Marston's DE14 Flight Suit

Not can conditioned

Marston's DE14 Flight Suit [baron rating 4/5] - 5.1% gold ale,biscuity zesty orange smell,mandarin taste,biscuity smooth bittersweet finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

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Thank you to  Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending this through for a baron rating!

Marston's DE14 End Point

Not can conditioned

Marston's DE14 End Point [baron rating 3/5] - 5.6% gold ale,biscuity cereal smell,biscuity bitter taste,lemon finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to  Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending this through for a baron rating!

Looking forward to baron rating Marston's DE14 ales

An unexpected box arrived today, it's been months since any beer arrived for review so it was a lovely surprise. It was sent through from R&R Teamwork on behalf of Marston's to promote their new craft brewery brand "DE14":

The glass is a thing of beauty, the cans don't look too bad either

Marston's DE14 Brewery

• End Point - 5.6% IPA, combines pale ale & lager malts to create a light golden colour, hopped with Admiral, First Gold & Herkules hops as well as a trio of late addition American hops (Chinook, Cascade & Columbus)
• Flight Suit - 5.1% Orange Pale Ale, a punchy, refreshing ale, crammed with 5 different hops & dry hopped with Mandarina Bavariato give a heady  marmalade aroma & an impressive orange sharpness

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Marston's (Morrisons) IPA

Not bottle conditioned

Marston's (Morrisons) IPA [baron rating 3/5] - 5.8% gold ale,flinty mild floral smell,balanced bittersweet flinty taste,earthy floral finish Baron Orm

Buy Morrisons own-brand ales direct

Marston's Sovereign

Not bottle conditioned

Marston's Sovereign [baron rating 4/5] - 4% gold ale,grassy slight floral smell,peppery citrus bittersweet taste,long spicy bitter finish Baron Orm

Thank you to Danny from the Marston's stand for handing this over for a baron rating!

Marston's Marynka

Not bottle conditioned

Marston's Marynka [baron rating 3/5] - 4% gold ale,herbal sulphurous eggy smell,biscuity oily herbal taste,fresh citrus bitter finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Danny from the Marston's stand for handing this over for a baron rating!

Looking forward to baron rating #EBBC12 ales

Last weekend I attended the European Beer Bloggers Conference 2012 (which I've blogged about quite a bit already) and quite a few of us had mentioned to each other to bring a bottle of something interesting to open there or swap, here are the absolute delights that I came home with:

• Artisan American IPA - 5.6% American-style IPA, thanks to Simon aka @RealAleToday 
• Bridgeport Hop Czar - 7.5% imperial IPA, thanks to @Tandleman
• Broadford Damn Nation -  8.3% Belgian golden strong ale, thanks to @BroadfordBrewer
• Brouwerij 't IJ IPA - 7% IPA, thanks to the Night of International Beers

• Hardknott Rhetoric - 12.5% (approx) controversial ale, thanks to by @HardknottAlex
• Marston's Marynka - 4% single hopped ale, thanks to Danny on the Marston's stand
• Marston's Sovereign - 4% single hopped ale, thanks to Danny on the Marston's stand
• Mohawk Extra IPA - 7.5% IPA,thanks to the Night of International Beers
• Mohawk Summer IPA - 6.8% IPA,thanks to the Night of International Beers

• Off Beat Far Out Stout - 7.4% whisky stout, thanks to @Filrd
• Vibrant Forest Black Oktober - 7.2% Imperial Russian Stout, thanks to @mrdavidj
• Williams Bros Double Joker IPA - 8% double IPA, thanks to Chris from @WilliamsBrewery

Sharp's new Connoisseurs Choice range

Sharp's Connoisseurs Choice Range

• No. 1 Quadrupel Ale - 10% dark ruby ale, aroma of perfumed alcoholic fruit. A full bittersweet fruitiness leads to a warming alcoholic finish
• No. 2 Single Brew - 4.5% mid-golden ale,fresh herbal lemon aroma,light barley sugars give way to perfumed bitterness. The finish is dry, clean and exquisitely appetising.
• No. 3 Honey Spice Tripel - 10% ale with an aroma of juicy citrus fruit and candyfloss,the flavour is a journey from rich fruity bitterness through to an appetisingly dry finish

I'm really looking forward to baron rating all of these, I have no idea how I managed to get them all home on the train, my arms were killing me by the time I got back! Thank you to everyone who handed something over and I hope you enjoyed the ones that I handed out too!

Marston's EPA

Marston's EPA [baron rating 3/5] - 3.6% gold ale,bready mild sulphur smell,biscuity slightly sharp citrus taste,dry mild citrus finish Baron Orm

Note: Not bottle conditioned

Morrisons March ale & beer offers (28th February - 20th March 2011)

 It's March's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch last week to check them out. (sorry they are late!)

