Breakfast Beer Tasting: Marstons Ale Shandy

This attempt at conquering the sub 3% beer market promises to be a “tasty and refreshing blend of traditionally brewed pale ale and lemonade”. It also recommends being served chilled over ice. However, as I’m judging it as a beer, albeit a low ABV one, there will be no ice here, thanks.

It’s a 500ml bottle and poured amber with good carbonation and a tight off-white head. The aroma was lemonade with a hint of the Burton snatch. That’s sulphur to the uninitiated. Taste wise, there really isn’t much to it. It’s sweet, like lemonade made with sweetener and little trace of the pale ale element.

This probably should be served over ice as something needs to numb the one-dimensional sweetness. I can’t see many beer drinkers wanting to, or being able to, drink much of this. Thirst quenching it isn’t; you are better off sticking to straight lemonade.