Maclay Reviews

scot_haggis	3.7 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Monday, September 10, 2018
Muggus69	3.4 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale OLD NOTES OLD NOTES JUL 13, 2004 Nice aroma. Honey, caramel, slight yeastiness, possibly even heather? Not sure about the latter. Pours rusty ruby body with tight packed white head. Being my first scotch ale i’m really reminded of a scotch whiskey in some of the flavours I get. A fair bit of smoky peatiness in the flavour. Plenty of caramel malt and obvious hints of honey. Slight bitterness towards the end.. Tuesday, February 25, 2014
zimbo	3.2 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Notes going back to 1991. Decent balance, mid orange brown to the eye. Some malt on which it depends with sadly none of that sharpish zing which typlified their Heavy. Just a tad too much caramel. Thursday, December 6, 2012
yespr	2.9 Maclay Honey Weizen From cask at Clockwork Orange. Pours slight cloudy and deep orange with a small white head. Sweet and mild herbal aroma. Sweet malty and light herbal flavoured with a vague yeasty touch. Somewhat gingerish too. Smooth honey herbal finish with a medium sweetness. Friday, November 28, 2008
chriso	2.9 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Cask at the Southsider, Edinburgh. Vintage notes from January 1997. Not at all sure whether this is still available in the UK. Although Maclays still exists as a pub group, their website doen’t mention anything about their beers at all. None of the Scottish crew have rated this and BeerMad has it listed as dead, so I’m assuming its not available here, hence I’ve dredged up these old notes. Mid brown colour. Smooth with a creamy mouthfeel. Lots of caramel malt as expected. A little more hops than normal for the style so doesn’t come over as too sweet. Better than McEwans 80/- by a good margin. Saturday, December 8, 2007
BEEJE26	4 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale A dark amber beer. Good head. Strong toffee, caramel and malt flavours. A real pleasant and tasty drink. Thursday, November 22, 2007
shintriad	1.9 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Slight pear notes in the aroma, very pale and wet but with some lacing. Insipidly weal with heavy carbonation, almost no flavour, MAYBE some oatiness and hops to it? Weak, dry, and full of blah. Monday, October 29, 2007
Eructoblaster	2.5 Maclay Export Ale 80/- On tap at Maxwell’s Plum (Halifax, NS). Ruby/brown body topped with good off-white creamy head. Malty/hoppy aroma carries herbal notes. Taste lacks complexity. It leaves a thin bready aftertaste. Not impressed. Tuesday, June 27, 2006
ALLOVATE	3.5 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Oh, bloody hell. Hard to rate a beer when it fare’s so poorly. Especially when it wasn’t too bad a drop. Tasted from the bottle at the Moon & Sixpence, Woodvale, during the thrilling initiation into wankerdom charged from Fulham though to Chelsea. I enjoyed a laugh so I’m feeling generous on this tasting. Looks good in the pint; bright tawny, ruddy brown with a thin, lasting creamy layer of beige that managed a little legs. Soft, biscuity and burnt caramel nose with a generous balance of leafy and herbal hops. Burnt toast and smoke start it off to differ from the aroma, but it uniforms after that. Light toffee notes offer little sweetness to the robust malty palate. Nutty, woody and dry mid-palate cuts underneath a soft earthy hop note that fills in the back end. Finish was rather short and came in between giggles and mouthfuls of Guinness Pie. Not big in body at all, but the soft carbonation managed to give it a full run of malt flavours. Sessionable would be an understatement. A little too modest for an Export, but an interesting brew none the less. (50cL, BBE Jun ’06, Moon & Sixpence, Woodvale) Monday, March 20, 2006
Lubiere	2.8 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Sickly hazy amber ale with a good creamy white head. Initial skunkyness gives way to a chalky malt, a bit oxidized. In mouth, sweet malt with butterscotch overtones, lightly hoped, not as pleasant as their 80 p. Overall, sub par. Bottle bought in Halifax, March 2005. Sunday, March 5, 2006
Lubiere	2.9 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Classy reddish amber ale with a thin light moka head, lacing. Lightly oxidized caramel malt aroma. In mout, sweet caramel with very peaty character, lighter bodied, rather plain. Thin bodied. Bottle is one yr old, bought in Halifax, NS. Saturday, March 4, 2006
Lunkie	1.9 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Hop malt aroma. Dark brown colour with poor head and lacing. Very malty hop flavour. Thin palate. Monday, February 27, 2006
vanvenlo	2.8 Maclay Export Ale 80/- 8 Dec 06 - Hoppy and light malt aroma with some spice. Clear dark brown-red colour, reasonable head and lacing. Big smokey malt flavour. Tangy, light bitter and smokey aftertaste. Wednesday, February 8, 2006
vanvenlo	3.5 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale 30 Oct 05 - Pronounced pleasant hop and light fruity malt aroma. Clear brown colour, low head and stuff all lacing. Big smokey malt flavour, reminscent of whiskey malt. Lovely malt smoke balance, thickish mouthfeel with alingering smoke malt finish. Overall, I rated this higher due to its uniqueness. Sunday, January 15, 2006