Here are the details:

• Brains SA [baron rating 2/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.75
• Brains SA Gold [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.75
• Innis & Gunn Oak-Aged Beer [baron rating 1/5]
  £4 for 3 bottles
• Marston's Double Drop [baron rating 3/5]
  £1 instead of £1.75
• Marston's VSOP [baron rating 3/5]
  £2 instead of  £2.35
• Shepherd Neame Early Bird
  Guest ale £1.29

Not a great deal on offer this month but I couldn't help but pick up a few bottles of Brains SA Gold - I really like this beer as an unfussy unthinking ale which has a lovely citrusy bittersweet taste.

Morrisons February ale & beer offers (24th January - 27th February 2011)

It's February's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons (or rather it was last week) so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch yesterday to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Badger Fursty Ferret [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.65

• Badger Golden Champion [baron rating 3/5]
  £1.29 instead of £1.69

• Badger Golden Glory [baron rating 2/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.65

• Badger Tanglefoot [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.65

• Brains SA [baron rating 2/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.75

• Brains SA Gold [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.75

• Marston's Strong Pale Ale [baron rating 3/5]
  £1.50 instead of £1.85

• Ringwood Boondoggle
  £1.25 instead of £1.75

• Timothy Taylor Landlord [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.79 instead of £1.99

Most of this month's offers are within the 'baron bargain' price range (£1.30 or less), if I was in a beer-buying mood I'd probably go for some Fursty Ferret & Tanglefoot. I did notice that unlike other months, Ormskirk Morrisons had full shelves for each of the ales on offer so at least if you like the ale on offer you've a chance of actually buying some!

Marston's VSOP

Marston's VSOP [baron rating 3/5] - 6.7% copper ale,sweet vanilla pungent hops smell,caramel spicy vanilla taste,oaky sweet dry finish Baron Orm

Morrisons January ale & beer offers (3rd January - 23rd January 2011)

It's January's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons (or rather it was last week) so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch today to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Marston's The Ashes
£1 (guest ale)

• Marston's Pedigree [baron rating 2/5]
£8 for an 8-bottle box

• Shepherd Neame Master Brew [baron rating 4/5]
£1 (guest ale)

I bought a bottle of the Master Brew as it's not a bad tipple at all,nothing to fancy and very "Shepherd Neame" but nice none the less. I didn't bother with Marston's The Ashes brew as it looked almost identical to their Victorious Ale [baron rating 1/5] which wasn't very nice at all!

Waitrose November ale & beer offers (10th November - 7th December 2010)

It's November's new beer & ale offers time in Waitrose, their PR staff informed me of what this month's ale offers are:

• Badger Tanglefoot [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.25 instead of £1.57

• Badger Fursty Ferret [baron rating 4/5]
  £1.22 instead of £1.53

• Badger Golden Champion [baron rating 3/5]
  £1.33 instead of £1.67

• Badger Golden Glory [baron rating 2/5]
  £1.20 instead of £1.50

• Badger Blandford Fly [baron rating 1/5]
  £1.55 instead of £1.94

• Badger Poacher's Choice [baron rating coming soon]
  £1.64 instead of £2.05

• Badger First Gold [baron rating 3/5]
  £1.32 instead of £1.65

• Morland Old Crafty Hen [baron rating 4/5]
  £2.01 instead of £2.69

• Greene King Very Special IPA [baron rating coming soon]
  £1.49 instead of £1.99

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
  9x355ml £8.97 instead of £11.22

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
  8x440ml cans £8.17 instead of £10.89

• Greene King IPA [baron rating 2/5]
  12x440ml cans £8.39 instead of £10.49

• Wychwood Hobgoblin [baron rating 4/5]
  4x500ml cans £4.79 instead of £5.99

• Wychwood Mixed 4 Pack
  £5.35 instead of £6.69

• Marston's Head Brewers Choice 4 Pack
  £5.08 instead of £6.35

There are quite a few Badger ales within the 'baron bargain' price range (£1.30 or less) and some good discounts on the stronger end of the ales market.

Morrisons August ale & beer offers (9th August - 5th September 2010)

It's August's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch on Tuesday to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Black Sheep Yorkshire Square Ale [baron rating 3/5]
£1.43 instead of £1.63

• Holts Humdinger
£1.19 instead of £1.69

• Marston's Strong Pale Ale [baron rating 3/5]
£1.55 instead of £1.75

• Marston's Pedigree VSOP [baron rating coming soon]
£1.95 instead of £2.25

• Ringwood Old Thumper [baron rating 2/5]
£1.56 instead of £1.76

• Wothington's White Shield [baron rating 4/5]
£1.59 instead of £1.89

• Wychwood King Goblin [baron rating 2/5]
£1.89 instead of £2.19

The winner this month is Worthington's White Shield, it's a quality bottle conditioned ale with a superb mouthfeel, so light & frothy and very balanced as well.

