Old Empire - Marston, Thompson & Evershed, Plc.

Dentist666

Russian Federation

3.71/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours golden beer with ample off-white head. Clear aroma of citrus, quite diacetylic, crystal malts, evident lack of hops in here. Flavour is prosaic, rather sharp bitterness, less resinous, more standard malts. It can be said "not well-balanced", not "full-flavoured". Good carbonation amd full body.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 18:25:34 | More by Dentist666

hosehead83

Ohio

3.39/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a .5liter clear bottle into a standard pint glass.
Clear antique gold in color, with a moderate head of off-white foam.
Aroma-Whiff of sulfur, faint earthy hop note
Taste-Pale and toasted malts, earthy hops, grapefruit rind bitterness lingers to the finish. Faint mineral bite and sulfur note accompany each sip. Not bad, just different.
Overall, easy drinkinf and subtle. A spicy or robust food pairing would enhance this brew in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 17:57:55 | More by hosehead83

Radome

Spain

3.9/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served from a 500 ml bottle bought in Spain.

A - Color is orange-tinged gold. Head is white and mad of tiny bubbles; initially several cm thick, and fades to a thin sheet. Persistent lacing. Poured cloudy but then cleared as it warmed.

S - Aroma is of sweet, bready English malt. Some grassy hops in background, but muted. Fruity yeast. Aromas are soft but clean.

T - Moderate hops bitterness and flavor. Some crisp malt and soft, fruity yeast notes. A faint sweet alcohol taste. Flavors develop complexity as beer warms.

M - Medium body. Light hops burn. Creamy carbonation.

O - A very nice, well-made brew. However, it lacks the hops punch to deserve to call itself an IPA, even an English one.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 23:40:41 | More by Radome

Jetulio

Spain

3.94/5  rDev +18%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle poured into a Pint glass
Appearance--- amber light colour with a white head (1 finger) not lasting
Aroma---citrus, malt and grass. Fresh herbal smell too.
Taste---bitterness presence but with a nice touch of lemon aroma and malts.
Mouthfeel---medium / light body and medium/light carbonation.
Overall--- good and long aftertaste. Drinkable and balanced. Nothing spectacular but consistent.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 19:08:48 | More by Jetulio

djura

Serbia

2.8/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I got it from Italy.

A-Lighter amber with few bubbles and two finger foam lasting a minute.
S-Surprisingly nothing special,some grains.
T/M-Really huge hops aroma and aftertaste,which is typical for IPA's,but really nothing more then bitterness. Not that high abv,but i think it could hit you hard after 3+.
O-Expected much more from English IPA,but not sure i would like to drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 14:04:01 | More by djura

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

3.43/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber coloured body with huge but quickly vanishing big bubbled white head.

Big hard hitting aroma of erm.... Northern lights, real good cannabis smells in there (so a friend says, honest, :P ) and hops and lemon grass.

Despite the emense hop nose the main flavours are the malts and tastes of wheat crackers not big on bitter tastes rather a slightly sour citrusy aftertaste coming in to sit on the tongue.

Not as heavy and boozy as you might think but still heavy hitting with the alcohol balanced against the ease that this slips down due to a damn good MF makes it a dangerous beast especially considering the nice way the bubbles wash it down to an easy going carbonation.

Among the many, many paleales of Marston’s this is probably the best.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 20:17:18 | More by EmperorBevis

CrazyDavros

Australia

3/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours dark amber with a large head.
Nose shows grassy hops, spicy notes, caramel and toffee along with soft diacetyl.
Flavours are not as interesting, mainly focussing on bready malt and very faint caramel followed by a plain but aggressive bitterness.
Body seems watery.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 10:01:43 | More by CrazyDavros

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

2.95/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500ml bottle poured into pint glass 27/3/12

A clear golden copper with a few bubbles feeding a short lived thumbs width of foam that leaves no lace

S caramels and faint spicy hops, some fruity aspect but it also has a little skunk

T what I smell really, pretty basic with more hop character and less skunk then the nose but still pretty average

M medium bodied with decent carbonation, fairly clean finish perhaps the best part of this beer

