help but grimace when the explosives got used on a bug. The acid blood led to some great gory artwork by Flint. This story is now one of my all time favourites.

Final Thoughts
Well now to the final review. But how to review this book. I will keep it simple and split it into likes and dislikes.

First to the things I liked;

• Wagner, he knows how to tell a tale. 
• Henry Flint one of my all time favourite Dredd artists (wish he had done both strips). 
• Aliens and Predators oh my! Best scifi-horror villians of the 20th century. 
• Actioned packed, both strips especially the Alien one, had me gripped from start to finish. 
• The Acid, oh how it burned! 

Dislikes;

• Schaefer, didn't feel like a real character and seemed rushed. 
• Reusing the name Gomer in both strips. Not sure why they used the name twice. After a bit of googling I found the name Gomer Andres, who made a movie called Alien Predator. But not sure if it's the missing link to this. 
• How Dredd deals with the Aliens/Predators. He destroys all traces of them. Which seems unrealistic to me as I'm sure Justice Central would love to experiment on them both. But I guess it also makes sense as they don't want these stories becoming main cannon in the Dredd time lines. 

Overall this book was an amazing read and well worth every penny. I know I want to re-read it already, which is a good sign. So with all considered this book scores a solid 4 out of 5.

As always let me know what you think. Do you like crossover tales, do you hate them, would you change them? What crossover would you like to see happen? Drop me a comment below and until next time. Thanks.

Beer Review 50 // Funkier Pumpkin by Boulevard Brewing

I know, I know, I'm late to the party but whilst visiting a local LCBO I stumbled across a bottle of this and it peaked my interest. Not going to lie the price tag was a bit more than I expected but I was willing to pay it as my wife was also intrigued. So let us jump in and see how we go.

Details

Name: Funkier Pumpkin

Style: Spiced Sour with Brett

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company

Country: USA, Kansas City

Price: $15.50 CAD

ABV: 8.5%

Commercial Fluff

"Pouring a glowing orange/copper color, Funkier Pumpkin leaps from the glass with a rich, pumpkin spice aroma punctuated by funky, forest floor notes from the brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain known for imparting unique flavors and aromas. With an effervescent mouthfeel thanks to spritzy carbonation, the flavor of Funkier Pumpkin features a balanced array of pumpkin pie spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. No single spice dominates before giving way to a slight pumpkin flavor that transitions into pleasant, refreshing tartness; a slight warming finish from the cinnamon and ABV and a touch of toasty, toffee-like sweetness from caramel malt."

Own Opinion

Bottle Art: Pretty standard, looks a bit like a pothead had come with the design but it's fine.

Sight: A light orange or darker gold colour. The beer is lively and pours a super nice crisp head.

Aroma: Tangy, with a big hit pumpkin pie coming from it. Tasted the nutmeg, the cinnamon and the ginger. Smells pretty nice ready to get into this.

Taste: Some sour elements and hints of pumpkin pie spice. Doesn't seem that sour at all the brett just seems to enhance the pumpkin flavours.

Would I buy it again? Nah. It was a good beer and I enjoyed it but I feel one is enough, especially with that price tag. Good for sharing and went down well with our dinner, but that is enough for me.

Have you had it? What did you think? Drop me your thoughts.

Cheers!

Craftworld Iyanden 13 // 8th Edition Iyanden Codex Review

Welcome fellow Aeldari. Here comes a new section on rules and tactics I personally plan on making use of. First up this won't be an all encompassing review of every rule or entry, it will instead focus on Iyanden (my true love) and how it will effect me and my army selfish I know. Then when I add a painted unit I can do a unit by unit review. So let us crack open Codex: Craftworlds.

This first review will cover Iyanden Craftworld/Army rules and warlord traits.

So let us get into the good stuff:

Battle Wide Rules

Ancient Doom: Re-roll hit rolls in the fight phase if you charge or are charged by Slaanesh units, but also must add 1 to morale checks if within 3″ of them.

This sort of rule has been around forever for Eldar in some form or another. It's a fluffy rule that hardly gets any use but fun on the rare times you get to use it.

Battle Focus: Units with this rule can move and advance but shoot any weapons apart from Heavy as if they had not moved.

