When this year’s Top 30 was revealed to me there were more than a few surprises on the list, but none of them brought quite as much of a smile to my face as this appearance by Mac’s Gold ‘All Malt’ Lager. A stoic wee drop that’s been around forever, and one that’s been low-key excellent for just as long. Proving once again that the lager category is far more of a tightrope walk than performance art, there’s very little profound critical overtures I can make towards Mac’s Gold. It doesn’t stand out in any one way or covet any craft glory. It humbly states that it is indeed brewed from all malt, and otherwise just quietly gets everything right. The ‘all malt’ feature shouldn’t be overlooked however, since this does give it conspicuously more body and length on the palate than more “economically” brewed examples, at a not insignificant 20% less alcohol than a typical 5% lager too. If you (somehow) are yet to try Mac’s Gold, then there’s surely no better time. But then again, it’ll probably still be around in another 20 years, so I guess there’s no rush.
