Iron Jack Full Strength Lager
Legendary Brewing Co

 

 

Well well well, it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed one of these: a Macro Lager. *cracks knuckles* So here’s the disclaimer: I got this beer free from the Lion-Nathan rep, who’s actually a pretty top-bloke who knows that I probably wont like this beer. He literally said “You will not like this beer”. I like a rep who knows their market. I am, in fairness, probably going to rip into this beer and end on a rant, however I am always open to being proven wrong and I like to give every beer a chance. First up off the bat: calling a 4.2% ABV beer “Full Strength” is a bit rich when >4.5% ABV is considered full-strength in my book. Also this is brewed out of the Castlemaine Brewery in Brisbane, so don’t expect much more than a XXXX Bitter clone.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a US shaker pint (my least favourite glass).

A: Clear golden body with a white cappuccino foam head that settles to a thin blanket, minimal lacing [told ya I would copy pasta]. Only difference between this and the last brew (Fonzie Abbott House Beer) is the lack of carbonation action going on inside this glass, looks flat as a tack. 6/10.

S: There’s a reason most blue-collar Aussie drinkers don’t lean in and sniff their glass of VB/Toohey’s/XXXX/MB/Etc, Macro Lager – they smell pretty terrible, like a night at the local country town RSL, there’s nothing but an odd mixture of adjunct grains, crisp apple hints and a chemical note. Not great stuff, certainly not an aroma that warrants a tasting. 3/10.

T: If you hold your nostrils closed and take a swig it’s not so bad… at first. There’s an overall grainy/crisp apple flavour that lasts from start to finish, it’s not exciting – the rep was right, but it does the job of quenching ones thirst with little muss/fuss. Then the aftertaste comes in and some of that solvent-like chemical character comes through – proving that brewing, even though it is a science (Zymology: Google it), there is an art-form about it that the bigger macro brewers don’t get. 4/10.

M: Thin, watery, and strangely cloying with a grainy slickness on the tongue. 4/10.

D: Whilst this isn’t the worst Macro Lager I’ve tried (I’m looking at you VB!) there is little to redeem it or make it stand out from the pack – which is IMO the problem with inventing new Macro Lagers: every man and his dog in the outback wearing flannel already has a favourite Macro Lager, and they’re all set in stone about it (even though they all taste pretty much the same), so this is a big risk for Lion-Nathan when they should be chasing craft money instead. 4/10.

Food match: 1st: Tip this down the drain, 2nd: Get a real beer, 3rd: Add food.