Mt. Macedon Pale Ale
Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
- From:
- Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
- Australia
- Style:
- English Pale Ale
Ranked #215 - ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 79
Ranked #37,241 - Avg:
- 3.38 | pDev: 15.38%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 30
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 03, 2024
- Added:
- Mar 04, 2003
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 5
SCORE
79
Okay
79
Okay
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by BillRoth from Maryland
4/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had a bottle at Australian Hotel during 2015 trip to Sydney Australia. From notes.
Decent Aussie craft brew.
Mar 03, 2024Decent Aussie craft brew.
Rated by Hassles from Australia
4.27/5 rDev +26.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.27/5 rDev +26.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Very easy drinking ale equally suitable for Summer or Sessional consumption. A light mouthfeel with subtle hop character.
Jul 27, 2018
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand
3.9/5 rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Peach juice and cloudy with a little super fine bubbled carbonation. Topped with a finger of white head.
Smells of caramel, pine, and black pepper.
Taste follows the nose. Delivers everything I'd expect as a standard for this style, and without flaws.
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Flawless.
Drinking in Chiang Mai October 7th, 2017. No complaints, if anything it's perfect.
Oct 07, 2017Smells of caramel, pine, and black pepper.
Taste follows the nose. Delivers everything I'd expect as a standard for this style, and without flaws.
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Flawless.
Drinking in Chiang Mai October 7th, 2017. No complaints, if anything it's perfect.
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia
3.75/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From bottle, Citrus aroma. Clear golden colour with poor head. Nice malt hit with a smooth but bitter finish. Medium body with low to medium carbonation.
Jul 06, 2015
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia
3.05/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
3.05/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Named after the mighty mount Macedon, the towering vast 3,284 ft summit in Victoria, Australia (known as Geboor or Geburrh in the local Aboriginal dialect) is my latest beer review from the stalwart Holgate brewhouse. We’ve had good times Holgate and I: Road Trip, Temptress, and the-one-I-tried-but-didn’t-review-because-I was-tipsy-at-The-Archive (Hopinator)... oh and I recently had a taste of their limited release White Ale, which was superlative... point in case I have much respect for the brewer known as Holgate.
Poured from a 330ml bottle into a tulip glass.
A: Presents with the typical hazy amber body of a craft Pale Ale with a thin white lace on top... activity in the glass is minimal but visible. 7/10.
S: Fruity and floral hops upfront, slightly subdued but present nonetheless and promising a Pale Ale that one with a diploma in Hop-Headery would be after. Caramel malt and honey rounds out the aroma nicely... not brilliant, but OK. 7/10.
T: Hmmm... you know what this is? Beer by committee. A recipe for something average at best. I am disappointed in you Holgate. The profile is as above - caramel malt, touch of honey and a slight fruity/floral hop finish, mild in bitterness for the style... which is an American Pale Ale or an English one, I can’t tell because it doesn’t have the generous malting of an English one or the hopping of an American... bit of neither really. 5/10.
M: Best aspect of this brew - a mid to light body with mid to light carbonation. Still manages to be middle of the road, but a middle of the road mouthfeel is good. 8/10.
D: Worst. Holgate. Brew. Yet. Just to explain my “Beer by committee” comment - this is one of those craft beers designed to engage new craft beer drinkers into the fold, and the thing that Holgate doesn’t realise is that they needn’t do this. To use a personal analogy - I got into progressive rock music by listening to the band Tool, then I started listening to softer prog rock bands and thought “No Tool is both heavier and better than other bands, I’m glad I begun by listening to Tool” - it’s the same thing; Holgate: Continue making decent big(ish) beers and new drinkers will be introduced to your fold and will like you even more for it - don’t try to pander to the masses. And a small tip for this beer: Loads more hops. 6/10.
Food match: It’s not often I recommend beer-battered fish and chips with a Pale Ale, but mild brews call for mild foods.
Jan 14, 2015Poured from a 330ml bottle into a tulip glass.
A: Presents with the typical hazy amber body of a craft Pale Ale with a thin white lace on top... activity in the glass is minimal but visible. 7/10.
