Single Malt
Marston's Plc.

Single MaltSingle Malt
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Marston's Plc.
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Pale Ale
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.03 | pDev: 12.21%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
13
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 22, 2011
Added:
Aug 17, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GreenCard:
Photo of GreenCard
Reviewed by GreenCard from Maryland

2.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Appearance: deep gold, great clarity, medium layer of off-white foam that collapses to a thin crown

Aroma: huge wallop of skunk ass with an undercurrent of malt

Flavor: mild malt sweetness with a nice round caramel flavor, unripe grape skins, grapefruit-rind bitterness, finishes dry with a lingering aftertaste of all of the above

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, terse carbonation, somewhat crisp texture

Other comments: I was a bit wary of buying this beer since it is in a clear bottle which was sitting on the top shelf at a supermarket. Sure enough, skunky as hell. Though it might not seem fair, I'm posting the review anyway with the stench reflected in the 1.5 rating for aroma. It's a clear bottle. They should be adequately punished for that.
Jun 26, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of eric5bellies
Reviewed by eric5bellies from Australia

3.18/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - Pours a copper colour, slight haze, white head that dies real quick.

S - Small malt and hop, not much else

T - Nice hoppiness to it, and like the smell balanced with malts

M - High carbonation and medium body.

D - A decent session beer but not much else.
Mar 22, 2011
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.12/5  rDev +3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a pale golden amber colour, with a filmy, large-bubbled head that dissipates to a sudsy scum on the top of the glass. Minimal lacing. Oddly, after pouring, huge bubbles still stay inside the bottle much like detergent residue. Can't say I'm terribly impressed with the look.

Some grainy malt, and a little greenness. Cereal, oatmeal and lightly malted grains are the most dominant characters, although everything is a little vague and washed out. Pleasant enough in a way, not terribly offensive, but not that great either.

Mouthfeel is fuller than I expected, which actually gives a bit of gravitas to the palate as a whole, lending some deeper malt grain notes, and a touch of sweetness. Some acetone character on the back, which gets a bit too dominant by the end, but it's not a bad beer all up.

I'm a big drinker of American and American-style beers, and am used to most of the experimentation being done with hops or other flavouring additions. I like that this one comes with the gimmick of using only one malt, but I'm not sure it really lends any interest to the beer as a whole.

Drinkable enough for what it is, but what it is is nothing particularly special.
Aug 06, 2010
Photo of fullsweep
Reviewed by fullsweep from England

3/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
500 mL bottle poured into a pint dimple mug.

Orangeish brown color. 1-finger head of off-white foamy bubbles, a small bit of lacing.

Non-descript smell. Not bad, but nothing that grabs me either.

Tastes strongly of malts, and has a fermented taste. More bitter than sweet, and no real sours present.

Feels nice enough on the mouth, but again, nothing spectacular.

I give this averages straight across because it's not horrible, it's just not great either. Perhaps I need to try it again just to give it another go.
Mar 29, 2009
Photo of rosenbergh
Reviewed by rosenbergh from Finland

2.3/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Bottle. Bought from Finland.

Dark golden colour. Little head.

I liked the aroma quite much but the taste wasn't what I expected. There's not much flavour at all. Bit of a disappointment. Could have more character.
 
Very easy to drink though.
   
Dec 14, 2008
Photo of dionisio
Reviewed by dionisio from New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This is a very good thirst-quencher, although not a remarkable beer. Crispy. Relatively strong carbonation. Simple, toasty taste which fades quickly. Very easy to drink, as English ales tend to be.

500 ml bottle, purchased at Aldi in Eccles, Manchester. Expires 30 Sept. 2008. Poured into pint glass.
May 28, 2008
Photo of AlexLMS
Reviewed by AlexLMS from Portugal

2.94/5  rDev -3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: deep orange almost copper colour. Slightly hazy. The very small head is white with poor retention and no lacing. Really not impresive.
Aroma: simple aroma of sweet malts.
Taste: sweet malts changing gradually to hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: smooth, not so strong carbonation, average alcoholic presence and a medium body.
Finish: bitter lingering aftertaste.

