Weird Beard Brewing Co.
Mariana Trench
5.3%
West London, UK

I’ve been no stranger to admiring beers by Weird Beard on this blog having reviewed a single IPA named Five O’Clock Shadow and a double IPA named Holy Hoppin’ Hell. Mariana Trench is my venture into anything other than an IPA by Weird Beard mind you.

Pale ale was part of the reason I started to discover beer so it always has a place in my heart. You get some really fantastic pale ales, I think Partizan Brewery do them better than anyone. This particular pale ale is quite strong at 5.3% and the only aroma I get is a real sweet smell. I expected it to be a pungent hoppy smell but the main thing coming through is the sweetness.

It is a very pleasant pale ale and as the Real Ale Craft Beer chap said in his review was that it’s a balanced pale ale. At 5.3% you’d expect it to be a very strong but it is very easy to drink but because of my high esteem and expectations of Weird Beard I felt like the Mariana Trench was a slight let down. Sure, it’s a good pale ale. It’s balanced, it is nice to drink but it is just missing something. But then give me this beer three years ago and I would’ve been waxing lyrical about it. The truth is, I’m spoilt by choice now.

OVERALL: 2.5/5