S: Fruity and floral hops upfront, slightly subdued but present nonetheless and promising a Pale Ale that one with a diploma in Hop-Headery would be after. Caramel malt and honey rounds out the aroma nicely... not brilliant, but OK. 7/10.
T: Hmmm... you know what this is? Beer by committee. A recipe for something average at best. I am disappointed in you Holgate. The profile is as above - caramel malt, touch of honey and a slight fruity/floral hop finish, mild in bitterness for the style... which is an American Pale Ale or an English one, I can’t tell because it doesn’t have the generous malting of an English one or the hopping of an American... bit of neither really. 5/10.
M: Best aspect of this brew - a mid to light body with mid to light carbonation. Still manages to be middle of the road, but a middle of the road mouthfeel is good. 8/10.
D: Worst. Holgate. Brew. Yet. Just to explain my “Beer by committee” comment - this is one of those craft beers designed to engage new craft beer drinkers into the fold, and the thing that Holgate doesn’t realise is that they needn’t do this. To use a personal analogy - I got into progressive rock music by listening to the band Tool, then I started listening to softer prog rock bands and thought “No Tool is both heavier and better than other bands, I’m glad I begun by listening to Tool” - it’s the same thing; Holgate: Continue making decent big(ish) beers and new drinkers will be introduced to your fold and will like you even more for it - don’t try to pander to the masses. And a small tip for this beer: Loads more hops. 6/10.
Food match: It’s not often I recommend beer-battered fish and chips with a Pale Ale, but mild brews call for mild foods.
Reviewed by Mosant from Australia
3.27/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.27/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
I had a 330ml bottle.
Appearance: golden colour, clear. Little white head.
Aroma: light citrus fruity aroma but not much.
Flavour: immediate hit is the bitterness of the hops upfront. Cleansing and refreshing. Very enjoyable. Brewer quotes 30 IBU on the bottle.
Overall: a good bitter pale ale, less fruity in both aroma and flavour than most and heavier bitterness upfront and in the finish but not at IPA level. Worth a try.
Jan 09, 2015Appearance: golden colour, clear. Little white head.
Aroma: light citrus fruity aroma but not much.
Flavour: immediate hit is the bitterness of the hops upfront. Cleansing and refreshing. Very enjoyable. Brewer quotes 30 IBU on the bottle.
Overall: a good bitter pale ale, less fruity in both aroma and flavour than most and heavier bitterness upfront and in the finish but not at IPA level. Worth a try.
Reviewed by Manzier from Australia
3.09/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
3.09/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
A - Dark Straw golden with abit of copper. Very clear. Slightly darker then I was anticipating. Quite high carbonation. Self-suistaining head. Looks good.
S - Notable dry hop aroma. Well rounded and citrisy and floral. Very nice aroma.
T - Fairly light malt taste, probably too light. No grain flavour at all which Ifind disappointing. The appearance looks like theirs a fair amount of crystal in their but it's hard to pick out. Flavor is hop forward if anything and the flavoring hops are quite nice. Can taste the high sulphates in the water which unfortunately leads to a rather mineral like aftertaste. The bitterness is not nice and if anything it's abit tart.
M - Very light bodied. Thin and watery after-taste. Quite a poor mouth feel. The saving grace is that the dryness is crisp enough. No lingering flavour at all. Just a small amount of hop aroma that lingers.
O - When I got this beer I was looking forward to it being a strong rounded pale ale. Holgate are a good brewery. However, I feel this is quite lacking overall. While the aroma is nice and their use of hops for flavoring is good. It falls short on the mouthfeel and taste. Perhaps it's been fattened out with some adjucts but I can't taste any. The lack of malt flavour in the taste and bad bittering aftertaste seems to wreck it. The too thin body dosn't help either. Overall a good session beer but nothing special. Has a great aroma that they've done a good job on. Definitely try one for yourself.
Feb 19, 2014S - Notable dry hop aroma. Well rounded and citrisy and floral. Very nice aroma.
T - Fairly light malt taste, probably too light. No grain flavour at all which Ifind disappointing. The appearance looks like theirs a fair amount of crystal in their but it's hard to pick out. Flavor is hop forward if anything and the flavoring hops are quite nice. Can taste the high sulphates in the water which unfortunately leads to a rather mineral like aftertaste. The bitterness is not nice and if anything it's abit tart.
