Marston's

  The Marstons brand is a familiar sight in any pub across the UK. Their 'Pedigree' ale is one of the top selling ales in Britain and their many other brands are becoming increasingly popular, and there is a reason for that. Character.
  Now, I probably use the term 'character' far too often with regards to beer, but there is no other way to describe the beer coming out of the Burton-on-Trent brewery. Marston's plc. does own many beer brands, such as Wychwood, Brakespear and Jennings', but Marstons branded beer has something special.
       Their flagship brand, Pedigree, is made in a unique way, using the oak Burton Union System (allowing it to ferment in wooden casks, rather than steel or alloy ones). The result is a pale, amber coloured ale with sweet, toffee-like aromas along with some grassy notes. In the mouth it holds a crisp, dry flavour, with some sweetness and biscuity malt. The beer is brewed using the ever-popular hop varieties, Fuggles and Goldings, giving an earthy flavour and plenty of aroma. This is a very drinkable beer, and has an abv of 5%.
     A slightly less common beer under the Marstons brand is their strong ale, Owd Roger. A 7.3% dark ale, with quite a lot of flavour.
          The toffee and oak notes are immediately apparent and some aromas of burnt sugar and liquorice do appear once you have started to drink. The flavour is sweet but with a bitter finish. It is very smooth on the pallate and is suprisingly quaffable for such a full-bodied ale.
    Both these beers are full of body and character, and are a welcome addition to any meal  or just an evening in the pub. I know that Marston's have many more brands out there, and I look forward to trying them all!