Beers in Review: 22 Days

No more excuses. Let's get to it.

Leading off is arguably the most widely available craft beer in America. Magic Hat #9 is so iconic to Vermont's Magic Hat Brewing Company that it even gets its own heading on the Magic Hat website, separate from the rest of their "elixirs". #9 is seemingly available EVERYWHERE, yet I've never reviewed the flagship. Let's change that now.

Despite Magic Hat's seeming eccentricities, #9 seems to be designed to be accessible to everyone. Perhaps that's what makes the rest of the portfolio possible. This "not quite pale ale" pours a perfectly clear amber color and registers at 5.1% ABV and 20 IBU. A fairly mild beer in most aspects, the flavor notes include apricot and some peach along with hints of graininess and spiciness. Really, it quite simply tastes like beer, which, if you've read or watched previous reviews, you will know that is not something I say as a criticism. The beer has a light body with a fairly clean and dry finish. This is a fairly basic beer, overall, but it is quite drinkable. Obviously, many other beers are going to blow #9 away, but it is a solid beer that can be found most everywhere. That's not a bad thing.

From the eccentric megabrewers at Magic Hat to some similarly eccentric crafters based out of Louisville, Kentucky. Against the Grain Brewery (and Smokehouse) immediately break the mold by offering uniquely-named and uniquely-styled beers, with all of their non-kegged beer being served in 16-ounce cans with art that looks like it was done by the Bob's Burgers people. Clearly Everybody Wants Some is a pale lager that pours a hazy golden wheat color and comes in at 6% ABV.  I found the beer to balance pretty well, with mild hop notes blending with a mild maltiness. Sporting a light-to-medium body, the flavor profile also includes some mild grain and wheat notes, along with a bit of lemon. Now, here's the thing. I'm mentioning a whole of "light" and "mild" qualities to this beer, but AtG did a terrific job of making the whole add up to far more than the sum of the parts. This beer is, dare I say, surprisingly very good. You will see the words "pale lager" on this beer's label, but it plays much closer to a top-flight American-style wheat beer. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Video Review: Just Like Riding a Bicycle

So, Booze-Free February has ended for me. It went fine. Honest.

But it's March 1st, which means I'm back on the review scene! And I lead off with a collaboration between Against the Grain in Louisville, Kentucky and Magic Rock Brewing out of the United Kingdom. Now, my palate needs to get used to beer again, and re-calibrate a bit, but I think I got the gist of this beer out. Check out my thoughts on Shades of Grey here:

I will be back tomorrow, with ANOTHER video review, getting me back on my normal thrice-weekly schedule! See you then!

Beers in Review: And now for something(s) completely different

Thanks, John.

Today's review features a couple of beers that are completely different that what you will find in the standard beer scene. But we'll start with a very solid Scotch Ale.

Frog Level Brewing Company's Hopscotch Ale brings a whole lot of flavors together really well. A brown to copper color, and having lots of body, the Hopscotch hits first with plenty of malty and smoky sensations. I then encountered some mild earthiness along with some sweetness of dark fruits and a little bit of booziness you would expect from a Scotch Ale. Some caramel and toffee hints are also present, though far less prominent. Though this is kind of a more standard beer than the next two that will be reviewed, this beer is really tasty and enjoyable. Great stuff.

Next up is Cismontane Brewing Company's beer-wine hybrid, called The Mesa. The Mesa is 75% Pilsner, 25% Riesling white wine, and processed to highlight "the flavors that beer and wine have in common." (from their website) The brew pours a white wine-esque pale yellow color, and doesn't have much body. There are a whole lot of flavors going on here, starting with initial winey grape notes along with a hint of floral. There were also some grainy hints and an overall pretty sweet flavor profile, which I am told is pretty common with Rieslings. My general description of the Mesa: wine in taste (though, it is more than that), beer in make-up/mouthfeel.

Finally, 1 Brazillion Dollars from Against the Grain Brewery in collaboration with Morada Cia Etilica in Brazil (hence, the punny name). This is a bourbon barrel-aged smoked wheat wine, a style resulting in a high alcohol content and tons of flavor. The wheat wine pours a medium brown, darker than expected, and doesn't have a whole lot of body. Most notably, despite this high alcohol content, and I had initially been told it was 11% ABV, while the AtG website says 9%, the booziness is pretty well controlled. Flavors include some dark sweetness of caramel and toffee along with some smoky notes. There was a slight hint of bitterness towards the very end of the sip as well.