O not overly impressed by this one, not a freshness issue but slightly skunked nose and basic flavor profile

I know its a English IPA but even so pretty basic, no part of this beer impressed me but still far from drain pour

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 05:49:09 | More by wordemupg

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes:

Appearance: amber colour, clear, not heavily carbonated, good lace

Aroma: mild malt, and hops coming through in the background (floral)

Taste & Mouthfeel: medium body, carbonation may be slightly too much; starts with lightly sweet flavour, quickly turns to pleasantly bitter hops; good aftertaste; clean and almost "sharp" on the tongue

Overall: well balanced, tasty, and would do well against spicy or intensely flavoured food

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 01:08:56 | More by BGDrock

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.58/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Crystal clear orange amber colour with a bubbly looking head that settles to a thick soapy lacing.

Sweet earthy hops and background malts. The aroma is very muted but there is a sweet, citrus sort of a aroma right at the end.

Some soft hops and bitter malts to begin with although I feel the finish should be a nice caramel one but this is overshadowed by too much sunk and a lot of bitterness.

Smooth & light-medium with mild carbonation and semi-bitter, skuny finish to the beer.

I'd be struggling to tell this beer apart for countless other English ales that I have tried, it is quite frankly nothing to write home about.

1001 Beers Blog: http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 23:03:07 | More by flyingpig

treque

Mexico

3.55/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: light copper in color with orange tint, is clear, filtered, not too much carb, the head is 1 finger and disspiates quickly, just remains a tiny one, off-white in color.

S: sweet malts, earthy, hops, some caramel hints

T: some sweet notes at first, medium body, long last final, bitterness not excesive, easy to drink, medium hop flavour, well balanced

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 00:41:33 | More by treque

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - clear golden copper colour with a decent flutty white head that left some random lacing as it dissipated
S - a strong herbal and grassy bitter with strong accents of grain and metallic
T - dominated by grassy, leafy, metallic flavour but the hoppiness is still mild, some wheaty malts and light fruitiness, but much more pils than IPA in flavour
M - relatively thin and watery, easy drinking enough, but nothing that makes it memorable
T - it is a tasty dry beverage for sure, but in my opinion is less of an IPA and more of a pils, otherwise I would have given better grade for flavour, as it is an tasty and easy drinking brew

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 06:11:45 | More by joemcgrath27

dave2k5

United Kingdom (England)

4.1/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This being my first 'real ale/beer/pale ale' since I was 18 I thought I'd give it some proper thought.

A: Real golden amber with quarter of an inch head which just doesn't seem to quit on you.
...
S: Citrus, or so I thought anyway, something I would quite like to smell with my IPA, hops are prominent which is also satisfying.

T: Caramel, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste, again the hops are prominent but its not overall displeasing, it leaves you wanting more pretty much after the first sip

M: After a few minutes in a regular pint glass, little carbonation which is pleasant and doesn't leave you burping out more than you swallow. Suffice to say it finds it's way to your gullet quite easily

Overall this being my first IPA I'm still new to this, but it's one I really enjoyed and I would suggest it to most. Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 15:24:33 | More by dave2k5

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours a light golden colour, half a finger of head with little retention and some sporadic lacing.

S - Sweet floral hop, touch of caramel and burnt wooden notes. The hops are certainly earthy, but have a unique sweetness to them as well.

T - The bitterness dominates and the earthiness of the hops come out nicely. Light caramel notes are overpowered by the grassy hops, but the bitterness is a bit of a turnoff.

M - No complaints here, medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness on the finish.

O - A tasty ale, but nothing spectacular. I wouldn't pick up another bottle, but I'm glad I tried it nonetheless. There's better offerings of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 01:15:05 | More by andrenaline

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass, this beer is a very medium amber with a thin head and lots of carbonation rising up to the top.

The aroma is quite skunky at first (probably due to the clear bottle), but there is also a mild hop aroma going on.

The taste is very bitter off the start as it hits the middle of my tongue. It slowly gives way to some nice hop aroma. The malt notes get lost in the mix a little bit but are still there (if only slightly). This beer has a surprisingly light body.

