As the cold weather and dark nights lessen everyone dreams of summer, right? Well, we have managed to get our hands on a Vegetarian Society approved beer from Marble Beers that describes itself as ‘A light summer ale, perfect for a taste of summer year round’. So, in the absence of the sunshine that we are all dreaming of let’s crack the can and get a taste of what a winter’s summer in England is all about!
1. Name : Persephone Artisanal Summer Ale
2. Brewery: Marble Beers (Manchester)
3. Hops : Ariana, Huell Melon, Lemon Drop & Mosaic
4. Grain : Barley & Wheat
5. Aroma : Ariana, Huell Melon & Lemon Drop hops dominate the aroma giving off sweet notes of melon, citrus and a slight herbiness. Mosaic hop not as evident but if you take aroma in long enough you can just about pick it out
6. Appearance : Light straw colour with slight haze, 1-2 finger lingering fluffy white head.
7. Body : Very light body which suits the summer ale style well
8. Taste : Quite a harsh bitterness that lingers on the palate long after beer is consumed. Taste is very different to what the aroma suggests.
As I looked at the hop profile and took in the aroma I was expecting a beer that was perhaps on the sweeter side with the citrus notes coming to the fore with a slight herbal edge. As I took my first mouthful it caught me somewhat by surprise as this has quite a harsh lingering bitterness that does not creep up on you, it hits you straight away.
The herbal notes can be made out with the more you drink giving it a bit more balance however for me I think the interesting hop combination does not quite work and left me wondering if I actually enjoyed this one or not.
As a refreshing summer beer I could perhaps quaff one of these on the odd occasion on warmer days but it won’t be one that I go out of my way to seek out regularly. Persephone may have its fans but personally I think that this is not one of Marble Beers finest hours. This is not to say that it is a unpleasant beer but one that in all honesty did not really work for me.
Our overall rating: 2.9/ 5.0
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