Macs Sassy Red

Brewed by Macs Brewery
Style: Bitter
Wellington, New Zealand

Serve in English pint

Draught at Mac’s Brewbar, Auckland. Pours dark amber with a small white head. Aroma of caramel malt, nuts and fruit. The flavour is caramel malt, nuts and fruit. Good bitterness. Sweet malty finish. A standout from the other average house beers.

I like the new label. It has a kind of ’Blair witch’ meets ’Summer of Sam’ feel about it visually. Possibly the best thing it has going for it. A shimmering fiery copper it produced with intermittent, fine carbonation rising up to that magnificent crown of crowns - a two inch thick, sloppy bed of cream that held form and drabbed a very messy lace down the glass. It pours so attractive, so seductive (I’ve already lied on its qualities!) that if it could just sit there in the glass the world would be a good place, but the world is not and this baby needed to be consumed.
Aroma has damp lawn clippings festering in the sun. The smell of Summer and that corner of the yard you’ve been meaning to weed yet keep watering. A strange under-waft of cola joins in, doesn’t go unnoticed. Heavily woody, heavily grassy and musty in the mouth. Very dry, pasty in feel like starchy unconverted grains. Pine, freshly sanded with the dust settling on the tongue. Some feint cocoa and treebark. There is a raspy and sharp bitter bite in back that follows into the long, dry, hay and grass swallow. A light hint of bitter fruit comes in. No sweetness shows even once warm. Have they changed the recipe along with the label. It wasn’t distasteful, but for me it just didn’t quite work. Aggressive hopping with no thought involved. Different, but not a winner. (33cL, 27/06/07, The Beer Store Morley)

(bottle) pours a clear copper colour with a frothy off-white head. aroma of straciatella, butterscotch and milk chocolate, quite bready. flavour is heavy on chewy roasted malts, with additional notes of dark fruits and floral hops. medium-bodied with average carbonation and a light bitter finish.

33cl bottle, Wellington. Pours a deep amber colour, thin head, very hoppy aroma that does not follow through to the flavor. A good beer, but perhaps not as good as the Mac’s Copperhop for hops lovers.

A very smartly copnstructured beer. shows a great mix and balance of light touch malts, pilsner-like hops and a settled bitter edge reminisce of any decent bitter from the UK. Perfectly drinkable. In fact, were it not for a modest burst from the toffee mlats early I might have been convinced I was sipping a pilsner. Gassy, fizzy finish.

I am confused that this is described as a product of a brewpub when it is clearly a commercially available Mac’s beer. Great coppery colour and clean head with a fine whiff of hop. There is a good biscuity flavour and caramel notes which delights the palate. There are a number of flavours that come out but I must say there is something lacking that I found in the Copperhop stablemate that I have had both on tap and in the bottle. This is still good and is well priced that won’t preclude the odd purchase of a sixer.

On tap 01.05.09. Amber ruby, off white head. Aroma is malty & hoppy. Flavor is the same with caramel. A decent and smooth bitter blend, on the light side.

The best of the Macs I’ve had to date and the first that I’d happily revisit. For a bitter, this has enough crystal malt and tropical fruitiness to carry it close to APA territory. But who cares. It’s flavoursome and refreshing. Unsure why they’ve called it "Red" when it’s a copper-coloured bitter with just a hint of garnet. Perhaps "red" is a green-flag word for some drinkers, whereas I’m instantly wary of a thin, sweet Irish red. Head retention was no better than fair. Fresh and inviting aroma of tropical fruits - lychee, passionfruit and a hint of bubblegum. More like an APA or golden ale under the nose than a standard bitter, but very promising. A soft, fruity flavour profile based on some nice toffee malts. Strong lychee notes, with a squeeze of tart kiwifruit and some McCowans Highland Toffee malts. Dry in the finish, with a pronounced bitterness. Moderate carbonation. Tasty. (330ml bottle from Vintage Cellars, Clovelly. BB 25/7/7)