Mac and Jacks African Amber Ale

Brewed by Mac and Jacks Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Redmond, Washington USA

a wonderful golden beer. great for any occation where piss water is not aloud. i like mine best in a frosty mug. and it’s local!

Poured a dark cloudy orange with an off white head. It had aroma of citrus, malt, and hops. The flavors were: pears, malts, apple, and hops. This beer was extremely well balanced with a smooth and creamy palate.

This beer takes you by suprise because people don’t expect this much flavor to come from an amber. A perfect beer for a summer night out with friends, or a hearty meal. A remarkably well crafted beer. I’m very sad that I moved away from Washington, as they only sell it in kegs and CA hasn’t even come CLOSE to Washington (or, Oregon for that matter) in craft brews.

On tap Portland airport: Poured with almost no head and a token amber color. Light hops in the aroma and some grainy malts. Lightly fruity, some peach, moderately sweet malts. Finish is light and crisp. Very over rated in my opinion.

I purposely left this one undrunk because I am not a huge amber fan. I tired the IPA and the Porter at the ariport on the way out, and then ended up trying this one on the way back home. Turns our this was better than both. I really enjoyed this amber. Typical amber color and aroma, but the flavor was outstanding. Very malty with the prefect hoppy finish. Very tasty stuff. If I have rated an amber higher than this, then it needs to come down or this needs to go up. Great stuff.

on draft bellvue, washington. this is a decent second option and a step above of the macros. reminded me of a fat tire that was unfiltered and abit more robust in flavor, more of toffe malt backbone with subtle pnw hops.

August 27, 2005: On tap at Ivars in Seattle (and my 50th ratebeer contribution)

Poured a cloudy copper with a non-existant head. The aroma is fruit and floral hops; the flavor is a sweet yet well hopped, with strong notes of orange and cherry. Mouthfeel is good, and the finish is well-balanced.

What strikes me about this beer is its impressive balance between quality and accessibility. Not only is it quite a decent effort in a usually-not-so-impressive category, but also every non-beer-geek friend I’ve recommended this to has loved it.

March 14, 2007: Sometimes I can be a bit dismissive of this hometown favorite, in favor of masterful amber ales such as Drakes Expedition. I think that part of the problem is that I rarely order it anywhere that actually knows how to properly serve a beer. Rather, it tends to be a fallback option at local eateries when nothing exciting is available. Thus when I get it, I tend to get it stale, overcarbonated, and too cold. But lately I’ve been drinking these at a favorite neighborhood restaurant (Piccolo in Maple Leaf), and as poured there, fresh and served at the proper temperature. it’s truly an outstanding beer. I’m bumping my ratings up accordingly.

Nice, tasty, goes well with late night drunken conversations, platitudes, and mischieveousness. Good round ring to the flavor.