Marstons Firestoker

Brewed by Marstons (Marstons plc)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Burton-on-Trent, England

500ml bottle from Unwins. Orange colour with thin beige head. Some nice tangerine hop aroma and a bit of sulphur. Then a bit like orangeade in the mouth. I can see why someone likened it to cream soda. It has that cheap soft drink feel to it. There is some hoppy bite on the end. You don’t really notice the alcohol. Bit biscuity, but its the orange fruit for me that dominates. Fine, some juicy malt.

Bottle (from Threshers, BBE Jun 06). Quite pale. Vanilla fruity caramel aroma. Sweet and lifeless with more sweet vanilla. Pretty crap but oddly enough drinkable once I was acclimatised to the crapness.

Bottle. Tons and tons of vanilla on the nose and in the flavour. Mainly smooth mouthfeel although a tiny bit sharp in the carbonation. Finish turns a bit sharp, but nevertheless carries through with a rich and bitter quality and still more of that vanilla. A bit different, and not too bad.

The label has a photo of 1930’s workers emerging from a factory - another example of bogus ’heritage’ spin used by brewers. Those people would have despised this brew. While it looks like a decent pint, it smells like the cheap sugary sweets I used to get in my Christmas stocking and tastes like Corona Ice Cream Soda, circa 1959.

This tasting was not going to plan at all, i know iv rated 5 pritty rubbish beers tonite but normally i find soemthign that is worth finish, tonite there is not. Aroma seems sweetish and vanilla. Taste is totally dominated by vanilla and some chocolate in there, also maybe some burntness, iv not found a good beer from these fellows that i can think of, and this is another let down.

nice head that lingered a little, good golden colour with vanilla at the front but with quite strong cherry in the mouth straight after, very refreshing actually

50 cl bottle. No yeast in bottom. Amber clear colour with a nice head.. Nice caramel and toffee aroma. Also caramel flavour with hints of chocolate. Very much carbonated.

Bottle from Threshers, Falmouth, exported over the border to Scotland in a hidden compartment in my suitcase. Amber gold. Initially has the usual Marstons smack of sulphur and caramel, but theres some vanilla, almond and cherry along for the ride. Actually quite refreshing with a fairly bitter finish. Not bad.