5.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Brown bottle, 3/4 of a pint; eye: straw, clear, a bit of effervescence, white head that disappears rapidly, a bit of lacing; nose: apple, citrusy, banana but all of them on the weaker side; mouth: tart, followed by a bit of bitterness, finale on the watery, thin side, with a hint of caramel appearing and the tart aspect lingering on and dominating, body thin to medium, good carbonation; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 3/4 d’une pinte; oeil : paille, claire, un peu d’effervescence, mousse blanche qui disparaît rapidement, petite dentelle; nez : pomme, agrumes, banane mais plus dans le faible que dans le fort; bouche : aigrelette, suivi d’un peu d’amertume, finale plutôt aqueuse avec une petite apparation de caramel et le côté aigrelet qui demeure et domine complètement, corps mince à moyen, bonne carbonatatio; en résumé : ordinaire
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 May 2006
at 12:15
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours a peachy gold with a huge frothy head. Fruity & hoppy nose- very nice. Deep hoppy flavor... loaded with bittersweet hops. Wow... a Magic Hat beer that’s actually good!
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 May 2006
at 19:57
6.5/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
I worte my rating of this beer knowing nothing other than it is a hefe: Bottle poured into a small pilsner glass. Color is cloudy light yellow. The nose is very lemony, more lemon than just citus. A very present aroma. The beer has a bite to it when you taste it. Jumps in your mouth and tickles the taste buds. The flavor is again lemony, not hefe-like. The beer has a light body with a bit of bitterness. It seems my original notes go hand in hand with the decision to make it a spice/herb/veg beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Apr 2006
at 23:59
4.8/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
2006 bottle. Had one with Muzzlehatch about 2 months ago, and then just had another on 4/24/06
Sadly, this beer has already gone far down hill in just 2 months. The green, juicy, flavorful hoppiness in aroma and flavor are now significanly more sluggish and have slipped in to being more bitter and less flavorful/aromatic. Light ringwood mineral-like notes are hard and coupled with lightly dry roast and a watery milk-chocolate flavor that used to be more firm. Appearance, while never stellar, shows even less retention on the light tan head, receding very quickly to ring. The hops go right through the watery malt flavors and an overcarbonation, of large, sharp bubbles plagues the palate as well. The pasteurization on this beer is so apparent and ruinous, not to mention the extreme filtration. Even if they bottle conditioned the beer and didnt pasteurize, they would still be in better shape, infection or no infection. An infection in bottle conditioning or in primary or whatever, would take a while to develop. I think that the time it would take for the infection to show itself is longer than the time it takes for the pasteurization/filtration to render it undrinkable. As it is, after only 2 months, it’s already past its prime. If Magic Hat is so concerned with making beers to be drunk as fresh as possible, how could they possibly justify not bottle conditioning?? It makes no sense.
Sadly, this beer has already gone far down hill in just 2 months. The green, juicy, flavorful hoppiness in aroma and flavor are now significanly more sluggish and have slipped in to being more bitter and less flavorful/aromatic. Light ringwood mineral-like notes are hard and coupled with lightly dry roast and a watery milk-chocolate flavor that used to be more firm. Appearance, while never stellar, shows even less retention on the light tan head, receding very quickly to ring. The hops go right through the watery malt flavors and an overcarbonation, of large, sharp bubbles plagues the palate as well. The pasteurization on this beer is so apparent and ruinous, not to mention the extreme filtration. Even if they bottle conditioned the beer and didnt pasteurize, they would still be in better shape, infection or no infection. An infection in bottle conditioning or in primary or whatever, would take a while to develop. I think that the time it would take for the infection to show itself is longer than the time it takes for the pasteurization/filtration to render it undrinkable. As it is, after only 2 months, it’s already past its prime. If Magic Hat is so concerned with making beers to be drunk as fresh as possible, how could they possibly justify not bottle conditioning?? It makes no sense.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Apr 2006
at 14:48
2.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 2
Flavor 2
Texture 4
Overall 2
This brewer has overall failed to impress me but this one was the worst of the lot. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark brown color with numerous chunks floating in it and a small brown head topping it off. The aroma is sour and tangy and fairly unpleasant. The flavor is also sour, tangy and vaguely unpleasant. There are some light elements of roasty malts and chocolate but the tangy bitter finish kills any possible enjoyment. Drain pour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Apr 2006
at 19:57
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle on 06/25/08. Sweet caramel and amarillo aroma. Sticky resiny hop flavor, some caramel, medium resiny finish. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Original rating from 03/30/06: Clear amber color with a thin white head. Mild malt aroma with some sweet hops. Sweet citrus hop flavor. Originial Score: 6/3/7/3/11
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Mar 2006
at 21:39
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Creamy white golden with a thin white head. Smooth coriander, thyme, and floral hops in aroma. In mouth, coriander, italian spices, c-hops, light citrus. Medium bodied, enticing. At EBF 2006. My Coup de Coeur with the Founders Kentucky!
