After a spree of brews this year that have been either Californian or Spanish, I felt it was about time I reconnected with my beery roots - and it doesn't get much more traditional than an English IPA brewed in Burton-Upon-Trent, where once a quarter of all British beer was produced and the local water is known to enhance the flavour of the hops.
Wanting to see the full 500ml in the glass with its magnificent creamy head (and being without a pint glass, believe it or not) I went for a weizen glass that showed off every inch of the the golden amber liquid bubbling away inside.
Anything with the letters IPA on it nowadays brings the expectation of being smacked round the nose by a hop overload that may or may not make your eyes water, but this traditional style IPA goes back to its 19th-century origins, producing the delicate but distinctive, earthy, herbal and sweet floral aromas created by Fuggles and Goldings hops - though Marston's have added a touch of American Cascade for an extra citrus freshness and, I suspect, a nod to the 21st century.
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| Staffordshire within England |
Thick and smooth with a crisp, dry finish, I enjoyed this brew at room temperature to make the most of its rich and full-bodied character, along with the gorgeous warming sensation from the 5.7% ABV.
A rebrand in 2016 saw the label (along with the rest of Marston's range) undergo a transformation from a much more understated design to the more contemporary look we see here, in a bid to attract younger drinkers in the face of new drinking trends. While it can't be denied that its appearance has been rejuvenated, I do wonder whether this will lead to misunderstandings about the nature of the IPA in the bottle, which the craft-drinking youth of today might not be so well-versed in.
A rebrand in 2016 saw the label (along with the rest of Marston's range) undergo a transformation from a much more understated design to the more contemporary look we see here, in a bid to attract younger drinkers in the face of new drinking trends. While it can't be denied that its appearance has been rejuvenated, I do wonder whether this will lead to misunderstandings about the nature of the IPA in the bottle, which the craft-drinking youth of today might not be so well-versed in.
After spending a long time being swept up by the lairier New World IPA's that have come to dominate the style, this was a delicious reminder that there's a whole other side to the IPA family that deserves to be visited every now and again. And again, and again, and again...
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