Overall, I'm not overly impressed with this one. It has too much hop bitterness without backing it up with malt or hop flavours. It is a decent beer though, perhaps just not to my taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 00:38:03 | More by evlu1441

Roke87

Ontario (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

500 mL bottle, chilled and poured into a pint glass.

Appearance- Poured an amber almost yellowish colour with a finger of fluffy white head that very quickly dissipates to a nice bubbly top, leaving

Smell- uh oh I’m getting a skunky aroma from the second I opened this one, smells a lot like typical American macro, to be honest I usually have a couple lines for each category but this one really does not have a lot going on in terms of the aromas, I am worried.

Taste- Just like the smells and my sinking feeling returns (no pun intended from ship on the label). This one tastes exactly like a typical macro, actually it reminds me a lot of a labatt blue, I am also getting a slight metallic taste from this one, not a drainpour but very disappointed for sure.

Mouthfeel- Light bodied, to be honest the mouth feel is like your typical macro, over carbonated crap with no taste what so ever.

Overall- I’m in shock, I never thought the Brits would send us a British macro because that’s exactly what this one tastes like. I am getting a mild malt flavour as it warms up but wow am I ever disappointed, this one was almost an instant sell-out at my local LCBO so I thought I would pick up a couple of them before they were all gone, boy am I not looking forward to drinking this one again, might just have to give it away, hopefully someone will accept. Fail on all aspects.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 06:07:13 | More by Roke87

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Underated Enlish style IPA. A nce bitterness and drinkability, good malting, though drying finish. Fuggles and Goldings hops. Pours attractive light golden body with lots of white foam. Neutral aroma. Suitable cabonation. From LCBO. Easy drinking, and worth having as an example of subtle English creations.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 04:00:01 | More by northyorksammy

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

In aroma and taste, almost an archetypal English IPA.

Pale amber and clear with limited head, but still a decent mouthfeel. Lacking the warm orange and red tones or creaminess of many British ales. Bready aroma and pleasant bitterness on the finish, without any hint of hoppiness anywhere on the palate.

Very, very British!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 01:40:06 | More by hopsolutely

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.03/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 500ml clear glass bottle with a BB of Feb 2012.

Poured into a Guinness pint glass. A clear golden-amber colour with good carbonation. Yields a thick foamy white head that lasts for several minutes before fading away. Aroma isn't too strong - predominantly yeast esters and solvent/alcohol. Hints of cooked leaves.

The taste has an indistinct grainy maltiness with a dry bitter finish. Notes of stewed leaves, esters, diacetyl and solvent/ethanol. The bitterness is rather harsh, with no aromatic hops present. Mouthfeel is prickly and slick, leaving the palate dry. Acrid bitter aftertaste.

Not brilliant, and certainly not the best example of an IPA I've ever tried. It has a dry bitterness, but lacks hops aroma and a balanced flavour. Don't go out of your way to sample this.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 23:26:47 | More by jazzyjeff13

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale amber with a thin white head, not much carbonation.

Smells a tad skunky at first, thanks to the clear bottle. Sweet citrus hops and bready malts come through. Smells like a typical English IPA.

Nice and malty upfront with a decent amount of citrus hop character.

Nice creamy mouthfeel and highly drinkable. Definitely one of the best English IPAs I've had in a while. I'm pretty sure this must be the first one for the reviewer below me who was expecting pine? This isn't a west coast IPA sir, and this deserves more than a D rating. Learn to differentiate beer styles.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 21:59:11 | More by GodOfBeer

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

2.08/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Light, almost completely pale yellow colour with half a finger of foamy white head. Does not look like a typical IPA.

S - The nose offers nothing even remotely close to any IPA that I have had. There is a slight hop bitterness present but it is not a typical IPA hop nose. No floral, citrus or pine. The hops resemble a typical European pils/lager hop. There is a bready contribution from the malts but, again, no sweetness that I would expect from an IPA. I would have guessed this was a pilsener had I not read the label.