DonMagi	2.2 Maclay Thistle There is no aroma as the nitro head keeps it all. However this may be a good thing as the taste needs somethign to keep it going, though there does seem to be a tad of biscuit malt in your mouth. In saying this its actually 3% and u would have to drink maybe 40 pints to get drunk. Thursday, September 8, 2005
HaStuMiteZen99	1.7 Maclay Thistle [tap at smiths hotel] aroma is vaguely fruity, palate is sweet, body is weak. Thursday, September 8, 2005
Reid	3.3 Maclay Export Ale 80/- 500ml bottle ( brewed under licence by Belhaven) Chesnut brown in colour with a massive frothy off white head. Very malty in aroma with a buttery/creamy aspect..slight nuttiness. In taste its a straight forward Scottish beer. malty as a whole..with some nuttiness and a small hop "zing". Very nice and easy on the palate. This is less sweet than many Scottish beers thus its drinkability is helped. Friday, March 4, 2005
OKBeer	3.1 Maclay Export Ale 80/- 500 ml clear bottle. Orange amber colour with a fizzy and creamy off-white head. Light toffee and bready aroma. Toasty cereal and light fruity flavours accompanied by a light acidity. Light bodied and smooth. Thursday, January 27, 2005
OKBeer	3.3 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale 500 ml clear bottle. Light amber colour with a frothy and creamy off-white head. Brown bread and toffee aroma after the initial skunkiness recedes. Caramel, bread, and cereal flavours with a light fruity finish. Medium bodied and smooth. A Scotch Ale? Not so much. More a malt accented Bitter (Scottish Ale, I guess). Thursday, January 27, 2005
SilkTork	1.4 Maclay Thistle Keg at Ben Arthur’s Bothy, Loch Long. Dead fig fruit biscuit and cardboard. A dreadful stale keg bitter. Thin fruit. Friday, December 31, 2004
wulfhere	2.8 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Nice amber color with a decent head on it. Lace present, but didn’t last long. Nose is caramel and a hint of hop nose. Slightly astringent tatse, hint of sweet, but not much complexity. Finishes a bit sweet. Middlin’ beer. Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Boystout	2.9 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Nice golden-to-red colour and medium beige head. Aroma is slightly smokey and caramelly. Bitter and caramelly palate. Better looks than tastes. Friday, August 13, 2004
mutant	3.4 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Bronze with a small but persistent white head. Sweet and hoppy aroma but not skunked. Nice initial caramel maltiness. Then it has a slightly roasted flavour followed by a light hop bitterness. Maybe it reflects more on the poor quality of the beers I’ve had lately but I really liked this one. Quite good for something out of a clear bottle. Monday, August 9, 2004
bluevegie	3.1 Maclay Export Ale 80/- The colour is a cross between a deep dark amber and red with a full light brown head. The head didn’t want to hang around for very long though. Aroma took a while to show up, malty caramel with a little burnt and nutty characters also. Taste was quite pleasant but not full on, caramel, nuts, a trace of bitterness on the finish, Tuesday, July 20, 2004
austinpowers	3.3 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Mine seemed way heavy on the alcohol - I’d have guessed it was 8%. It definitely said Maclay. Yeasty sediment chunks and lots of flavor in a cloudy, lightly hopped brew. Very murky, like Loch Ness. Nice, except for the alcohol. Sunday, July 4, 2004
Trogdor	1.7 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale disclaimer this bottle was clearly skunked, so this rating is temporary. smokey, leathery, rubber aroma with a light floralness trying to get out. amber with nice creamy head. leather, rubber, lightly salty yeast, hidden chocolaty maltiness. full, creamy palate. skunked, which isn’t all that surprising considering the terrible habit of using clear bottles that some british brewers have picked up. Monday, June 7, 2004
bluevegie	3 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Good lacing was left from this dark copper bodied scotch ale. A medium sized mostly lasting white head made the appearance quite attractive. Soft caramel and a slight nutty aroma. Balanced hops and malt made a slightly smokey and a caramel taste with a mild bitterness at the end. Wednesday, May 12, 2004
AlphaOne	2.6 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Skunked clear bottle. Filtered light amber with a nice head. slightly floral/earthy hops, with buiscuity malt, slight apple juice, with a strong smokey rubbery smell. The flavour was rubber and smoke, buiscuity/toasty malt, not terribly nice, why do you people put beer in clear bottles? WHYYYYY???? Monday, May 10, 2004
SimonLarsen	2.9 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Lovely gold, creamy head collapses into a solid chunk. very mild malt aroma. Palate works out okay. Very strong and quick hops flavour. Sunday, March 28, 2004
SimonLarsen	3.2 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Red as red can be, tan head.Deep roasted malt aroma. palate is unfortunately thin. Flavour has a great deep malt and a nice long bitter but seems lacking in the middle. I do like this but would rather the over the top absurdity of Scotch Silly I guess. Saturday, March 27, 2004
