Mac’s history dates back to 1981 when production began in a small micro brewery in Nelson. The brand has gone from strength to strength and now boasts a family of seven beers, a cider and three non-alcoholic soft drinks. Each member of the family has its own unique personality and full flavoured taste.
Mac’s Gold
This is the beer on which the reputation of the Mac’s Brewery was founded. Since 1982 it’s done a splendid job as a 4% golden lager with hints of citrus and sweet malts. In the drinking, you’ll notice the hops have imparted a wistful suggestion of mid-palate bitterness, but this is soon modified by a delicate caramel sweetness. Conclude this line of inquiry and you’ll enjoy the crispest of finishes, refreshed by the clean aftertaste.
Date of Launch
1982
Style
Lager
ABV
4.0
Standard drinks
1.0/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
3.5
Energy kj/100ml
149
Energy cal/100ml
36
Black Mac
In a world that’s up to here with ‘me-too lagers’, Black Mac chooses to swim upstream. As you will soon discover, that stream is dark and rich and carries mellow hints of caramel. You’ll also become aware of a suggestion of velvety chocolate floating by on the current. Frankly, writing this is making us thirsty. We suggest you purchase one quick before we’re required to torture ourselves with intimations of the fuggles hop character.
Date of Launch
1982
Style
Dark beer
ABV
4.8
Standard drinks
1.2/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
4.9
Energy kj/100ml
190
Energy cal/100ml
45
Mac’s Sassy Red
Deaf to the pleas of the Mac’s Brewery finance department, we pour bucket loads of pricey Saaz hops into Sassy Red at strategic points in the brewing process – giving an aroma that our head brewer claims is “like sticking your head in a hop sack”. The nutty, biscuity flavours you detect on your first sip of this 4.5% aromatic ale can be laid at the door of the combination of the five different malts used. Sassy Red won the amber ale category at BrewNZ every year from 2003-2006. Not that we like to boast about that sort of thing.
Date of Launch
2002
Style
Amber Ale
ABV
4.5
Standard drinks
1.1/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
4.6
Energy kj/100ml
177
Energy cal/100ml
42
Mac’s Great White
Mac’s Great White is the Mac’s version of the brewing classic, Belgian Witbier. As such, it imparts aromas of bubblegum, banana, Turkish delight and rose petals. However, you can also obtain rhubarb and custard from the warming glass, not to mention an eccentric raspberry and aniseed combination, orange peel, mandarin and a floral note from the coriander.
Date of Launch
2006
Style
Wheat Beer
ABV
5.0
Standard drinks
1.3/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
3.6
Energy kj/100ml
178
Energy cal/100ml
42
Mac’s Spring Tide
This is a lower carb beer that radiates virtue from the start with a delicate golden blush in the glass and the cleanest and driest of drinking experiences. It’s not all sweetness and light though, with lingering bitter notes adding body at the end. The brewing process is natural (naturally) and we resisted the temptation to use added enzymes for a lower carb brew.
Date of Launch
2006
Style
Lower Carb Beer
ABV
4.5
Standard drinks
1.1/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
1.7
Energy kj/100ml
129
Energy cal/100ml
31
Mac’s Hop Rocker
Mac’s Hop Rocker is a premium lager that combines the best of Mac’s famous reserve and wicked blonde brews with a few ideas of its own. By adding a portion of crystal malt to the standard lager malt, it buys itself some room for serious hop addition – namely Nelson Sauvin up front and again later in combination with New Zealand Cascade. It resolves itself as a golden lager with proper citrus aromas and pilsener-style bitter notes.
Date of Launch
2006
Style
Pilsener
ABV
5.0
Standard drinks
1.3/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
4.7
Energy kj/100ml
191
Energy cal/100ml
46
Mac’s Light
Mac’s Light is low alcohol (1% ABV), easy-drinking and tastes like any good beer should.
Crafted by the same process we craft all our Mac’s beers with, Mac’s Light uses the same hops as Hop Rocker, with malt grist enriched by the use of roast barley for colour and depth, creating the canvas for aromatic hopping. We have used a technique whereby less of the malt has been fermented, thereby creating body and depth so often lacking in lights beers. Mac’s Light has a pleasant bitterness and soft citrus aroma gifted by New Zealand Cascade Hops.
Date of Launch
1983
Style
Low Alcohol Lager
ABV
1.0
Standard drinks
0.3/330ml
Total carbs g/100ml
1.4
Energy kj/100ml
49
Energy cal/100ml
12
Mac’s Isaacs Cider
It was in the shade of an apple tree that Sir Isaac Newton nutted out the laws of gravity. Likewise, it hit Mac’s on the head that a splendid 5% ABV cider might be just the thing…
Introducing Isaac’s Cider from Mac’s, an easy-drinking full strength refreshing drink made from locally grown New Zealand apples, with the crisp and refreshing taste nature intended.
Mac’s
Mac’s history dates back to 1981 when production began in a small micro brewery in Nelson. The brand has gone from strength to strength and now boasts a family of seven beers, a cider and three non-alcoholic soft drinks. Each member of the family has its own unique personality and full flavoured taste.
Mac’s Gold
Black Mac
Mac’s Sassy Red
Mac’s Great White
Mac’s Spring Tide
Mac’s Hop Rocker
Mac’s Light
Mac’s Light is low alcohol (1% ABV), easy-drinking and tastes like any good beer should.
Crafted by the same process we craft all our Mac’s beers with, Mac’s Light uses the same hops as Hop Rocker, with malt grist enriched by the use of roast barley for colour and depth, creating the canvas for aromatic hopping. We have used a technique whereby less of the malt has been fermented, thereby creating body and depth so often lacking in lights beers. Mac’s Light has a pleasant bitterness and soft citrus aroma gifted by New Zealand Cascade Hops.
Mac’s Isaacs Cider
Introducing Isaac’s Cider from Mac’s, an easy-drinking full strength refreshing drink made from locally grown New Zealand apples, with the crisp and refreshing taste nature intended.
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