Magic Hat Brewing - #9 Not Quite Pale Ale

This evening's review is going to be short and sweet.  Battlefield 3 officially released today at 12:01am, so being a HUGE Battlefield Bad Company 2 fan, I'm pretty damn excited to play this game.  It's days like today that I yearn for the college days of limited responsibility and tons of extra time....

Tonight I'll be drinking "a beer cloaked in secrecy" - #9 Not Quite Pale Ale from Magic Hat Brewing in South Burlington, VT.  This is an English-style pale ale that uses Cascade and Apollo hops, and registers 5.1% alcohol.  The brew comes in a 12oz bottle with a funkadelic swirling maze that forms the number 9.  Magic Hat throws little quips under their bottle caps - this one says "A good sneeze can knock you on your knees".

The beer is a slightly hazy, light golden color with a fairly big head on top.  The aroma is loaded with apricots.  Also some sweet butter and adjuncts - bits of corn and rice.  The flavor starts off with a boatload of crisp, dry apricot.  Really fruity!  It's certainly apparent the fruit flavor was added in - it's really up-front and a bit unnatural.  The carbonation is insane - this is a bubbly champagne-style delivery.  There's a very mild hop bitterness in the background, hardly noticeable.  The finish is clean and dry.

Overall Rating:  This is an odd beer.  I've never had anything quite like it - definitely suits the name.  Apricot is the star of the show - if you like apricots, you'll probably like this beer... otherwise, you'll want to steer clear.  For my part, it wasn't anything special, but certainly refreshing and I did finish the bottle.  B-

Magic Hat Brewing - Hex Ourtoberfest

Tonight I've picked out a brew from Magic Hat Brewing called the Hex Ourtoberfest.  Magic Hat is located in South Burlington, Vermont, and these brewers are oddball guys that brew plenty of oddball beers.  Steve and I have only reviewed one beer from them thus far, the Blind Faith IPA from their IPA on Tour series, which turned out to be fairly average in the world of IPAs.  This Hex Ourtoberfest is a unique approach to the Oktoberfest genre, using some interesting ingredients like cherry-wood smoked malts and malted rye.  Definitely not going to be a traditional Oktoberfest! 

The beer registers a moderate 5.4% alcohol.  The label depicts a table full of demon-like men drinking pints of beer in a halloween-style bier garden - creepy and typical label from Magic Hat.  The beer is a dark, dirty-penny copper color with a light layer of lace that recedes right away.  The aroma is light and faint, with subtle notes of caramel and herbal tea, along with a spicy note and a lingering metallic smell.  You know how your hand smells after you hold a handful of pennies?  That's what I keep smelling here in the background. 

The beer starts off with a big wave of caramel malts that are simultaneously infused with spicy rye.  Behind that comes a layer of hop bitterness that carries more spices with it, along with an earthy herbal flavor.  More drinks reveal more herbs and grasses in the hop profile.  The finish leaves a sweet biscuity malt flavor that lingers for a bit.  The carbonation was on the heavier side, with a creamy texture. 

Overall Rating:  This was an odd brew from Magic Hat, I'm not really sure what to think!  It's certainly not a bad beer.  The malt backbone is pleasant, and the rye adds a nice component to brew.  There was something that seemed a little off....I can't quite pinpoint it, but it's an odd metallic-like flavor that throws things off I think.  If you're looking for an outside-the-box Oktoberfest brew, than this is a good one to try.  B-

Magic Hat - Blind Faith IPA

Tonight I'll be going on tour with Magic Hat's IPA on Tour series.  This installment is the summer edition - Blind Faith.  This is an English-influenced IPA that is brewed with english ale yeast and Apollo + Cascade hops.  Registering at 6.2%ABV and 60 IBUs, this looks like more of a hybrid english/american IPA on paper.

This beer comes in a 12oz bottle that I bought as a single - their label drew me in and caught my interest right away in a sea of singles, mainly because it was kind of mysterious.  We know it's an IPA....but we want to know more!

The beer is a clear, pure copper color with a half finger of white head that recedes quickly.  Nose is sweet and malty, with a mild hop background that is lightly fruity, soft citrus hints.  Taste starts off lightly hoppy with some grapefruits and pineapple, followed quickly by a buttery bready malts.  This beer is more malt-forward than I expected.  Also was expecting more of the subdued english hop flavors, but what I got was more of an american hop profile.  Medium body with a lower carbonation that gives it a smooth mouthfeel.

Overall Rating:  This was a light, malty IPA that was drinkable, but didn't stand out in any way.  I won't go out of my way to find more, but it's worth a try if you can find a bottle - limited release so if you want it, go pick one up soon.