Tried
on 18 Mar 2006
at 08:17
6.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
1 oz draught sample at the brewery with Snugglehatch on 3/12/06.
Well well, a 1oz sample rating. Yep, I’m doin it, and here’s why. I will be buying a bottle and reviewing a full bottle when it comes out. So why not wait until then to rate it? Because I think this is a perfect opportunity to gauge how much effect small sample size has on a rating. But why not just hold off on entering this rating until I enter the bottled rating? Because I dont have notes and my memory wont last that long. And if you think I’m doing it just for the numbers, then why didnt I rate the half-bottle of Batch 373 that I shared with Barry? Now that that’s out of the way, I think it will be a fun experiment (and it’s magic hat batch 374 anyways, so who really gives a damn?)
Looks more like an American pale ale, though I guess that isnt saying anything definitive. It dosent have much crystal/caramel malt coloring, and thus ends up rather golden-amber, not a deep reddish-amber. Small white head, fair amount of carbonation, even a touch of lace on the small shot glass.
Aroma is heavily hoppy, but not obnoxiously so, with notes of pears, limes, tangerines and white grapefruits. Fresh, lively yeast doughiness, a bit of pale malt sweetness. The hops keep up as I drink it.
Flavor is again quite hoppy, though not terribly bitter, just leafy, green and lightly juicy, perhaps, creating a touch of pleasant puckering up front, followed by two-row sweetness, a bit of pale malt and a real woody dryness on the end. Ringwood yeast, when used correctly and fresh, is very clean and crisp and this is exactly so here. Only a medium body, though (not that that’s a bad thing), really focusing on the hops, with some light crystally dryness, and a lingering citrus and woodiness. Lightly bubbly texture, well carbonated. I appreciate the fresh, clean, crisp hoppiness of it right now, but I’m quite worried with what will be left, once the hops begin to fade (which they will do quickly). Pretty exciting that Magic hat has now done 2 amber ales in their "Special" batch series......
Well well, a 1oz sample rating. Yep, I’m doin it, and here’s why. I will be buying a bottle and reviewing a full bottle when it comes out. So why not wait until then to rate it? Because I think this is a perfect opportunity to gauge how much effect small sample size has on a rating. But why not just hold off on entering this rating until I enter the bottled rating? Because I dont have notes and my memory wont last that long. And if you think I’m doing it just for the numbers, then why didnt I rate the half-bottle of Batch 373 that I shared with Barry? Now that that’s out of the way, I think it will be a fun experiment (and it’s magic hat batch 374 anyways, so who really gives a damn?)
Looks more like an American pale ale, though I guess that isnt saying anything definitive. It dosent have much crystal/caramel malt coloring, and thus ends up rather golden-amber, not a deep reddish-amber. Small white head, fair amount of carbonation, even a touch of lace on the small shot glass.
Aroma is heavily hoppy, but not obnoxiously so, with notes of pears, limes, tangerines and white grapefruits. Fresh, lively yeast doughiness, a bit of pale malt sweetness. The hops keep up as I drink it.
Flavor is again quite hoppy, though not terribly bitter, just leafy, green and lightly juicy, perhaps, creating a touch of pleasant puckering up front, followed by two-row sweetness, a bit of pale malt and a real woody dryness on the end. Ringwood yeast, when used correctly and fresh, is very clean and crisp and this is exactly so here. Only a medium body, though (not that that’s a bad thing), really focusing on the hops, with some light crystally dryness, and a lingering citrus and woodiness. Lightly bubbly texture, well carbonated. I appreciate the fresh, clean, crisp hoppiness of it right now, but I’m quite worried with what will be left, once the hops begin to fade (which they will do quickly). Pretty exciting that Magic hat has now done 2 amber ales in their "Special" batch series......
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Mar 2006
at 14:00
6.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
2006 bottle consumed on 2/24/06 and again shared with OldGrowth on 3/5/06
Bright, but lightly hazy golden-yellow body displays a frothy, fairly dense, white head atop it, that provides very minor lacing, and is retained at cover.
