The label on the bottle gives a full description of the story behind the naming of this beer. Beer dates from around 3100BC, when it was also known as liquid bread – the base ingredients between bread and beer being very similar. The banana part of the name comes from the addition of fair trade bananas during the brew.
The latter ingredient is immediately obvious when the top comes off – a full bouquet of fruit fills the nose. The taste is sweet, but not sickly. A really very pleasant experience indeed! Widely available.
Marston’s is brewed in the home of real ale brewing in the UK – Burton on Trent – and, in line with their ‘Marston’s Don’t Compromise’ byline, has reverted back to a more genuine IPA style to create Old Empire. It’s brewed to be stronger than a standard ale (5.7% ABV), has a typical pale colour and is bursting with hop flavour and citrus notes. The nose is beautifully pungent with rich hops (too much for Erin to stand – she hates when I first open a bottle of this) and while the strong flavour may be too much for some it is very quaffable in the hands of an expert. Or me.