BREWER: Marston’s, Staffordshire

STYLE: Amber Ale 

ABV: 4.5%

VESSEL: 500ml bottle 

TWITTER: @MarstonsBrewery

MOB RATING: 61%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

# Good old John Marston, a great Victorian bloke, he brought us Marston’s, the finest beer from casks of oak. Brewed the great Victorian way, up until the present day and Pedigree’s the finest brew in all the land, HOOOOORAAAAAY #

But is it, is it the finest brew in all the land?

No. Simple as that.

I mean it’s ok, but it is most certainly not living up to that very bold statement that I seem to recall was slung out there as an advertising campaign when I was a lad.

However, there are highs and there are lows when it comes to Pedigree as a whole package. And those highs and lows seem to come in varying levels of intensity as you move through the experience.

Ok, the look of bottle, very average. I like the Red and Black but that’s where it ended…well, I thought. Once I began to investigate what information had been bunged on the label I was met with a whole hoard of facts regarding the packaging and what I was drinking. The best of which was being told who the chap on the front of the bottle was (he was the head brewer at the time a staff competition was run to rename the beer formally known simply as ‘P’). See, loads of facts hey?! And I have to say it influenced my thoughts on the overall packaging. The look still isn’t great but understanding it definitely got this Midlands brew a few more marks. So after a low followed by a high we get to the nose, and let me tell you, it was a huge low, it was a HORROR SHOW! It smells like fuel, and I have to say it totally put me off drinking it. But I thought as I was mid review I had better proceed as didn’t want to let our 6 followers down 😉 So, as I’ve already mentioned, the taste is ok at best and certainly not the finest brew in all the land. However Pedigree is creamy smooth and actually goes down a treat to be fair.

Not bad. Not good. The end.

 

Jymi’s Rating: 60%

 

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sometimes, the brand design pulls one in straight from the start.  Often, the packaging suffices and does a decent enough job of tempting the drinker into the amber world of the ale contained within the said packaging.  Very rarely though, there is the product design that is so bad that it takes an effort to get over.  In my, humble it must be said, opinion, this is the case with Marston’s encasement of Pedigree.  I would like to liken it to a villain in a film, such as Darth Vader, but that would be far too generous to it because film baddies are very often so loved and designed to have some form of connection with their audience.  This packaging has no connection on any level.  So in that case, at least the design is unique – but for all the wrong reasons.  It really is that bad it took a mammoth effort for me to pull Pedigree out from its shelf on the fridge, where it had been nestled for some time and had become accustomed to.  I think you get the picture – I do not like the packaging on Pedigree: Marston’s, what were you thinking?

So let’s get over the high-jump equivalent of a hurdle to what really matters – the contents.   The nose is light and malty and doesn’t fade over time.  Those light aromas hang pleasantly in the nasal cavity and lead you to believe that there is much to come from Pedigree.  And the taste, like the smell, is light with a clear bitter backdrop.  There’s not too much length in the after-drinking but to be fair to Pedigree that’s very much in keeping with its nose a taste.  It lends itself to being a pleasant session beer.

And that’s the problem – it’s pleasant at best.  I don’t mean that as an insult to Pedigree but rather there are many more ales in this category that stand so much taller than it does.  It’s neither here nor there but somewhere in the middle.  For many that will work nicely.  For me, it needs to do more.  It needs to be better than pleasant.  The very fact that the appalling packaging has heaviest weighting in this review should speak volumes to you all.

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Sammy’s Rating: 62%

 

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 61% 

 

 

MOB review next weekend: DEAD PONY CLUB by BREWDOG

AND IT WILL BE OUR HALF BIRTHDAY TOO!! HOW FLIPPIN’ EXCITING!!

6 MONTHS IN ALREADY, WHO WOULDA THUNK IT 

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