Mac and Jacks African Amber Ale

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

Draft at Ducks and Drakes, Leavenworth. Nose is full of caramel, nuttiness, faint wood and earth, some very light floral, fruity hop as well. Deep orange-amber color, translucent, with a thin head but nice lacing. Flavor profile is nicely balanced with light apple and citrus fruits, toasty bread, sweet and nutty caramel malts and a gentle spicy bitterness. Moderately effervescent with a medium body. Sort of an exercise in balance.

Tap@The Virginia Inn, Seattle. Buttery, nutty malts, also a bit cakey (not sweet). Some tropical fruit and apricot. Nicely soft texture, bitter finish, a lovely drink.

Densely clouded amber appearance. Rich toffee, caramel nose. Toffee/caramel palate, mild and subtly balanced. Rich flavor, smooth delivery, with mild fruity hop citrus. Expected it to be a let down after all the hype but it holds its own.

Had in Safeco Field. Pours reddish brown with a bit of hazy tan head. Aroma caramel malts. Slight hop flavor. Very drinkable.

I drank about 8 pints of this stuff last night and have come to the very difficult decision that I have definitely overrated this beer. It’s a great amber: nice head, lace, a really pretty orange hue, and full of flavor...but it’s not outstanding. I think the beer is delicious, but doesn’t have the body and ’wahoo’ that I look for in a beer. Hops are a bit weak and the carbonation is all in the head. Tastes great, but don’t let yourself get carried away.

"Hey" I ask my Seattle resident host "what about that African Amber? Any good?" "No. Its a Yuppie Cult Beer. Too Much Hype" Well, granted, I had drank quite a few IPA so I noticed anything different, but I was pleasently surprised. Orange to brown, hop nose and initial flavor, but the are pronounced notes of blueberry and licorace, with a creamy malt presence as well. It finishes a little more dry, and clean - very little after taste.

tiny bobbles, soft, dense uniform creamy top. Cloudy amber body. Mildly floral, light grainy notes mingle with a citrus hop bite, then builds to a sweet floral and light caramel flavor. finishes clean and crisp. a bit more pronounced malt profile would be awesome to me. Creamier and sweeter as it warmed, showing more of that malt aspect.

This was a really nice local brew, though not as nice as the IPA I had just before it. Good malt base, good hoppy bitterness, and I guess the fruitiness and the cloudiness are related some way, the way they are in an unfiltered sake maybe.