Magic Hat Brewing Company

Client Brewer in Rochester, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Owned by FIFCO USA
Associated Venue: Magic Hat Brewing Company - Out of business

Established in 1993

Closed in 2025

Contact
445 St Paul St, Rochester, NY, 14605, United States
Description
The idea of Magic Hat began where so many good ideas before it began: in a bathtub. This bathtub, located on Vermont’s Goddard College campus and devoid of a plaque of recognition, is where Bob Johnson brewed his first batch of beer. After years of honing his craft, Bob was finally ready for the big time. Soon after he realized his readiness, he re-met Alan Newman, a serial entrepreneur with whom Bob had worked in a past life. Bob told Alan of his plans and before a handshake could take place, the two were jet-setting to the West Coast for research.

Upon their return to Burlington, Bob and Alan began their search for a space to call their own. That search landed them in an abandoned factory on Flynn Avenue in Burlington’s South End, where Bob would finally brew Bob’s First, Magic Hat’s debut ale and, soon after, the first batches of #9, Fat Angel and Blind Faith.

Admin Note: In July 2020, Magic Hat sold their production facility and broke ties with the state of Vermont. All beers are brewed at the FIFCO owned Genesee Brewing facility in Rochester, NY.

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5.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Sampled on draft this beer poured a hazy golden amber color with a medium sized foamy orange-white head that left good lacing. The aroma was tangy and fruity with pepper and grapefruit. The flavor was bitter with fruity & piney hops, perfume, tobacco and astringency. Long finish. Medium body.

Tried from Draft on 26 May 2018 at 21:02


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Sixer at home damn ticks been hard to come by in my new day to day life. Cloudy orange pour soapy head. Nose is tropics, some oats, pine. Tastes grapefruit, tangerine, pine sol, oats, Kool aid. Little astringent. Slight bitter. Fruity.

Tried on 12 May 2018 at 01:58


6.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Big pounder can. Pours is quite nice, a darker beer with alabaster near tan head. Smell is pleasantly malty. Taste is good up front with plenty of co2. Rather mild and enjoyable dark brew. Right up there with black and tan. Not bad. Finish is surprisingly civilized as well. Would drink a couple more, heheh. I think I even detect a little wild hair in there too. A very good central american style dark beer. Thank you.

Tried from Can on 23 Apr 2018 at 21:05


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Slightly hazy deep copper and bronze coloured body with a hint of a brown tint and a thin, single centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of cloves, allspice, coriander seed, light canella and a dash of funky yeast and perhaps the slightest nugget of squash in the mix. Light-bodied; Slightly funky and almost soured flavour at first with a big dash of spice showing allspice and then canella right at first with some earthier and nuttier flavours right afterwards and the tiniest bit of squash noticeable at the end. Aftertaste shows the funky and soured yeast flavours at first with a light body (no squash), minor spices and mellow sweetness at the very tail end. Overall, a pretty poor squash-based beer with more spices than anything else, but a funky yeast and soured flavour that was not great, but interesting at least, especially for the style. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from GlenRo Spirit Shoppe in Monroe, Connecticut on 10-March-2018 for US$1,00 sampled at home in Washington on 08-April-2018.

Tried from Can on 09 Apr 2018 at 06:59


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Pours hazy gold with a thick head. Interesting palate but not particularly bitter for an IPA. Very drinkable, definitely worth the try.

Tried on 08 Apr 2018 at 00:10


5.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

Hazy light-golden colour with a small white cap and minimal lacing. Citrus aromas over grainy malts and wheat. The taste is also citrusy, with some light sourness over light cereal grain and spices. Was expecting a sweet heavy Hefeweizen, but seem like an easier drinking citrus-spiced ale.

Tried on 02 Apr 2018 at 00:01


5.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

Slightly hazy amber colour with a big off-white, long lasting, fluffy and full of thick patchy lacing. Hoppy aromas over caramel malts. These hops turn on a greener grassier note, which is less appealing than what it was at first. Flavours of milder hops with some fruitiness from the malts. A regular decent Pale Ale.

Tried on 01 Apr 2018 at 23:40


4.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

A very slight hazed, light golden colour with a frothy white head, leaving very good lacing. Grainy malt scent with some vegetable hints that change into decent hops. The taste has the same things, but not very well-balanced. Some metallic hints. OK, but not one to have again.

Tried on 01 Apr 2018 at 23:07


6.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

On tap-thin white-slightly hazy gold. A-slight citrus/earthy. T-follows with a slight hint of ? ( ouldnt put my/our finger on it)

Tried from Draft on 29 Mar 2018 at 16:20


3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 2 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 1

Big pretty blue and orange metallic label on my pounder can. No BO on the nose, thank you. Smell is big dull metallic stinky IPA aftershave, fer sher and the taste buds confirm it. What can be said except its a giant of a hop thud in the back of the throat. Whew, even the look in the glass is rude with its chunks floating around in a somewhat darker hefe lookin thang. Such a display of precipitants. Foamy cream head goes rocky and ceases to fade. It floats like an old alabaster battleship named betsy on the top of the brew. So much dull hops, its fricken rude shit and that, my friend, interprets to; if you like big giant aged ipa feel, this is it, ignore my lager lovin numbers. Quite an impact from beginning to end. On the finish, this viscous thick stuff thinks its more than 7%, and I agree. Yes, simply a scary big fat IPA that walks freely all over IPA impyland, heheheh, I think I'm getting dizzy towards the end of this can, heheh.

Tried from Can on 26 Mar 2018 at 19:08