Magic Hat #9

Bottle dated Sept 08. Plays out like a light apricot fruit beer more than an APA. Kind of light, not too sweet. I didn’t find tartness, which would have been nice.

Good. Nice head, and a dark orange color. God lacing. Tiny bit of bitter bite. Smelled the malts and refreshing fruit. A definite buy. Had it in NH at famous dave’s bbq.

On tap at the Brew Kettle. Poured clear brighter golden with a short, creamy white head. The aroma picked up sweeter, greener light fruits with lesser toffee and pine around.. pleasant, but a touch too sweet. The flavor found sliced pears and apricot sweetness along with tartness from the skins of the same fruits.. funky, yeasty impression on the finish along with light toasted fruits.. weird. Lighter-bodied with high carbonation on the palate.. OK flow, but I didn’t like whatever hit on the finish.

Pours a coors-esque golden yellow into the glass with a small fizzy head. Aroma is fruity like peach or apricot. Flavor is quite refreshing and has a bit of the same peachiness to it. Not a bad beer, but was somehow not what I was expecting

Pours a reddish copper hue with a lot of carbonation. Smell is sweet and malty with a hint of artifical apricot. Taste is very fruity. Very watery and a big letdown to be honest.

Bottle: The aroma is a combination of apricots and light grass. It’s by no means horrible, but I wouldn’t say they mesh all that well together. It pours a perfectly clear golden-amber with a small white head that quickly fades to a ring around the edges of the glass. The flavor starts with apricot that mixes with some caramel. There is some faint tartness in the background. The finish has some light grassy and earthy hops. Light-medium bodied with mild carbonation. Not really my thing, nor probably most of the RB crowd, but I can see how this would generally do well with those looking for something other than BMC.

I’ve outgrown this beer. People talk about the delicious apricot flavor, but I don’t think it is as smooth as it is made out to be. I can drink it, but I’d prefer some of the other magic hat products, or get a specialty fruit beer from Belgium.

This is a really great summer brew from a fun and funky brewery. As an APA it is very floral and a bit fruit-flavor oriented; I appreciate the subdued hop character -- none of that West-Coast headache-inducing hop resin stuff. Appearance: Like sun tea with a lacy white head Aroma: floral! I get hints of azalea and laurel blooms, maybe faint wild rose hips Taste: the floral continues and flows into an apricot presence, with mild hops and a well-balanced malt. Very well done! Palate: A tad bit watery on the finish, but otherwise hard to complain. Overall: This one goes down easy and begs a second. It is absolutely stupendous with seafood -- low-country boil (potatoes, corn on the cob, crawfish, mussels, shrimp, andouille sausage) to be specific.