T - Follows the nose. Slight hop bite with a flavour profile typical of a pils. Some bready malts in the middle and the hops rerutn in the finish. Not reminiscent of an IPA at all. Disappointing.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation. More of a pils mouthfeel than an IPA one.

D - A decent enough beer, but not even close to resembling the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 23:31:48 | More by TheSevenDuffs

gnz

United Kingdom (England)

2.25/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

500 ml served in a tankard.

A: Lovely golden shimmer. Pours with a seizable head.

S: Very aromatic, unfortunately not too good. The hop smell is nice but there are some undertones that leaves to desire.

T&M: The hop in the smell certainly reflected in the taste. It didn't taste as much as I was expecting and I somehow caught myself thinking I was drinking a Sol. Unexpected for an English IPA, but might be expected due to the 'lightness' of the beer.

O: I wouldn't go for this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 23:13:03 | More by gnz

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single clear bottle picked up from the LCBO as part of their spring release. Lovely bottle design, though I wish they hadn't gone the clear route - especially for something marked as being "the original export." A lovely pale amber-golden hue, with an inch-thick big bubbled head that survived as a thin ring.

Nose is caramel, toffee, tea hops, floral notes, and a strong butterscotch hit that might be diactyl, but smells pleasant nonetheles. Reminds me a great deal of Innis and Gunn's blonde ale (another clear bottled brew)...

Tastes pretty good actually, caramel toffee and butter open things off, and the brew exits with a tart hop finish coupled with that distinctive Burton twang. Not terrific, but certainly drinkable.

Thinner bodied, strong carbonation.

A drinkable little IPA. Certainly not the best examplar of the style, but whatever kind of brew that found its way into my pintglass is enjoyable and is going down rather well. The buttery character I'm sure is the result of the bottle; regardless, it's not a flavor that I'm averse to. The hops linger in the back, providing a nice kick that doesn't overpower the brew, but aren't realy indicative of an IPA. Still, my favorite Marston's thus far.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 21:47:30 | More by JohnnyBarman

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The sun obviously has yet to set on Old Empire; its shimmering, flaring golden-amber highlights rival a good summer's sunset and, likewise, are every bit as worthy of being the wallpaper on your computer desktop. Its immaculate clarity is muffled only by a slight chill haze. Its head is thin - like someone took a fingernail file to it - but enduring.

How many aromas will clear glass bottles have to destroy before they are finally stopped? Old Empire is yet another one of these light-struck victims. If we can look past the obvious taint, there's some surprisingly characterful scents under there, among them a floral and hoppy perfume as well as some (perhaps diacetyl-assisted) butterscotch-y malts.

The delectable buttered-rum note in the aroma entices me to take increasingly bigger, faster sips in hopes of being able to taste it on the palate, which I can, but not with the same vivacity it exudes in the aroma. Ditto for the floral, leafy hoppiness. It's there, somewhere, but is heavily restricted by the characteristically stiff Burton water minerals.

By now I'm well-familiar with said blocky, obtuse Burton Upon Trent water; for those who are not, the chalky, hard minerals stick out like a saxophone that uses a broken reed. But it's far from unpleasant and undoubtedly lends the beer a blunt, clipping finish that most would agree is quite invigorating. It's accented in this example with a strong sulfur element.

Marston's Old Empire is a great beer for anybody, except those drinkers who believe that all IPAs should be rapaciously hopped and obnoxiously bitter. This is certainly not that. It is a true Burton ale and has all the traditional, tempered character and crisp quaffability that that appellation implies. May the sun never set on the realm of Burton ales.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 18:13:06 | More by biegaman

mrnobody

Ontario (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500 ml bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Pours a clear golden light amber with two fingers of soapy white head; leaves some lacing behind.

S: Smells of skunk backed with some light malt; hops? Damned if I can smell any.

T: A weird fruity sweetness followed by a bitter hop finish; certainly better than the aroma but not by a huge margin.

M: Light-medium mouthfeel with some prickly carbonation.

D: Drinkability is average. If the original IPA had travelled from England to India in clear glass bottles, this style would not have lasted long enough for US brewers to innovate on.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 21:34:39 | More by mrnobody