Sully	3.3 Maclay Export Ale 80/- I thought this looked quite good in the glass when poured. It held its own as well and laced all the way down the glass. The nose has a good hint of caramel and toffee, as does the flavour. While this is slightly thin I think it has some real merit. Good malt and hop balance. I could down a few of these in a session if required. Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Garrat	2.8 Maclay Export Ale 80/- A very nice Scotch ale, from the bottle this pours a lovely chestnut colour,some head,loads of malt and yeast,tasty. Tuesday, January 20, 2004
leaparsons	2.8 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Bronze in colour with a disappearing head. Aroma is spicy but a touch skanky (clear bottle?). Flavours are biscuit malts with a sour and salty edge. The finish is dry rather than bitter. OK in a merely OK kind of way. Friday, December 19, 2003
rlgk	3 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Amber color, Aroma is hoppy with some malt. Flavor is both hoppy and malty as well, some bitterness in the finish.. A nice one. Saturday, November 1, 2003
larsniclas	3.5 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Bottled. Amber with a pleasant hoppy aroma. A rich malty and bitter flavour with tones of leather. Sunday, October 26, 2003
SilkTork	1.8 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Bottled fizzy corpse. Sweet. Mostly quite boring. Drinkable. Looks pleasant enough. Yeasty, malty aroma - acceptable, but not especially attractive. Little hop awareness. Sweet, bland, one dimensional, dull, with a harsh carbonation that takes a while to fade. Friday, October 24, 2003
dreamboat	3.8 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Nice smooth hoppy aroma, a hint of smokey peat smell. The appearance was right on the requirements of the style, fairly low carbonation, with a fine white head, very clear brown colour. The flavour again showed the subtleties present in the aroma, with a light earthy, smokey flavour. Definately an enjoyable beer, but perhaps a bit light on the alcohol for a scotch ale. Tuesday, October 21, 2003
rickgordon	2.7 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Bottled. Amber colour with a poor head. Earthy, somewhat papery aroma. Sweetish, slight smokey(or rather from ashes) flavour with quite a rich maltiness. Monday, October 20, 2003
motelpogo	2.1 Maclay Export Ale 80/- the sort of beer that i imagine is good fresh on cask but really isn't worth bothering to send in a bottle to australia. pretty stale, golden, watered down prune juice Saturday, October 18, 2003
eczematic	2.4 Maclay Export Ale 80/- pretty watery and flabby. raisins hit me first. sweet golden syrup then a dry malty finish with pepper. reasonable flavours but they're pretty watered down. Tuesday, October 7, 2003
omhper	2.9 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Bottled. Brownish amber. Aroma of papery malt and glue. Medium bodied. Bready. Crisp mouthfeel. Short finish with low bitterness. Friday, September 26, 2003
OlJuntan64	2.9 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Medium amber gold crystal clear colour under a small pale yellow fine bubbled shortish lasting head. Medium light woody bready malt aroma. Low carb smooth medium body. Soft sweetish caramel and nutty malty flavoured start. Middle is more of a watery corn grain which puts me off somewhat. Finish and aftertaste are short mild bitter followed by malt with a hint of something phenolic. Sunday, September 7, 2003
bender	3.6 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Hazy, caramel-gold body with a thick, light tan head. No lacing. Sweet malt, caramel and some hops in the aroma. Sweet caramel flavor with a nice bite in the finish. Malty aftertaste. Full body. Sunday, August 10, 2003
motelpogo	3.2 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale surprisingly oaty aroma. thick texture, nice and golden. a little yogurt and bandaid in the finish Saturday, August 2, 2003
eczematic	3 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale the stench of peat bogs fills your nostrils. immediately full, juicy malt flavour, then smokey phenols and spicy hops mingle. dry, thin, slightly tinny, lemon barley lolly finish lets it down a bit. Wednesday, July 9, 2003
duff	1.3 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Once again a peaty maltyness. Very soggy aswell, and sticky, extremely boring, flat, and uninspiring, bloody hell. Tuesday, June 3, 2003
duff	1.8 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Strange. Gold in colour, yet peaty (i usually associate peatyness with a darker brew,). Quite sweet at times , with a lightly salty peaty, softly bitter finish. A bit sticky and bland. Whiskey-like malt. Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Panzuriel	2.9 Maclay Gold Scotch Ale Coppery color with a nice head. Sweet aroma. Nice creamy mouthfeel with a good taste that is a tad tangy. Good finish. Monday, March 31, 2003
Panzuriel	3 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Nice coppery color beer with a nice head. Good Malt nose with hints of sweetness. Nice fruity malt flavors with a good kick. A nice beer. Monday, March 31, 2003
OlJuntan64	2.6 Maclay Export Ale 80/- Xtal clear medium amber colour under a healthy fine bubbled pale beige lasting head. Medium bready malt, woody hops and pleasant traditional cask conditioned aroma. Medium smoothness, low carb, somewhat watery palate. Light bitter hops and low- sweetness malty flavours. Staleish soft bitter dry finish. Average. Friday, March 28, 2003