Fun rule, makes most foot troops that extra bit faster. If using a guardian heavy list make sure to take the Shuriken Cannon.

The Path of Command: Autarchs have a re-roll for 1's aura for friendly <Craftworld> units within 6″ and if the Autarch is your Warlord and on the table, each time you spend a CP on the roll of a 6 you do not lose it.

Great area effect bubble, I can see me using an Autarch on foot in the back field helping out some long range weapons (eg Fire Prisms), whilst a Deepstriking Autarch will make sure any attacking units are that extra bit deadly.

The Path of War: In a battle-forged Craftworlds Detachment, all Troops gain Objective Secured. Phoenix Lords can be taken and not lose these benefits.

Pretty standard ruling now on the Objective Secured and the Phoenix Lord bit is cool but I don't use those characters so it's not something for me to worry about.

Generic Warlord Traits

We have some pretty cool traits now open to us. If you are using a named character you must use the trait associated with their Craftworld or if it's a non named hero they can choose either the Craftworld trait or one of the generic traits for eldar.

Generic Traits

Ambush of Blades: Hit rolls of 6+ in the fight phase for friendly <Craftworlds> units within 6″ the Warlord increase the ap of that attack by -1.

Fun rule for a close combat focused army. Would be cool for Striking Scorpions, Howling Banshees and Shining Spears.

An Eye on Distant Events: Enemy units may not fire Overwatch at your Warlord.

An aggressive Warlord trait, charge in first with the Warlord to cock block overwatch and just hope the support makes it in too!

Falcon’s Swiftness: +2 to your Warlord’s Move characteristic.

Not a huge fan of this one. Maybe on a Farseer it can make sure you get where you are going for support powers. Or on a Wraithseer for a similar reason. Pretty low on my choice.

Fate’s Messenger: Your Warlord gains +1 to wound and a 6+ FnP.

This is a nice upgrade not to crazy, to could see me putting it on a Farseer or possibly on my Wraithseer.

Mark of the Incomparable Hunter: Your Warlord can target enemy Characters even if they are not the closest model.

This was a better power when the Autarch's could take reaper launchers, now it just seems weak.

Seer of the Shifting Vectors: Once per Battle Round, your Warlord can reroll a single hit roll, wound roll, save roll, Psychic test or Deny the Witch test made for your Warlord.

A pretty solid upgrade if taken on psyker. Just need to remember you have it.

Iyanden Craftworld Warlord Trait

Enduring Resolve: Iyanden Warlord Trait, allows your Warlord to Deny the Witch or if they already can, to Deny another power.

This will be my trait of choice as I'm going full Iyanden. The hardest part is picking who will be the Warlord. Choice one a Farseer, nothing wrong with that the upgrade would give them the ability to deny three powers a turn, whilst if I make an Autarch my Warlord I could be causing havoc with that deny roll as my Warlord surges forwards. I think it will ultimately come down to who I have as a HQ, anytime Yriel is down he must have it!

Iyanden Craftworld Army  Trait

Stoic Endurance: units with this ability never lose more than a single model from a failed Morale check, and double the number of wounds remaining for determining which profile they use in the instance they have a degrading profile.

This is an amazing trait but also a strange one, it basically allows you to run larger units without any fear of morale tests. Guardians especially love this as you can take full sized units with impunity, but also full strength units of Aspect Warriors too, take very good advantage of this boost. And, obviously, any vehicle heavy or Wraithlord/knight Construct heavy army. I find it a weird choice as you will start seeing 20 man blobs of Guardians appearing which is strange for a craftworld that lacks any population. I know I want to take advantage of it. I'm thinking 20 Defenders Webway striking with 40 shuriken shots, throw in a deep striking Autarch for reroll 1's and you will be putting out a lot of damage.

Thoughts

So how will this affect my army? Well in truth not much. I plan on fielding Yriel in 90% of my games as I want to represent the Eldritch Raiders and their allies (Harlies, Ynnari, Dark Kin & Corsairs). Which means as far as Warlord traits go I have to take Enduring Resolve which is fine, I like being able to deny powers. Then as I'm Iyanden I have to take the Stoic Defense, so guess what 20 guardian blob units are on their way, of both varieties! I do plan on fielding and building a lot of Wraithlords thanks to the doubling of the wound ability and then of course waveserpents to finish everything off.
I hear/read a lot of chatter about Alaitoc and the minus one to hit but truth be told I prefer a waveserpent that doesn't downgrade until it is on three wounds, same with a Wraithlord. So expect aggressive in your face armies appearing on this blog some.

