From Wolverhampton and Dudley. The first in a series of limited edition beers from Marston's, previously available on draught. Price: £1.69 Abv: 5.5% TARGET CONSUMER Chris White, 28, is a publishing sales executive from south west London This is a pleasant beer with a very slight sweet edge like Newcastle Brown, but a much lighter flavour. It goes down easily enough and I'd be perfectly happy to spend a summer's afternoon drinking it. Visually, it's very clear and has a pleasant honey colour. The label on the back of the bottle explains the special brewing process from which the beer gets its name. As I'm one of those people who's quite happy to drink beer without knowing how it works, I'm afraid this was a bit wasted on me. The packaging is fine, but I'm not sure I'd be tempted to try it if I just saw it on the shelf. Finally, because I only had the one bottle to test, I was unable to ascertain what sort of hangover it gives you. Rating out of 25 ­ 16 Sally Easton Master of Wine and wine buyer for Berry Brothers and Rudd This has a golden amber colour and a classic nose of cream, caramel, nuts and dried fruits. On the palate the sparkle is finely textured and the flavours reflect those found on the nose; the taste profile is rich, smooth and intensely flavoured, with an attractive long spicy, slightly bitter hoppy finish. The beer is balanced with good concentration and complexity of fruit. The packaging is also classic, in clear glass which shows off to good effect the richness of colour of the beer, with a heritage-type label suggestive of a hand crafted production. With a promotional price of £1.29 this should sell in high volumes. Rating out of 25 ­ 24 Graham Shearsby Board creative director, graphics, at Design Bridge Nice bottle, nice beer colour and an interesting name that may even be based on a real process. It sounds pretty good, even the dodgy type, letter spacing and ill fitting illustration add to its charm. I like the big clumsy gap between the R and O in Drop. It reminds me of the awkward space between the W and N on the old Newcastle Brown Ale label. The real danger to any success ­ apart from the vast number of similar bottled ales ­ is its lack of depth and personality as there isn't much, other than the name. This might be enough as long as the beer itself hits the spot, which it did for me. Rating out of 25 ­ 15 Steve Mayes Category controller at Landmark This product is guaranteed trial by most discerning beer drinkers on the Marston's name alone. The label's ideal, the liquid's only ok but better than most, but it is still worth a punt especially if you run your beer fixture with a guest' policy. At £1.69 the rsp is slightly too high and you won't be retiring on the profit. It's encouraging to see some signs of life in Wolverhampton and Dudley. Beer lovers have been as nervous as turkeys at Christmas over the fate of regional brands such as Marston's and Mansfield following their acquisition by W&D. Let's hope that W&D's problems are behind them now. Rating out of 25 ­ 16 Total score out of 100 ­ 71 {{DRINKS }}

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