Strong Pale Ale - Marston, Thompson & Evershed, Plc.

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

3.1/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours amber body with very flimsy quickly disappearing white head.
Big citrus hops on the nose, hints of caramel and a faint aroma of pewter.
No mistaking the strength very boozy. Brown sugar and ethanol tastes rule. Glimpsing citrus and toffee tastes all crushed by alcohol which at least keep it bitter and tart.
Thick chewy mouthfeel, quaffable? No Way!
Enjoyable but huge booziness.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 18:54:42 | More by EmperorBevis

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -11%

03-10-2013 20:20:24 | More by spycow

vinicole

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

02-24-2013 21:23:02 | More by vinicole

adamcthomp

Spain

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

04-17-2012 10:47:52 | More by adamcthomp

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.85/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A 500ml clear glass bottle with a BB of Dec 2011.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A hazy orange-amber hue with medium carbonation and evidence of bottle conditioning. Forms a small head of white foam that disappears rapidly. Aroma of fruity yeast esters underpinned by stewed hops and a hint of roasted malt. Notes of bananas and diacetyl.

Tastes of yeast esters and malt with a stewed hop bitterness. Slightly sweet and dry. Notes of bananas, fruity yeast and stewed hops. A harsh, faintly solvent-like finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, but a bit watery. Pretty astringent; leaves the palate dry. Aftertaste of bitter yeasty notes.

A fairly average strong ale. Very yeasty and slightly sweet, but lacking in malt flavours and aroma. I guess I'd expect the style to have a darker and more distinct malt character. No aromatic hops, and the bitterness is dry and harsh. There are certainly better beers out there - give it a miss.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 00:32:50 | More by jazzyjeff13

karait95

Mexico

3.2/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Very nice color, an amber tone with a big head that seems creamy with small bubbles that leaves some traces on the glass, the carbonation is constant and well distributed all over the beer.

S: The aroma is good with the normal sweetness of a pale ale maybe a little too much alcohol can be sensed the base are still malts and hops.

T: The tasting is not really impressive even it is a well done beer the flavor is a little simple just malts and hops.

M: The ending is the best part because it last really long it is very bitter at the end and can be felt in the back part of the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 01:17:33 | More by karait95

eric5bellies

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Drank from my Bombardier pint glass

A - Pours a nice Golden Copper colour that is clear and has a white head that reduces to a film.

S - Nice yeasty aromas and a little biscuit.

T - Plenty of sweet malts up front and a little caramel. A nice amount of citus fruit and biscuit present.No hint of booze despit its strength.

M - Medium body and carbonation that is very well balanced. This is a smmoth drop.

D - I'm not sure this beer is categorized correctly. To me it's a very good quality EPA, Whatever it is this beer is a very solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 15:59:39 | More by eric5bellies

kojevergas

California

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into Erdinger pint glass in low altitude Galway, Ireland. I second Charlatan's sentiment (expressed in his review) that this beer is miscategorized - it is best described as a strong pale ale rather than a pale take on a strong ale.

A: Pours a light gold with three finger head of moderate thickness.

Sm: Fresh scent of barley and yeast. Standard fare.

T: Sweet cream open. Well built and balanced body. Clean finish. Very crisp towards the end. Hides its 6.2% ABV quite well.

Mf: About as smooth as it needs to be. Adequately dry at the climax, but a bit too wet throughout.

Dr: It hides its alcohol well, and if I were a fan of the style, I'd have another. It's not horribly ambitious, but what it tries to do it does well.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 20:35:33 | More by kojevergas

jhtipton

Spain

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500 ml bottle pours nicely into my 300 ml "pint" glass. Minimal head leads to some lacing in glass. Nice dark golden colour. Smell is not overly assaulting to the senses. I was hoping for more piney citrusy sensation. Taste is average, once again, not as hoppy as anticipated, just a mild sensation of hops, very mild malts and some alcohol warmth. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied. Drinkability is fine-certainly more desirable to an American macrobeer from the big three. I would try again but there are other strong pale ales that would end up in my cart first.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 17:37:04 | More by jhtipton

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A- This comes out of a strong masculine looking bottle. The color is a very nice golden amber, and it is somewhat hazy due to some yeasty sediment. It pours with a fizzy small head that quickly disappears. It looks to have a fairly heavy carbonation. It also looks to have a lighter body. The lacing is pretty mute.

