What fresh Hells is this?

I regularly take a shortcut through the drinks section of M&S in the Jervis Centre, occasionally stopping to see what's on offer. As well as the own-brand beers, there are often mainstream ones not available anywhere else in Dublin. What caught my eye in October was Harvest Hells, a brand extension of the now-iconic London lager Camden Hells. The ABV was the same at 4.6% ABV and I couldn't figure out the difference so bought one of each.

The answer came as soon as I started pouring: it's brown! Or at least a properly autumnal dark russet. Closer inspection of the can shows it includes CaraRed and Carafa Special III malts, which explains it perfectly. While the body looks lovely, the head fades quickly, leaving it looking like a sad glass of brown bitter. It smells a bit like one too: a vague twiggy, "beery" smell. It tastes like a very plain and thin lager with a dose of caramel added. There's a certain crisp, roasted quality and some extra richness, so I think this does fulfil its remit of being an autumn beer. It's not an especially good one, though -- the flavour being not quite integrated enough. I think they should have raised the ABV a bit.

The reference can of Hells I drank immediately after was a lot more enjoyable. Brand extensions can be a bit of fun, but Camden's superb lager did not warrant one.