Next review will be stratagems so check back soon.

Beer Review 49 // Festive pudding Ale by Greene King

Welcome to the first of properly many festive beers. I know it is still November, but with a surge of Festive beers about to hit I knew I should jump on in straight away. So I was in my local LCBO and saw a beer sporting a Xmas Pudding on it. On closer inspection I discovered it to be by Greene King. Growing up I lived close by to Bury St. Edmunds brewery and best friends dad also works for them. Then as an adult working in bars we also had their IPA or Speckled Hen on tap. You might say they introduced me casks over lagers but they never inspired me like Thornbridge. So let us see if this Xmas Ale can improve my opinion of them.

Details

Name: Festive Ale

Style: Brown Ale

Brewery: Greene King

Country: UK, Suffolk, Bury St. Edmunds

Price: $3.50 CAD - 500ml Bottle

ABV: 6%

Commercial Fluff
"A beer like no other, pure Christmas pudding in a glass! We blend our rare oak-aged brew with Pale & Crystal malt & Challenger, First Gold and Target hops to create our rich, warming and satisfying Ale with the masses of toffee, caramel and fruit pudding character. Enjoy with meat & game dishes and rich festive desserts"

Own Opinion

Bottle Art: Closer inspection it's a pretty cheesy label whipped up on MS Paint. Too many types of font being used and the pudding looks just weird.

Sight: Mahogany brown, when held to the light it has a slight red tint on it. Head is a light brown tan colour, looks delicious and tasty.

Aroma: Wow disappointing. Everything seems very tame and pretty muted, there is some malty, caramel, toast and a tiny spice note.

Taste: Also pretty lame. Slight notes of malt, caramel, toast, spices, dark fruits, biscuit and a little bitter. Considering it is 6% it has no heat or booze to it. Overall very thin and disappointing, the taste was so disappointing and lacked any flavour.

Would I buy it again? Nope. Wow just wow that was pointless. It had that Greene King yeast smell which you get in their IPA as well. It lacked punch and flavour, I wanted a rich fruity boozy beer. Instead I got a watered down disaster. After about three or four sips I poured it down the drain. Ultimately a fail.

Beer Review 48 // The Bottle Imp by Beaus

It's time for another beer reviews guys. As the days get shorter and the nights longer my eyes instantly go to the stout shelf at the LCBO. Most of the time they don't have anything exciting but I lucked out this time when I noticed they some bottles of Beaus Bottle Imp. This is a beer I remember fondly from my first year in Canada, why I haven't had it since is truly beyond me so I grabbed a bottle and headed home to enjoy.

Details

Name: The Bottle Imp

Style: Imperial Russian Stout

Brewery: Beaus all Natural

Country: Canada, Ontario, Vankleek Hill

Price: $7.95 CAD 600ml Bottle 

ABV: 9%

Commercial Fluff
"The Bottle Imp is a strong, dark, roasty and rich creation. This rendition of a Russian Imperial Stout is also infused with a blend of Nicaraguan and Guatemalan fair-trade organic coffee. Complex and contemplative, and with well-integrated alcohol warmth, The Bottle Imp is best served in a snifter, sipped slowly and savoured."

Own Opinion

Bottle Art: It's completely out there. Playing on the haunting turn-of-the-century tale by Robert Louis Stevenson and Matryoshka dolls. We end up with a label that is colourful, slightly mad and stands out.

Sight: A super dark brown almost black pour with a luxurious mocha colour foam head.

Aroma: Coffee shines through, backed up with dark fruits and roasty notes.

Taste: Coffee, coffee for days! Such a great mouth texture as well, smooth with a little heat from the alcohol. Think dark fruits likes currents and you are not far off.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself drinking the whole bottle to myself. The alcohol is well hidden and the flavour profile just continues to impress as it warms up. I know for a fact that I am going to buy more this season. Once again great work by Beaus.

Have you tried it? What did you think, let me know either on here or via Google+

Cheers!