In my early drinking days, Mackeson was almost as ubiquitous as Guinness. Yet I never even considered giving it a try. And not just because it wasn't "real". No-one under 90 seemed to drink it. What 18 year old wants a grandad's drink?
"It looks good, tastes good and by jolly it does you good." That was their slogan. Can you believe that Mackeson used to be advertised on the telly? Hard to imagine now. Another demonstration of how much the beer world has changed in the last 40 years. Mackeson was a substantial national brand, even if its drinkers were mostly shuffling towards their graves.
About 10 years back I spotted the export version of Mackeson in De Bierkoning. From a mixture of nostalgia and morbid curiosity, I gave it a try. The first taste was a huge shock. I hadn't expected all the roast. I was most impressed by the combination of bitter burnt flavours and extreme sweetness.
Next time I was back in the UK, I bought a few cans. They were a massive disappointment. It was but a pale, watery imitation of the export beer. Thankfully, the version presented today is closer to Export Mackeson.
But enough of my nostalgic ramblings. It's time for Kristen to do his thing . . . . .
Mackeson - 1936 - Stout | |||||||||
General info: Warning. Those of lactose intolerance steer well clear of this baby! Sweet stout. Milk stout. Mackeson Stout. A wicked 'little' sweet stout with a good dose of sugar. Lots of chocolate and brown malt really lend a depth that nearly all current day sweet stouts are lacking. Most interesting about this recipe is that the lactose was only added in the cask along with the primings. Something that is really quite remarkable. You'd think you couldn't drink many but after 6, I found that to be quite untrue. | |||||||||
Beer Specifics | Recipe by percentages | ||||||||
Gravity (OG) | 1.051 | 68.3% English Pale malt | 8% Invert No3 | ||||||
Gravity (FG) | 1.017 | 0.5% Flaked Oats | 3.5% Cane Sugar | ||||||
ABV | 4.53% | 5.7% Brown malt | 8.5% Lactose | ||||||
Apparent attenuation | 66.67% | 5.5% Chocolate malt | |||||||
Real attenuation | 54.61% | ||||||||
IBU | 30.8 | Mash | 90min@149°F | 0.96qt/lb | |||||
SRM | 44 | 90min@65°C | 2.01L/kg | ||||||
EBC | 86.7 | ||||||||
Boil | 1.33 hours | ||||||||
Homebrew @ 70% | Craft @ 80% | ||||||||
Grist | 5gal | 19L | 10bbl | 10hl | |||||
English Pale malt | 7.47 | lb | 3.401 | kg | 405.27 | lb | 156.58 | kg | |
Flaked Oats | 0.05 | lb | 0.024 | kg | 2.86 | lb | 1.11 | kg | |
Brown malt | 0.63 | lb | 0.285 | kg | 33.93 | lb | 13.11 | kg | |
Chocolate malt | 0.61 | lb | 0.276 | kg | 32.87 | lb | 12.70 | kg | |
Invert No3 | 0.88 | lb | 0.399 | kg | 47.50 | lb | 18.35 | kg | |
Cane Sugar | 0.38 | lb | 0.174 | kg | 20.78 | lb | 8.03 | kg | |
Lactose | 13.00 | oz | 371.9 | g | 50.50 | lb | 19.51 | kg | |
10.013 | 4.559 | 593.72901 | |||||||
Hops | |||||||||
Goldings 4.5% 90min | 1.27 | oz | 35.9 | g | 78.59 | oz | 1.899 | kg | |
Goldings 4.5% 30min | 0.55 | oz | 15.6 | g | 34.17 | oz | 0.826 | kg | |
Fermentation | 63°F /17.2°C | ||||||||
Yeast | |||||||||
1318 | |||||||||
Tasting Notes: Toasted malt, bread crust, chocolate, cocoa and mocha. Big, rich and chewy goodness. Nearly velvety. Spicy hops? That’s a pleasant surprise. Hints of Orangina and figgy pudding on the end. So very easy to drink the pensioners won't be alone in this one. Another beer into my arsenal of awesomeness. | |||||||||
Yes, I know. It's not Wednesday again. Burt I'm sure you'll agree that this recipe was worth a day's wait.
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10 comments:
The version of Mackesons currently sold in the UK is well suited to winter lunch time drinking, particularly after working in the garden.
What a great beer.
I can't drink the one made in the US. Its quite horrible. Every year we go to Jamaica for our anniversary and every year I bring back copious amounts of the Trinidadian Mackesons. Meaning its made there. Supposedly the same beer they are light years apart.
Ant,
This version is close to he UK and Caribbean on but its go more flavor.
Judging by this link:
http://www.beerpal.com/Mackeson-XXX-Stout-Beer/5214/
it appears Boston Beer Company in the U.S. (makers of the well-known Sam Adams Lager and numerous line extensions) currently makes Mackeson XXX under license for the domestic market. The reviews suggest a high standard is reached, and indeed some of the taste impressions seem consistent with the 1936 recreation. I believe the beer is brewed in Cincinnati, at the plant BBC bought some years ago which used to be Hudepohl-Schoenling.
Gary
Very similar to the Sweet Stout that my wife whips me to make for her when it runs out. I use Lyle'l Black Treacle as the No. 3... how about everyone else?
Screw top pint bottles, 12 in a wooden crate sitting on my granddad's back porch.
I can remember stealing a sip when I was a kid. It was wonderful and luciously malty with a tang and the sweetness balanced it all. Occasionally on a cold winter's night he would plunge a red hot poker into a pint mug filled with Mackeson's, hot milk stout, caramelised and warming!
Who remembers Ena Sharples on Corrie in the Rover's snug with Martha drinking milk stout?
Like Ron I always asscociated milk stouts with OAP's, I guess now that I qualify for a bus pass I can drink it without worrying about being uncool!
Andrew,
I've done it with Treacle for the No3. Its nice but really overpowers the other flavors. Try swapping out all of the sugar for Golden Syrup. Its nearly as nice the original.
Mike,
Might just have to do that. Red hot poker stout.
I've tried the hot poker, though not with Mackeson, and it was way too sooty and ashy. Like I imagine licking an old ashtray would be.
Kristen,
I'll give that a shot.... I've used the golden syrup before in a barleywine I made and it turned out fantastic. Much more complex than I would have thought with just Maris Otter.
It's interesting that the custom of taking a red-hot poker to beer to warm and caramelize it has survived to modern times. Historically, there was a whole class of wine or beer "cocktails," collectively called caudle, which were heated in precisely this fashion.
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