Mackinaw Red
McCall Brewing Company

 

Rich sweet smell that’s nutty caramel, and peaks quickly as it fades. Really enjoyable level of carbonation, not offensive but maintains itself through the swallow. The taste is malty, salted caramel with a smokey finish. For some reason it makes me think of grilled red meat. This is a savory beer, and I have to slow myself down when drinking it. Uniquely delicious, one of my all time favorites.

incredibly solid red ale here, one of their best beers in here i reckon, and something i just want to keep drinking, maybe one of the best beers in idaho right now, certainly in terms of brewed to style stuff, even though this is much darker than the norm for what it is, in a dim lit bar it almost looks like a dark brown or porter, its really deep, and it holds a nice head in the pint glass. not that much roast to the flavor, more of a toasted thing, kilned and fire cooked and warm, but not that dark, toffee and nuts and cooked grain. its rich but its never sweet when im drinking it, and its oddly hoppy, not flavorful hops, but bitter ones. its complex beer really, and in a style that often bores me, this really stands out. its got coffee and cocoa and toffee and warmth, it literally sets a new mood in me, and its one in a thousand beers that do that. oddly dry for being a red, and this drinks modern almost unintentionally, its cool before its time, that sort of thing. some cool bitter element on the swallow, a ton of nuance, this is an underrated red, and for all the crappy and samey american reds and ambers that tried to be fat tire, this really is great. old school but excellent. the best beer these guys makes by leagues. something to savor while in idaho, the best red in the state and beyond right now. lengthy applause...

 

 

 

Need to give this one a second turn sometime. This bottle had been sitting a while, and I think it was starting to get skunky and sour. Still the malts used were recognizable, slightly sweet

 

 

 

 

From the website:

"This amber colored American Red Ale, a local favorite, is one of our mainstay malty beverages. Lightly hopped with caramel flavors sets this clean drinking ale apart. Quaff one!

ABV 4.98% Hops: Palisades, Mt. Hood"

New to me brew... Bottle picked up at Bier Thirty tonight for a pricey $6ish... poured into my slim tulip. Deeep amber with a nice tannish head that shows good lacing for the entire glass.

Nose immediately is a little thin with light caramel malt and some heavier than ever expected fruitiness... light cherry and maybe some apricot.. odd. Hoppiness is there, but is blown out by the weird malt/ester profile.

Flavor mirrors the aromas with a bit of light cocoa or dark toffee elements .. seems a bit light in the flavors.. could use more malt presence across the board... and a little more residual malty sweetness could help carry the flavor a bit better. Hops are "present" but are the least of the problems.

Body is pretty light... carbonation seems about right though... seems a little watery.

Personally, I would ramp up the ABV by a percent or so and add more malt character that will hopefully move the body out of the current realm.

I look forward to new batches.

3.5/3/3/3/3