Michigan Brewing Mackinac Pale Ale

Brewed by Michigan Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Webberville, Michigan USA

I am no fan of pales, but this one is a fair brew. Citrus zest comes through in the nose, and the honey/orange wheatiness balances out the grassy hops in this brew.

(Bottle, labeled Mackinac Summer Ale 5,0%) Amber colour with creamy, beige head. Fruity, malty nose with orange, apricots, caramel and fresh hops. Fruity taste with orange, apricots, citrus peel, caramel and fresh, citrussy hops in the finish. Balanced bitterness. Slightly below medium body, rather sweet. Maybe lacking some in depth and complexity. But still a nice beer with a fresh hop character.

Bottle, as Mackinac Summer Ale. Pours a pretty, slightly orangey dark golden body with a quite lively carbonation culminating in a small dense beige head. Malty and bready nose with a moderate piney hop aroma. The bready aroma is of the dark ryebread kind, and there’s some metallic notes to it too. Full-bodied, silky and quite effervescent, with a bready malty initial flavor, quite caramel-sweet, followed by citusy and piney hops and a decent bitterness. Tropical fruits, some pine, and bitterness to go with the sweet and bready finish. It’s a refreshing beer, but too malty for an american pale ale, and it’s almost a bit boring too. (080826)

12 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a lacing off-white head. Breadish and malty aroma. Mild spiced too. Medium dry and breadish malt flavour with a light spice note. Medium dry and bitter into the finish.

Bottle as Mackinac Summer Ale. Clear amber coloured with a small off white ehad. Sweet aroma of malts and caramel with notes of rye bread and hops. Flavour of malts, caramel, cardboard and hops. Dry hoppy finish.

Botttle as Mackinac Summer Ale. Low greyish head. Sourish bread, yeast, caramel, brown sugar and unfresh, light cardboardy hops in the aroma. Taste is medium sweet sugary/caramellish malts, a stale hop bitterness and some pleasing fruity notes. Body is light plus. Oily mouthfeel. Sharp bitterish ending.

12oz Bottle for Swedish export. As Summer Ale. Slight estery yeast base over a mild caramel malt. A bit of styrofoam and hop pith. Pours a middle amber, with and orange-old fringe and a tall, well-holding head in opalescent sand. Flavor is a little mucky. There some sweet, estery yeast over a bit too cloying malt with caramel flavor. Chewy. Alcohol is a bit brazen in the nostrils. I’m not sure about this. Summery? Not really. Bland? Yes. Too much malt and too many off-yeast esters. Thanks Sean!

Bottle, 5.0% as Mackinac Summer Ale. The aroma is hoppy and caramelly. Clear amber colour, fizzy head. The flavour starts off sweet, but there is some bitterness to balance. Tastes stronger than 5% which also balances off the sweetness.