S- Nicely balanced aroma, with some sweet malts. There's caramel, yeast, and a mild buttered bread aromas. The back end of the aromas include some fruity notes as well as some moderate hop bitterness.

T- Again, very balanced, with a primary flavor of sweet malt that reminds me of caramel, with a bit of a less sweet molasses flavor. There is more of the fruitiness carried onto the palate, finishing up with some moderate floral and hop bitterness. Quite nice!

M- The body is a little on the light side for an English Ale I find. The carbonation is relatively heavy but provides a refreshing zing on the palate. Once the carbonation bursts on the palate, the brew is quite smooth and gives off the impression of a great after dinner drink!

D- If this was available on tap, I'd be ordering this often. I can see myself drinking this as a nice session beer. The alcohol is well hidden, it's refreshing, flavorful and is easy to drink. Would go excellent with pub food. I recommend trying this one out.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 03:36:25 | More by ChrisCage

MAB

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A mighty fine brew!
There is sediment in the bottle so I poured it, as I would a home-brew, into a 20 oz. sleeve. Nice color but I knew that going in- it's a clear bottle.
Sweet smell and the taste is the same. I expected to have a bit more of the alcohol burn but this was smooth and delicious.
I liked it better than "Pedigree" and will probably buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 22:51:08 | More by MAB

charlatan

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Having had this before I'd suspect from the off that it is wrongly categorised. Surely a strong (by English standards) pale ale rather than a pale take on a strong ale?

Regardless it looks pretty good with a decent but only short term white head and a nice dark amber hue. Smells a little caramel influenced but reminds me too much of standing downwind of a brewery.

Quite smooth for a fairly well carbonated beer, the hops only become apparent in the aftertaste and then only with significant concentration. Otherwise there is a pleasant but unremarkable caramel tinged malt domination.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2009 20:02:42 | More by charlatan

stagger

Alberta (Canada)

2.08/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer looks great off the bat - that's why I bought it, I guess. Shows you can't always judge a beer by its label (to coin a phrase).

A - beautiful cloudy golden amber. Pours nicely, with a decent fluffy head on it. Very little lacing as it goes on, however (that's why it's a 4 instead of a 4.5). Nice label, nice bottle.

S - not a lot for such a flavour-packed beer. But my smeller's busted and can't be trusted.

T - Starts off really nicely with a hit of sweet caramel malts. Then BAM! A foul, bitter, almost plastic taste gets you. And lingers. And lingers. I'm thinking about a Coors Light to wash the aftertaste of this Marston's out of my mouth. Alcohol is present, too - not really what you're looking for out of a beer that's only mildly strong.

M - The right amount of carbonation - maybe just a bit sharp - finishes with an almost slimy, sticky feel. Almost unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as the taste.

D - I didn't have to pour it down the sink, but I'm not heading back to the store for another one, either.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2009 23:09:18 | More by stagger

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy gold, even cloudy. There's some sediment in the bottle, too.

Smells awesome; there's an herbal hoppiness with orange/tangerine notes, some slight pine, and lots of biscuit/nutty malt with an undertone of sweet caramel.

Tastes somewhat different than it smells. Distinct hoppy bitterness edged with that 'english' sulfate mineral character, and the expected earthiness of an english hop variety. The first thing you notice is the slightly sour yeasty-zing, immediately followed by lots of nutty biscuit malt, carried by that hoppy bitterness. There's a light fruity hop flavour on top of everything, with only a very slight hint of yeast esters. It finishes with a clean bitterness and biscuity malt. If not for that initial sour tartness, I'd like the flavour a lot more.

Mouthfeel is medium-light with medium-light carbonation.

Overall, it's a lot more drinkeable than you might expect for a 6.2ABV beer. Clean and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2009 21:20:11 | More by prosper

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ditto on the 'who the hell retired this beer?' comment. My bottle was date BBF apr 09.

Nice, impecabibly clear aprocot in color with a so so head and lacing.

