Macs Sassy Red

Brewed by Macs Brewery
Style: Bitter
Wellington, New Zealand

Pours a clear red amber with a nice off-white, yellowis head. Slight sourness. Good full and fresh hops aromas. Nice dry finish. Nice bitter with a high hopsprophile... The name made me expect a fruit beer.

I’ve had this one in New Zealand on my honeymoon. Visited the brewery too.
Red colored brew. Hoppy aroma, malty, bitter flavor.

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.

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)

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.

rer8 out of the bottle: i was a bit worried that this is now made by macs cause i have not had good experiences with their beers, and once again despite all the hot air on the label they have managed to brew mediocre thin-bodied ale. good aroma of passionfruit, lots of flowery hops, some english yeast, and biscuit. clear auburn. palate however is sweet, cloying and watery at the same time, a feat usually only achieved by pasteurised english bottled bitter. tastes oxidised. finish is empty with only a thin grassy hop tang. original (brewpub) rating (3.6): has to be the first ever brewpub where the "red" is the best beer they make. actually no the gruit was better. but this came close. heaps of NZ hops in aroma - floral, grapefruit and passionfruit - very nutty, full, smooth malt with traces of toast and biscuits, then a big fruity-bitter finish. lots of flavour, original, and easy to swill = good marks from me.

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)

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.