Maclay's Traditional Pale Ale
Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite but now closed The Beer Store on Goyeau St. in nearby downtown Windsor. Lot number E14250120G. My 4th beer from the Guelph, Ontario brewery. Loved by Sundae the cat...

 

I tried Maclays on the recommendation of DJ Cosmo from CHEZ 106.1 FM in Ottawa. I think that it tastes better than the big brands and it costs less too.

I bought a can at the beer store in Ontario 473ml at 5%. Clear and good carbonation
Poured a 1finger head into glass that quickly disappeared but left a lace as you drink it.
Taste is light malty apple with a mild bitterness and skunky hop flavor.
It feels like it's watered down.
Overall it's light and easy to drink.
Average .
Cheers

Light colour, decent yet not lasting head. Overall it’s an ok beer considering the price point.

Very good beer after a hot day in the garden. Excellent value.

Poured from the 473ml can into a tall pilsener glass. bubbly 1 inch head that diminished to a 1/4" but remained for longer than I expected. Medium carbonation and attractive lacing for a few minutes after the pour. Smell is faint and inoffensive - the usual hints of grain. Emphasis on the first word in "Pale Ale"; very little hop flavour up-front, although a bit of bitterness on the sides of the tongue and a mild hoppy bitter aftertaste at the back of the tongue. Tastes watered down, generally. As this is brewed by Sleeman's, it carries the same profile - not too varied, and drinkable. I'm sure this isn't a faithful imitation of the original Ale brewed in Scotland which won awards at the turn of the 20th century. But at $1.95 a can at the LCBO, it's certainly not without its merits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What utter crap masquerading behind a label with "traditional pale ale" and the association with Scotland. I won't even waste my time going through the indices in describing this concoction... Cheap swill. Period. Even Budweiser and Tsing Tao are a step above this shit!

Wanted to do a formal review of this one so revisiting. 473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchased for $2 CDN.

Appearance - weak pale golden straw color. Decent finger of head was poured but doesn't last long. Some visible bubbles and the tiniest string of lacing left behind. Looks like a macro.

Smell- some grainy notes and a bit of a cooked vegetable wrapped around metal vibe as well. Smells like a macro.

Taste - very bland, I guess some coarse grainy flavor. Tastes like a macro, although probably a bit better than some.

Mouthfeel - it's wet and has a little less than average carbonation. Feels like a macro.

Overall - there's not too much good to say about this other than that it rates on par with macros, and as far as English pale ales go, it's pretty bad. I suppose there's a bit of bang for your buck here, but in this area, why not pay 10 cents more and get Spaten for an incredibly more satisfying brew?