Marston's Owd Rodger

Marston's Owd Rodger [baron rating 1/5] - 7.6% deep ruby ale,alcohol & stewed fruits smell,warming rich sweet fruit taste,very sweet finishBaron Orm

Morrisons July ale & beer offers (12th July - 8th August 2010)

It's July's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch today to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Courage Directors [baron rating 3/5]
£1.49 instead of £1.69

• Jennings Sneck Lifter [baron rating 3/5]
£1.24 instead of £1.44

• Marston's Old Empire [baron rating 5/5]
£1.28 instead of £1.48

• Shepherd Neame Spitfire [baron rating 4/5]
£1

• Wells Bombardier [baron rating 4/5]
£1.49 instead of £1.69

• Wells Waggledance
£1.29

There are two winners this month, both below the 'baron bargain' price limit of £1.30 - Marston's Old Empire and Shepherd Neame Spitfire - both crisp hoppy strong ales for a cracking price, stock up!

Waitrose July ale & beer offers (7th June - 27th July 2010)

It's July's new beer & ale offers time in Waitrose, their PR staff have informed me ahead of time what this month's ale offers are:

• Wells Bombardier [baron rating 4/5]
4x275ml bottles: £3.99 instead of £4.99

• Wychwood Hobgoblin [baron rating 4/5]
£1.24 instead of £1.66

• Innis & Gunn Oak Aged [baron rating 1/5]
2x750ml bottles: £5 instead of £6.90

• Marston's Classic Ales
12x500ml bottles: £15.19 instead of £18.99

• Marston's Pedigree [baron rating 3/5]
8x500ml cans: £8.70 instead of £7

• Badger Sett
4x500ml bottles: £5.51 instead of £6.89

• Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted
£1.56 instead of £1.95

• Greene King Abbot Ale [baron rating 5/5]
£1.43 instead of £1.79

• Greene King Ruddles County [baron rating 4/5]
£1.35 instead of £1.69

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
£1.45 instead of £1.82

• Greene King IPA [baron rating 3/5]
660ml bottle: £1.38 instead of £1.73

• Greene King IPA Export [baron rating 4/5]
£1.54 instead of £1.93

• Greene King Very Special IPA
355ml bottle: £1.59 instead of £1.99

Morrisons May ale & beer offers (7th June - 11th July 2010)

It's June's new beer & ale offers time in Morrisons so I popped into the local Ormskirk branch today to check them out.

Here are the details:

• Black Sheep Riggwelter [baron rating 4/5]
£1.50 instead of £1.70

• Greene King Abbot Reserve [baron rating 3/5]
1.55 instead of £2.05

• Greene King Suffolk Springer
£1.55 instead of £2.05

• Marston's Burton Bitter [baron rating 2/5]
£1.19 guest ale

• Marston's Strong Pale Ale [baron rating 3/5]
£1.55 instead of £1.75

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
£1.51 instead of £1.71

• Ringwood Old Thumper [baron rating 2/5]
£1.55 instead of £1.75

The Burton Bitter is the only ale within the 'baron bargain' price range (£1.30 or less) but I find it very thin and watery hence the [baron rating 2/5]. The Suffolk Springer is probably this month's winner have a decent discount on a high ABV ale.

Let's just say the baron didn't stock up on anything today :(

Marston's Strong Pale Ale

Marston's Strong Pale Ale [baron rating 3/5] - 6.2% copper ale,sweet lemon smell,smooth butter & bland tangy hops taste,gentle bitter finishBaron Orm

Waitrose June ale & beer offers (9th June - 6th July 2010)

It's June's new beer & ale offers time in Waitrose, their PR staff have informed me ahead of time what this month's ale offers are:

• St. Peter's Golden Ale
£1.38 instead of £1.84

• Skinners Bitter Betty Stogs
£1.48 instead of £1.85

• Skinners Bitter Heligan Honey
£1.48 instead of £1.85

• Skinners Bitter Cornish Knocker
£1.48 instead of £1.85

• Well's Bombardier [baron rating 4/5]
£1.42 instead of £1.78

• Courage Directors [baron rating 3/5]
£1.43 instead of £1.79

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
9x 355ml bottles: £9.59 instead of £11.99

• Wychwood Hobgoblin [baron rating 4/5]
£1.38 instead of £1.84

• Jennings Cumberland Ale [baron rating 3/5]
Buy 3 bottles save £1.50 normally £1.96

• Jennings Snecklifter [baron rating 3/5]
£1.40 instead of £1.96

• Innis & Gunn Rum Cask [baron rating 2/5]
£1.59 instead of £1.99

• Marston's Head Brewers Choice
4x 500ml bottles: £5.08 instead of £6.40

• Shepherd Neame Spitfire [baron rating 4/5]
£1.47 instead of £1.84

• Fuller's London Pride [baron rating 2/5]
£1.56 instead of £1.95

• Fuller's Organic Honey Dew
£1.56 instead of £1.95