Friday 14 July 2006

Review: #9

#9 from Magic Hat Brewing Company
Rating: B-

At a function where Magic Hat was being served in addition to Budweiser, Bud Light and Dos Equis, going for a Magic Hat was a no-brainer, even if I haven't had great experiences with them in the past. Of course, I asked for the hefeweizen and was handed this instead. Oh well!

Appearance: poured a slightly hazy orange color. Little head, fair retention, no lacing.

Smell: I was expecting to find an intense apricot aroma, so I was very surprised how little there was to be found. Hops and an underlying sweetness, with a very faint fruitiness underneath that I have to assume is apricot.

Taste: underwhelming. "Not quite pale" indeed: the hops are underwhelming, the malt is underwhelming, and the fruit isn't there in sufficient force to take their places. I've been turned off by the Ringwood yeast in the other Magic Hat brews that I've tried, but here it was a little more subdued in the main flavor, but it showed up still in the aftertaste and turned me off there.

Mouthfeel: decent, not much worth mentioning. If you're going to have a beer this light in flavor, might as well give it a lighter mouthfeel to up drinkability, but they didn't go that route either.

Drinkability: I'm still glad I picked this instead of the other options that were available, but I opted for wine when I went back to the open bar for my second drink.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 07-14-2006 00:56:42

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