Enjoyed two small glasses of this at Max Lager's yesterday. Chill-hazed, dark brown appearance with hints of red clarity. Nice, well formed egg-shell head. Good retention and lace. All the components of a solid bock are present with dominant (but balanced) malt backbone and a hint of hoppy bitterness. More like a double bock than a straight up bock to me. I have no idea if the advertised ABV is correct, if it is it drinks WELL below that number and in that respect is a little dangerous! All in...
Notes on beers brewed by
Max Lager's American Grill & Brewery
Max Oktoberfest
2008 version sampled 11/7/08. Simple, clear and orangey/red/mid-brown pour with minimal head and lace. In fact, carbonation this low reminds me of a cask ale (a good thing). This brew pretty much nails the style nicely. Good, sweet malts are supported with some subtle bitternes for balance. Nicely rounded in the mouth (which I always feel is an important feature of the Marzen type brews). According to the blurb this was brewed in the taditonal style in as much as it was made in March and then...
Max Abbey
Extermely nice, surpassed my expectations by some distance. Nice authentic brown color with some spotty head and a little lacing. This could be improved with a better pour, the presentation let it down a bit. Very creamy in the mouth, with a solid malt presence but also a distinct Belgian feel. Some mild spice apparent and very sweet. The sweetness did not overpower the beer, and I thought it was a pretty decent example of the style. Nice malt nose completes this very acceptable package. One...
Max Cream
Currently this is called Max Amber Cream Ale, rather than just "Cream", but I was assured it was the same beer. Beautiful looking pint, golden and a large 1 inch head that showed excllent retention. Some spicy, hop character that really reminded me of a simple, lightly hopped IPA. Very drinkable and very refreshing. A little aggresive, prickly carbonation adds to the mix to make a very good brewpub beer.
Max Pale
As others have noted, the aroma was better than the taste, not that the taste wasn't good, it just didn't quite come up to the expectation that the smell suggested. Very solid appearance, burned orange color with a really good sized, well retained head and some lacing. Definite citrus aroma and initial bitterness, but this fades to give a less aggressive character later in the pint. Hop bitterness is light, which makes the beer a little less satisfying than it initially promises from the IPA,...