Moorhouse’s Black Cat is an English Dark Mild style of ale, and lives up to its Mild promise: it’s only 3.4% alcohol by volume, the truest kind of session beer one could ask for.

It’s certainly an about-face from the trends in American microbrewing, where (generally) bigger is thought to be better. There aren’t many Milds available these days, so this is definitely a treat. (As is "trick or treat." Har.)

Appearance: Mostly black though there’s deep, translucent ruby when held to the light. Light brown head looked nice but didn’t last long.

Smell: Roasty, with a touch of sour and nice dark fruity character. Some nutty brown notes, too.

Taste: Dry, with roasted malt notes—a touch of burnt wood and smoke—but not unpleasantly so. A Schwarzbier-ish character but not thick or heavy like a stout or porter. Definitely "black."

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and clean and dry, with a mellow, flavorful roasty aftertaste.

Overall: Very nice for such a lighter, low-strength beer. (Is this my first real Mild?) Well done.

On BeeAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.2 out of 5, and is in their 62nd percentile.