The nose is deceptive, first showing a light honey-grain pils malt like note, some moderate sweet fruitiness (pleuots, peaches, apricots) and even a soft hint of vanilla. At first, I even scoff at the notion that this was brewed with lemongrass. But as it warms, in marches the lemongrass, steadily, and in the end, forcefully. Not so much lemon, as it is grass. And not even a dry, crisp, golding or hallertauer grassiness, but a wet, soggy, plant-like grassiness. It eventually comes to dominate the aroma, with only light honey and minor fruits on the side.
The flavor is heavily spiced with lemongrass, displaying some minerals from the yeast, soft vanilla blossoms and light apples. Maybe even a touch of dill, but ultimately, zesty lemongrass. Carbonation is zippy, though the malt is a bit heavy at times (for a hefeweizen) and the finish watery, which all produce a rather disconcerting effect. No alcohol is apparent.
Bright, but lightly hazy golden-yellow body displays a frothy, fairly dense, white head atop it, that provides very minor lacing, and is retained at cover.
The nose is deceptive, first showing a light honey-grain pils malt like note, some moderate sweet fruitiness (pleuots, peaches, apricots) and even a soft hint of vanilla. At first, I even scoff at the notion that this was brewed with lemongrass. But as it warms, in marches the lemongrass, steadily, and in the end, forcefully. Not so much lemon, as it is grass. And not even a dry, crisp, golding or hallertauer grassiness, but a wet, soggy, plant-like grassiness. It eventually comes to dominate the aroma, with only light honey and minor fruits on the side.
The flavor is heavily spiced with lemongrass, displaying some minerals from the yeast, soft vanilla blossoms and light apples. Maybe even a touch of dill, but ultimately, zesty lemongrass. Carbonation is zippy, though the malt is a bit heavy at times (for a hefeweizen) and the finish watery, which all produce a rather disconcerting effect. No alcohol is apparent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2006
at 16:46
5.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
2005? bottle, possibly late 2004, as it’s been discontinued, but anyways, drank it on 3/4/06 compliments of OldGrowth.
Still pours with plenty of carbonation. A tall beige head slowly recedes to a ring atop a deep garnet-to-auburn colored body with some darker mahogany tones in it as well. Fair amount of carbonation in large, forced bubbles. Filtered and crystal clear. The nose, displaying all of the crystal malt, is quite papery/crayon-like, with just the faintest touch of vanilla and some very light clove-like phenols. Heavy mineral water comes to mind as well, compliments of this lovely yeast. Nutty, dry and quite passing and forgettable goes the aroma.
The flavor is a mix of mineral water, light notes of watered down coffee mixed with skim milk and some soily, plant-like hoppiness. A rather vapid, unsettling flavor that you get from drinking an Irish-style ale on nitro. Impressive that they were able to re-create that.....
Extra lean body shows little malt sweetness for comfort, while the carbonation does settle down and allows some moderate toasted notes to work with light honey-buttercream and fruits, but it’s all so fleeting. No alcohol is apparent. In a word, dull.
And no, I don’t think it is unfair to expect better from this beer, even if it is a year or more old. I’ve had plenty of low gravity beers that have held up wonderfully, simply because they were not pasteurized and had been bottle conditioned. No excuse.
Still pours with plenty of carbonation. A tall beige head slowly recedes to a ring atop a deep garnet-to-auburn colored body with some darker mahogany tones in it as well. Fair amount of carbonation in large, forced bubbles. Filtered and crystal clear. The nose, displaying all of the crystal malt, is quite papery/crayon-like, with just the faintest touch of vanilla and some very light clove-like phenols. Heavy mineral water comes to mind as well, compliments of this lovely yeast. Nutty, dry and quite passing and forgettable goes the aroma.
The flavor is a mix of mineral water, light notes of watered down coffee mixed with skim milk and some soily, plant-like hoppiness. A rather vapid, unsettling flavor that you get from drinking an Irish-style ale on nitro. Impressive that they were able to re-create that.....
Extra lean body shows little malt sweetness for comfort, while the carbonation does settle down and allows some moderate toasted notes to work with light honey-buttercream and fruits, but it’s all so fleeting. No alcohol is apparent. In a word, dull.
And no, I don’t think it is unfair to expect better from this beer, even if it is a year or more old. I’ve had plenty of low gravity beers that have held up wonderfully, simply because they were not pasteurized and had been bottle conditioned. No excuse.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2006
at 15:54