United Nations of Beer

Mac's Hop Rocker

by Fez Broadbent
(Beer Delegate, New Zealand)

Mac's Hop Rocker

Billed as a pilsner but most probably the richest hop-tasting pilsner I have ever encountered, Mac's Hop Rocker is no smooth Czech drop.

The first time I tried this beer was from a pitcher (or "Jug" in New Zealand terms) at my local student bar. I had been told it was a good drink, so I gave it a try.

My first impression was not great. The sour taste and strong hop flavour didn't seem to go down well coming from such a large vessel. Or perhaps it was because the bartender had not poured it properly.

Either way, I decided to give it another try for this review and picked up a six-pack. (continues below)

On first taste I did notice it being a lot better than I had remembered it, automatically leading me to ponder that perhaps I had only the lasting impression of the final warm drops of the pitcher to base my overall judgement.

Not an ice-cold 330ml bottle; and it had strange lines that gave it the appearance and texture of a sex toy (Mac's admit themselves that their bottles are perhaps the most ugly out there).

I've read other reviews using words and descriptions like "grapey", "cut grass, pongy, faint spices with tropical fruit and faint passionfruit" and "stale bread", leading me to wonder if I somehow lost my tastebuds in a failed military experiment that I was unaware of, or that perhaps these people are all on some rather awesome drugs of which I would like to know the price and dealer.

It's true the taste is that excitable that it deserves all sorts of weird description to give it justice, but "grapey"? Um, maybe if you like your grapes after they have lain several days on a compost heap. The only word I can say to accurately describe this taste is sour. Sour and very rich in hops.

Recommended by the bottle but not by the pitcher, it's the kind of beer that is best served with food because its flavour cannot be dulled by anything short of a lemon (which gives me an idea…).

Not the kind of beer I would call a favourite, or one that I would consistently buy to be seen as an old friend, but one that is good for a change every now and then.