Marstons Merrie Monk

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

Cask at the White Horse, Harborne, Birmingham. Not much to say about this. Copper with a short head. Sulphuric scent, watery. Some bitterness. Some straw comes through in the mouth, but mainly a metallic sulphur taste. Not great.

Cask at Wellington Arms, Bedford. Pumpclip said ’Premium Mild’. I thought it was a bitter in all but name. Dark amber. Sulphurous aroma. Malt and fruit in the taste. Mid bitter finish. Decent bitter; dubious mild.

Cask at The Penny Black, JDW, Bicester 09-05-08 Had this with my Farmhouse Breakfast; the breakfast was far superior it has to be said. Pours hazy brown with a white head, to be honest it looks distinctly unimpressive. Aroma caramel but little else. The taste sees this beer partially redeem itself but its a bit caramel heavy and other than some fruit you’re left wondering if there will be anything else. This used to be a damn good beer when I used to drink it regularly back in the early nineties at my local the Virgin Tavern, Worcester it was my beer of choice, but sadly today it seems a pale shadow of its former self.

Cask in the counting house. Aroma is very sulphurus, not even in an appealing marston way as it can be at times, roasty choc malt shows signs but over powering with the sulphur. Taste is thinner choc and biscuity malt than expected, herbal hop and again sulphury. Im guessing this just isnt a great beer rather than neds better cellaring.

Cask Handpump at the Penny Black, Northwich 01/06/2006 Sulphur aroma. Mid to dark brown coloured smooth on the palate and slightly fruity. Nutty with a very dry finish.

Cask, The Last Plantagenet, Leicester. Very dark brown with a dense cream head. Aromas are light roast malts with metal, oats and some chocolate. Flavours are thin chocolate malts with metal. Also has some addictive sulphur notes. An OK mild.

Good to drink. NOt too mild in taste, but it was interestingly malty. NOt so red in colour, a little greasy, but good.