Brewery Tour at Mac and Jack's in Redmond

We're guessing that just about anybody who drinks beer and lives in Seattle has had at least one pint of Mac and Jack's African Amber. But, how many of you have been to the brewery for a tour over in Redmond?

Did you know that Mac and Jack's sells more of their African Amber on draft in the Seattle area than ANY other beer/brewery? Yes, that includes all the macro beers such as Bud/Coors/Miller. Mac and Jack's is a very focused brewery; draft only, 4 beers in the lineup(maybe 3 soon if they drop the IPA as rumored) very little advertising, a basic website and limited distribution. They're obviously doing something right if they are beating the big guys in one of the most competitive beer markets in the country.

Mac and Jack's is located in Redmond, WA and is open every day of the week for filling your growler or picking up kegs. On Sundays at 3pm they do a weekly tour that we attended this past weekend. There were about 25 people on the tour that was led by a very informative employee that gave great information about the basics of brewery operation and specifics of the Mac and Jack's beers in general. One thing we learned is that every single keg of African Amber that leaves the brewery has a mesh sack of hops floating in it to dry-hop the beer. We sampled the Amber, Porter, Wheat and IPA that are the four staples of Mac and Jack's. Of those beers, the Amber accounts for something like 90% of their volume. Essentially, they could make just that beer and not skip a beat. And you know what? It's a great beer. We often pass it up for other offerings in bars, but having a fresh sample reminded us of just how good it really is. It's the highest rated Amber Ale on Ratebeer.com.

The tour is well worth an hour on a Sunday afternoon; just make sure to bring a growler or two and get them filled.

Image thanks to juleezworld from Flickr