Macs Hop Rocker

Brewed by Macs Brewery
Style: Pilsener
Wellington, New Zealand

Bottle. Pale gold, good white head. Floral and citrus hop aroma, but the thing that stands out is the grassy/ leafy/ gooseberry smell which is presumably the Sauvin hops. The flavour is mainly those Sauvin hops too, with a real balance made by the malts. Nice round bitterness on the finish. This is an odd beer. I like it, but the hop profile makes it taste un-Pils for me. I’ve had a beer where these hops seem a settled part of the beer rather than sticking out so much (Knappstein Enterprise Lager) - this didn’t work so well.

Bottle. Pours with average sized white head over aclear gold coloured body. White wine like aroma-chardonay-sauvinon blanc? and taste with a balanced finish. I think its the New Zealand hops which give some of their beers this "white wine-like" character. Interesting.

Bottle. Clear golden pour with a large fluffy white head that lasts ages and leaves a good amount of lace. Quite a lot of fruity hops on the nose for a pilsener as well as notes of caramel, citrus, pine and malt. Flavour is similar, with extra notes of honey and melon. This also has a good solid body for a pils, is well balanced and has a pleasant dry, mildly bitter finish. Pilsener not being my favourite style I was quite impressed by this, but maybe that’s because this is a bit different to a lot of traditional pils...

Bottle - Aroma slightly citrus, but very faint and a muddy malt note. Slightly skunked maybe? Sweet biscuity malt, not a whole lot of bitterness,finishes slightly flabby and a little sweet. Have had this and its tasted a lot better - bottles still have a late 2010 expiry so must be reasonably fresh. Hmmm

A god send for uni students, This is a great example of easy-drinking Pilsener. Pours light golden straw with a tight little white head. Mild Hops and fruity aroma. A permanent resident in my fridge at home over summer, solid packaging to boot. Affordable as hinted above.

Light yellow/straw. Crystal clear, brilliant. Holds a nice white head. Light fresh hoppy floral aromas. Crisp bitterness, very light and dry with no significant after taste. Drinkable without being earth shattering.

Light, bright straw color. Aroma is hoppy with some grainy malt. Clean, light body, dry with moderate bitterness. Not a tremendous amount of flavor, but quite drinkable.

Not too bad. Loks a bit piss weak, all straw yellow and aroma is a typical, but it is a smooth drinking beer with a nice hoppy kick. Certainly not going to blow you away, but probably good for a few on a hot summer’s day. Gets an extra point for being reasonably priced.