Maclean's Pale Ale

old faithful · Post by **old faithful** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:39 pm

Tonight at the Bow I sampled Maclean's Pale Ale, cask-conditioned.

This is without doubt the best real ale I have had in Canada and would stand tall in any rating in the U.K.

It is so complex (yet easily drinkable) I find it hard to describe. I have sampled Mr. Maclean's beers for many a year, cask-conditioned and regular draft, but they never really impressed until today.

Charles Maclean: you have it exactly right, Sir, don't change anything. Pubs who dispense real ale: buy this and offer it in the best condition possible. Tipplers: visit the Bow soon and taste a rare treat. The first sips brought back real ale festivals in England and Bill Newman's fine real ale from the mid-1980's in Albany, NY. This is the real deal, friends. When beer is available in this form, it trumps all others no matter how good.

This is what real English-style top-fermented ale is all about. Often when I order real ale in Toronto I am (for reasons discussed earlier on the board) disappointed. Not tonight. Hopefully this is not a flash in the pan and Maclean's Pale Ale is here to stay in this ultra-good form, setting the standard for the best English-style draught beer in Canada and, frankly, almost anywhere.

Gary

Rob Creighton · Post by **Rob Creighton** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:03 pm

Thanks for the kind comments Gary. I work with Charles and will pass them along. He normally only checks email when his internet connection is working and he can find his glasses. There is a high statistical improbability of both happening together. Cheers

old faithful · Post by **old faithful** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 4:23 am

Rob, nice to hear that you work with Charles, whom I met many years ago at a tasting in Toronto. I know he has been a stalwart for real ale and good ale in general and while his beers have always been good this current cask-conditioned ale stands out like no other I remember. I wish you both well with it and will certainly be looking to sample it again soon.

Gary

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 4:57 pm

Cask-conditioned Maclean's Pale Ale was appearing from time to time at the (lost, lamented) Blue Meaney and I enjoyed it there quite a bit as well. Rob or others, does it appear in cask form anywhere else in the GTA? (Probably at the Woolwich, I would guess?)

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 6:03 pm

I used to get it at the judge in hamilton!

PRMason · Post by **PRMason** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:33 pm

MacLeans Pale Ale is an exceptional cask beer largely because of the man himself. Charles Maclean is the emminence gris of real ale in Canada. I first met Charles back in the very early 1980's in London, England where he was brewing with the now-defunct Godson's Black Horse Brewery. His ales at that time were a cut above English standards! His arrival at Wellington County announced real ale in Ontario. Let us raise a glass of cask to the man who started it all-Charles Maclean, you da man!

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:10 pm

I finally made it to the Bow for my first pint of Macleans in some time, in a state of high anticipation given old faithful's review above. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. The beer seemed very tannic and green to me, with the hops overwhelming and drowning out any complexity I was hoping for. It was not as I recalled it from when it was last on cask at the Bow a few years ago, and not, I think, as it was described above from about a month ago. There was nothing wrong with it (hopheads would love it, I think) but to me it was a bit out of balance and not as complex as I remembered it. Rob: could this simply be something like a newly-tapped cask? Has the recipe changed (dry-hopping, for instance) from a few years ago? I'll keep trying it as this was one of my very favourite beers in the "old days" at the Bow and I realize real ale can be variable due to a number of factors.

old faithful · Post by **old faithful** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:08 pm

I know you asked Rob but permit to say what you described is not what I experienced. Unfortunately it appears the vagaries of real ale service prevented an optimum pint. Do persist with it, though, I am sure you will be rewarded. At the Bow (and everywhere where there is cask ale) I now ask for a small taste first. They are always willing to oblige. If the beer seems green or otherwise not in good nick I'll choose something else that day.

Gary