M - Very light bodied. Thin and watery after-taste. Quite a poor mouth feel. The saving grace is that the dryness is crisp enough. No lingering flavour at all. Just a small amount of hop aroma that lingers.
O - When I got this beer I was looking forward to it being a strong rounded pale ale. Holgate are a good brewery. However, I feel this is quite lacking overall. While the aroma is nice and their use of hops for flavoring is good. It falls short on the mouthfeel and taste. Perhaps it's been fattened out with some adjucts but I can't taste any. The lack of malt flavour in the taste and bad bittering aftertaste seems to wreck it. The too thin body dosn't help either. Overall a good session beer but nothing special. Has a great aroma that they've done a good job on. Definitely try one for yourself.
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia
4.2/5 rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.2/5 rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle: good quality solid brown 330mL bottle, pretty funky label. I like it as a package.
Appearance: pours a light copper gold with a decent off-white head that langs around for ages and settles to a solid and rocky half-finger. Great lacing with fine carbonation.
Aroma: predominantly stone and orchard fruits with some soft honey and some spices. Overall very refreshing.
Taste: once again those lovely orchard fruits up front with some mid grain and malt as well. The spices are not quite as present as they were in the aroma.
Aftertaste: a good dose of hop bitterness comes through afterward with a touch of malt.
Mouth feel: an almost spiky carbonation despite it's moderate / fine consistency. Good at carrying the flavours through too with the light to moderate body. Well-rounded.
Overall: a good-quality beer - a good combination of orchard and stone fruits, quality grain and spice. A great sessional beer, well worth the AU$80 or so case price (2013).
Jul 30, 2013Appearance: pours a light copper gold with a decent off-white head that langs around for ages and settles to a solid and rocky half-finger. Great lacing with fine carbonation.
Aroma: predominantly stone and orchard fruits with some soft honey and some spices. Overall very refreshing.
Taste: once again those lovely orchard fruits up front with some mid grain and malt as well. The spices are not quite as present as they were in the aroma.
Aftertaste: a good dose of hop bitterness comes through afterward with a touch of malt.
Mouth feel: an almost spiky carbonation despite it's moderate / fine consistency. Good at carrying the flavours through too with the light to moderate body. Well-rounded.
Overall: a good-quality beer - a good combination of orchard and stone fruits, quality grain and spice. A great sessional beer, well worth the AU$80 or so case price (2013).
Reviewed by soju6 from Missouri
3.66/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
3.66/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
A: Pours a dark golden color with a decent head that fades to some lacing.
S: Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, some citrus and bit of grain in the background.
T: Taste of citrus, some caramel sweetness and bit of roasted malt. Mild bitterness and the finish is quite dry.
F: Moderate body,smooth and a nicely balanced.
O: Good take on the style.
May 27, 2013S: Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, some citrus and bit of grain in the background.
T: Taste of citrus, some caramel sweetness and bit of roasted malt. Mild bitterness and the finish is quite dry.
F: Moderate body,smooth and a nicely balanced.
O: Good take on the style.
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia
2.9/5 rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2.9/5 rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
From notes
Pours very light amber, almost straw. Small head recedes to film.
Aromas are muted. Earthy hops. Hint of Carmel butterscotch
Taste is also muted, earthy hops drive a somewhat dull palate. Not totally convinced EPA. Caramels and toffees are in there, but staleness dominates.
Mouthfeel is light, carbonation low.
All in all, this is a beer that seems to be unsure what it wants to be. Given light flavours I am also not totally sure I would want to session it.
Jan 13, 2013Pours very light amber, almost straw. Small head recedes to film.
Aromas are muted. Earthy hops. Hint of Carmel butterscotch
Taste is also muted, earthy hops drive a somewhat dull palate. Not totally convinced EPA. Caramels and toffees are in there, but staleness dominates.
Mouthfeel is light, carbonation low.
All in all, this is a beer that seems to be unsure what it wants to be. Given light flavours I am also not totally sure I would want to session it.
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