Overall: Marston Single Malt has no great characteristic but it is an honest beer. It is well-balanced and nice to drink. Just do not expect anything special about it.
Nov 10, 2007
Photo of belgbeerdrinker
Reviewed by belgbeerdrinker from Colorado

2.88/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
a: dark golden color, slightly hazy, medium head settling into nice ring around the rim
s: light malts, with some hoppy aromas
t: hoppy presence throughout balanced decently with malts
m: high carbonation, very crisp & clean finish, near-medium body
d: fresh drink, just not much going on in the flavor department
Jun 16, 2007
Photo of janubio
Reviewed by janubio from Spain

2.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Porus a deep golden to light amber colour, with a thin foam that fades very quickly. Earthy limestone aroma, can't find much to mention. Carbonated rough palate, but easy drinkable. Medium body, some citruses hints, cookies. Not too much here. Refreshing but boring.
Mar 17, 2007
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

3.32/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Takes it name from the 'Golden Promise' malt, which is used 100% in the brew and by a lot of scotch producers.

No head on the beer as soon as it is poured, don't like that! The body is a pale amber colour with a shimmer of light bouncing off, from the candle which I am heating the house with.

Funny, malty smell, not unpleasant, but not really beery either.

Funny, malty taste, not unpleasant, but not really beery either.

Taste soon goes, leaving a slight longing for another slurp, but of something else!

Not the best Marston's beer on the market, thats for sure.
Nov 15, 2006
Photo of JanM
Reviewed by JanM from Sweden

3.57/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
The name is a bit misleading since the brew has nothing to do with Scotch whisky. The name is a gimmick with no special bearing on the taste. My bottle poured with a centimeter of foam settling quickly, and leaving a kind of lacing. The color was golden on the darkish side. The smell was of sugar and candy with some hops. I'm usually picky about carbonation but I found this beer having just the right amount. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Refreshing, but does it really taste as an English ale?
Nov 01, 2006
Photo of wl0307
Reviewed by wl0307 from England

2.91/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
BBE 30 APR 06. Made with "100% Golden Promise malt, one of the oldest varieties of brewing barley", and "popular with Scotch Whisky distillers"--according to the label. I vaguely remember the distinctive taste of Caledonian's Golden Promise ale, which perhaps uses 100% of that malt as well? Like to see what this barley is really about in this ale.

A: pours a lovely bright orangey-golden hue, with an initially 2cm thick foamy white cap slowly settling down; nice, gentle carbonation, looking not bad.
S: slightly skunky at first while being poured, but dissipates fast (thank lord). Followed by an intense ashy smell, then light malts and a deeper, sweet lemony-like aroma of hops behind, both not too strong and quite simple. The maltiness conveys some subtle vanilla hint and a lightly grainy sweet flavour, which, on top of the floating hoppyness, makes the whole thing smell even a bit like a lager to me!
T&M: extremely mild maltiness unlike any other for sure, while the texture is floatingly light and thin on the mouthfeel, with a slightly dryish bitterness and lightly toasty malts at the back of the palate. Short finish of faint hop presence, though it retains a dryish bitter flavour good for a session beer.
D: overall this one is not as flavoursome as many other Marston's products, and a bit off the point IMO. Not too bad, but perhaps they could think about abolishing clear bottles and it just might taste a little better.(?) BTW, as for "Golden Promise" malt, I'd probably revisit Caledonian Golden Promise more often.
Dec 01, 2005
Photo of rastaman
Reviewed by rastaman from England

2.68/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Its OK, quite interesting malty flavour, a bit sticky in its maltiness however, bitter sort of finish, but it finishes quite quickly, and almost has a watery texture at times.
Aug 17, 2002
Single Malt from Marston's Plc.
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 13 ratings