Decent sweet malt with some nice floral hop aroma

Have to agree with other reviewers in that there isn't a whole lot of complexity here, but what is here is decent in it's balance. Hoppy without being in your face and the malt backbone is prevalent without being overy sweet. Tea like in the dryness of the finish so very English in that regard.

Smooth, quite creamy on the palate.

Given the ABV, very drinkable if you get some fresh bottles which I was lucky enough to find. No clear bottle skunk here.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2008 03:21:40 | More by Shadman

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear 500ml bottle, whoever retired this beer forgot to tell the brewery because this one is fresh and is best before 31st August 2008.

Poured into a pint sleeve glass, it is a true Pale Ale colour, which I consider to be a light terracotta reddy orangey thingy type blend of shades. On top sat a small white foam head, sadly it left a bit quick to leave a collar and a wisp of not much. Pity because the body was as clear as a Shropshire Spring Evening.

The aroma was nothing special, some hops and yeast mixed in with the normal barley smells you would expect. A little hint of toffee and caramel sweetness, but I had to sniff really deep to pick anything up.

Hops dominate the taste, it is refreshing and quite sharp, the alcohol is almost too much in the taste, but it smooths out as the the beer warms up in the mouth. The beer grew on me as I drank it, maybe I started off with it to cold.

Not a bad drink at all, but not something I'll be impressing any friends with. I have a feeling the 6.2% might come back to hurt me later.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2008 21:46:27 | More by BlackHaddock

AlexLMS

Portugal

3.63/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I did not know that this one was retired. I drunk it one week before the expiration date stated on the bottle.

Appearance: dark copper colour with a bright appearance (pasteurized). Moderate, light tan head. Frothy with moderate retention and reasonable lacing.

Aroma: sweet malts, fruits and some hops. Slightly vinous.

Taste: balanced towards the hop bitterness without obliterating the sweet malt presence.

Mouthfeel: smooth, strong carbonation, robust but not overwhelming alcoholic presence and a medium to full body.

Finish: short-lived sweetness quickly replaced by a long bitter aftertaste.

Overall: pleasant strong ale. The alcohol is there but not as a preponderant feature. I liked the bitterness of this one. Not outstanding but quite an enjoyable experience nevertheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2007 13:58:39 | More by AlexLMS

Stephen63

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.7/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not sure about the "retired" as my bottle had a BBE 31 Oct 07.

A - Reddy amber body with very quickly disappearing head.

S - Quite weak nose but mostly matly with slight fruitiness.

T - Pleasant sweetness with matly character. Nice hopiness. Certainly better than expected from appearance and smell.

M - Good smooth carbonation, very light on the tongue.

D - Really quite drinkable for a 6.2% beer.

Keep an eye out for this on draught/cask.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2007 22:05:04 | More by Stephen63

Mandrake

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a medium copper, exceptionally clear and with obvious effervescent carbonation rising in abundance. A fairly bright white head that builds to about two fingers before subsiding gradually to a nice, thick covering on the surface of the beer which leaves decent lacing. Smell is just a touch off, caramel obvious and a bit of butter. Slight hops, a bit of light fruits. Taste is fuller, lots of malts with some noticeable alcohol. Slight hop bitterness, nothing to write home about. Mouthfeel is very well carbonated, full bodied and very pleasing. Drinkability is quite good. Pretty average, but they need to lose the clear bottles.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2006 08:18:36 | More by Mandrake

janubio

Spain

3.53/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

50 cl. bottle. Pretty copper colour. Not much foam, and fades very quickly. The usual sulphur limestone aroma, that can be found later in the mouth too, with a hint of citrus and fruits. Medium to light body. Taste, besides the sulphur, is fruity, pine, some honey and a bit of cookies.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2006 20:11:55 | More by janubio

