McNeills Pay Day

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Pale Lager
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Pours a hazy copper orange with a thin white ring of foam. Has some mild citrus and caramel malty aroma. Starts with some full dry bittersweet maltiness with a touch of tartness and earthy hops. I had no idea what this was supposed to be before I drank it (nor did I know how it was rated) and I really don’t think it’s as bad as these ratings suggest. An interesting brew. Doesn’t really fit any specific style though.

Pours amber with a thin rim of white bubbles. Smells of citrus and some sugar. Taste is very citrussy with some caramel on the finish.

Draught sample at American Flatbread. The beer list said "McNeills Pay Day Vienna Lager" but that is so far from what I tasted that...well I’ll leave it at that for the moment. It pours a hazy gold, very light if it IS a Vienna...unfiltered, bit chunky, with a smooth head decaying to a wisp...strongly perfumy, grassy nose, with odd vinous characteristics as well, not necessarily unpleasant but strange...oh no, the body is loads of citrus and maybe some Saaz, fine if it stopped there but nope, grapy qualities come in, weird pungent spiciness, and a strong lactic spoiled quality to go with the lovely rusty iron in the finish. God knows what this is supposed to be, this sample is clearly bad; I will definitely check it out again when I get a bottle but as this brewery is usually much better on tap....all I can say at the moment is, trainwreck.

demonstrates skill in an underappreciated style. It was still fresh and very popular with my drinking mates, finishing a 750 ml. Yeasty aroma. CLoudy unfiltered look, good head, lace. well malted and smooth creamy mouthfeel, though metallic in finish.-after all it is a lager.

Poured an amber color with a thin, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel malts, light citrus and metal. Taste is much better. Some grains, sweet caramel malts, dough, some citrus, light bitterness, and a dry finish.

2005 bomber shared with Muzzlehatch on 11/4/05. Appears a lightly hazy peach-copper. Small off-white head immediately recedes to cover. Smells of grainy-grains (ya, I know, sorry), light sourness and acidic mash notes. Flavor begins sour, with melon notes, moderately acidic grains, very grainy texture, overly dry and far too attenuated, or just not extracted correctly. Yeast apparency is high, as usual for the brewer and there is a heavy sourdough breadiness on the end. I do tastes some light, floral hops. Mouthfeel shows lightly expansive carbonation. Light lacing is left on the glass. Just too much obnoxious yeast dryness. Papery on the end and now I can not find any more hops flavor. Peach and melon notes (very dry) take over. Light bitterness on the finish. Very light body, no alcohol apparency. Almost like it hasn’t been heated/boiled long enough (something off with the malt, anyways).

Bottle. Gold color with a small white head, Aroma is dry but fresh hops with some plastic (no pool toys though). Taste is almost repugnant, fruity with apricot and sweet/sour like chinese food. Horrible.

Pours a cloudy orange color with a thin white head. Weak aroma of spices and caramel. Unpleasant flavor of spices, hops and caramel, there’s something gone wrong in there. The body is light and the carbonation low. It’s hard to believe that’s a McNeil ...