Mcewan’s Export Beer Review - Lost In Time

September 13, 2022 Cameron Mackenzie

Mcewan’s is a brand that has been on shelves and been in pubs for decades. Founded in 1856 by William Mcewan, it has gone through several mergers. It seen its peak popularity in the 80’s and 90’s as it rose to prominence across Scotland and north east England. The brand was eventually handed to Heineken after their acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle in 2008, this proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the brand as it has been totally disregarded since. But Scottish & Newcastle were also guilty of neglect as they let the brand stagnate while they focused on their more global brands. This allowed other brands to flourish in the kingdom that once belonged to Mcewan’s. Brands like John Smith’s and Belhaven Best soon eclipsed the brand. This carelessness also seen the downfall of Mcewan’s lager which was soon slain and totally overruled by Tennents in Scotland, allowing Tennents to have total control over the Scottish lager industry. You can read our review on Tennents lager here.

At the height of its popularity in the 80’s and 90’s, Mcewan’s was a major sponsor for Rangers football club, who were at the time going through an extremely successful period in their history. The Mcewan’s Lager logo was seen on the chest of some of the most talented players in the world at the time like Ally McCoist, Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne.

Many people from that period of time will remember Mcewan’s fondly as it was aggressively marketed on TV, back when alcohol advertising was in its golden age. Mcewan’s adverts occupied the whole 4-5 minute advertising space Which is totally unheard of now outside of huge sporting events.

The beer itself, Mcewan’s Export, has an uninspiring taste; bitter, placid and arguably a little offensive. This Scottish ale comes in at an ABV of 4.5%, making it on par with other light alcoholic beverages on the market. If one looks hard enough, apparently a delicate sweet caramel flavour and roasted malt aroma can be found according to the website. I would have to disagree, I don’t come across either of these notes. I think it tastes cheap and bitter, having no distinguishing features that make it stand out of the crowd.

Whether the brand itself will survive is doubtful, it’s been thrown to the side and allowed to rot by Heineken. It would take a miracle for Mcewan’s to garner the same brand presence it once had and the quality of Mcewan’s export isn’t going to help the brand at all. It’s an ale I’d recommend if it’s on offer but in most circumstances I’d opt for a better option.

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