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

BB date: 31/12/05.
A: in a straight pint glass it pours a dark orangey-amber hue, with a fast dissipating beer head... gentle and nice fizzy body.
S: upfront a delicious scent of pale malts with a lightly sweet orangey and soft apple-peel fruity hops; a mixed note of mild marmalade and butter is detected too. Giving it a closer sniff, a faintly sweetish malty and lemony base is quite similar to a malty, strong lager!! Not quite complex overall, but pleasant for sure.
T: smooth mouthfeel of pale malts pours in first, accompanied by very floral-hoppy flavour of Goldings and Fuggles with a mild citrusy edge; a candyish flavour of malts and a flow of sweetened citrus juice-drink reveal later on, leading to a slightly bitter-sweet aftertaste in the medium-length lingering finish, with an raw, alcoholic mouthfeel which I personally do not fancy...
M&D: with a lively mouthfeel throughout, this is a reasonable, not particularly strong, English beer in need of a more assertive character here and there. Not complex enough for a 6.2%abv. strong ale and the body is a bit too thin. Dare I say that this is a story to English bitter a strong, malty lager to Pilsner?--that is, missing the delicate elements while not being bold and satisfying enough. Won't buy it again unless it's on sale...

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2005 18:37:52 | More by wl0307

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased on the recommendation of my non-beer drinking wife (she literally just grabbed it and put it in my basket for some reason).

Nice deep amber colour as visible through the clear bottle. Smell is a flat malty smell, with a bit of hops to it. Nothing spectacular. Flavour: malt with a tad of hop bitterness, and an underlying sweetness. Nothing overwhelmingly amazing, but still a somewhat unique taste. I find the mouthfeel a bit tingly, but not terrible. Alcohol content limits the drinkability somewhat; this is quite a pint to put away.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2005 05:50:36 | More by BDTyre

GreenCard

Oregon

2.28/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance: light brown with gold highlights, good clarity, thinnish layer of off-white bubbles on hard pour but quickly dissipates to a thin cap

Aroma: under a skunky and cardboardy nastiness: caramel, malt, and a touch of sweet apples and rust

Flavor: a dry malt backbone followed by a combined hop bitterness and vegetal flavor, somewhat vinous fruit notes, faint yeast twinge, finishes dry with a vegetal aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, powdery feel, pert carbonation, touch of alcohol warmth

Other comments: A bit of a let-down after the last beer I reviewed (Fuller's Golden Promise) and the skunkiness didn't help its case. Clear bottles are inexcusable!

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2005 11:32:31 | More by GreenCard

Cwrw

Alberta (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear 500ml bottle. This strong ale looks somewhat orange in tbe bottle; in the glass it is a very attractive peach/nectarine colour. Transparent and rich in appearance. I had to pour fairly vigorously to get the head a decent size, but when it stopped churning at about 1 cm, it was creamy, with some patches and holes in the foam. Cream coloured, with fine, slow lacing left on the glass. Delicious English hops, sweet bread and caramel at first in the nose. I can never seem to get enough of these butterscotch-goldings or fuggles combinations. A lovely hit of buttery roasted malt, just sweet enough to balance the spicy vinous hop. A respectable balance. Raisins and cream, definite vanilla, sourish green hop freshness, and roasted nuts. The flavour is all malt at the front of the tongue, but the hops make their dryness quite early, in the middle of the tongue, following through to the finish where it is all bitter. Yet, the malt can still be detected equally, and the whole flavour, though favouring the hops, is exceptionally balanced. Caramel, some spiciness, raisins, maple syrup, dry bread, lactosed malt in the finish. A very tasty English pale, but not as complex as some. Mouthfeel is a perfect carbonation, and very full. Easy to quaff, cold day or hot. A respectable beer which I would definitely buy again.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2005 08:34:52 | More by Cwrw

LaSalle

Alberta (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500ml Bottle sampled from a Guinness glass. Pours with amber clear colour with no significant head retention. There is a malty, sour mash nose with almost metallic notes. The taste comes on slow with the “3M” attack: malt, (sour) mash, and hints of maple. Developing into roasted malt, with a slight astringency, and a smooth and slightly creamy mouthfeel. The aftertaste is again in the sour malt/mash vein, which is quite nice for a while but evolves into bitterness after not too long. Overall it’s not bad and has reasonable drinkability but sadly enough, I wouldn’t put it much above something like Kokanee Gold. I suppose this one’s just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2004 17:54:51 | More by LaSalle