Psssssttttt. I
have a secret. You know that wonderful imported English stout, Mackeson’s
XXX? It’s not imported anymore. Nope. It is brewed in Cincinnati, Ohio, now,
presumably by Boston Beer at their facility in that great city. Under the
“strict” supervision of Whitbread PLC’s brewers, of course, but still not
brewed in the old country. I would say that the beer has lost some of its
charm in the process too.
Certainly, those wily European brewing concerns have learned a thing or too
from their upstart American counterparts. Specifically, they have learned
about the practice of contract brewing, in which a company pays
another brewery to produce its beer for it. Why ship your beer across the
pond, after all, when it can be brewed in the target market at a much
reduced cost? That seems to be exactly what has happened with Mackeson’s
XXX Stout.
I have always enjoyed Mackeson XXX Stout. I still do. It just doesn’t seem
to be the beer it used to be. Mackeson is a Triple Stout by its own
labeling, and a milk stout by style. It is sweetened to a degree with
lactose sugars, hence the milk moniker. Sometimes, such beers will be called
cream stouts.
Mackeson XXX has been around since 1801, so as one can easily see it is
definitely not a Johnny-come-lately to the beer world. The beer pours to a
jet black color with a thick and creamy reddish-tan head formation and a
chocolaty malt nose. The palate is medium bodied and milk-chocolaty, creamy,
slightly roasty, and hinting at Ovaltine and licorice. The finish has
powdery cocoa notes and a slight roasty bitterness balanced off by a
simultaneous sweetness.
There is a lot going on here, but every element is understated just enough
to make this beer a very good one instead of a great one. I like it a lot,
but I liked it better when it was imported. Still, Mackeson’s XXX Stout is
offered at a much better price than it used to be. I recall it being sold in
four-packs for about $6. I recently bought a six-pack at Sherlock’s
in Marietta, Georgia on special at $4.98.
This is a wonderful beer to match with chocolate. It is also great to make a
stout float with. Just add a dollop of vanilla ice cream to your
glass and enjoy.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft