Magic Hat #9

Brewed by Magic Hat Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
South Burlington, Vermont USA

Serve in Flute, Shaker

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A great brew that goes down easy and has an equally good after taste.

I love the apricoty after tatse of this beer... it’s not too heavy, it’s not too light... just right.

This beer is fresh, crisp, cool, sweet, and has everything that you could ever ask in a beer. There really aren’t many words that can describe how good this beer is.

UPDATED: SEP 30, 2012 There seems to be an understanding in the beer-tasting community that beers that taste like fruit juice or soda, no matter how delicious and easy they are to drink, aren’t “real” beers because they have no bite. I suppose if that’s true Magic Hat’s Circus Boy and Hocus Pocus must not be as good as Number 9. This is a unique take on the traditional American pale ale style that has a fruity, almost citrusy flavor without overwhelming the true beer taste.

POUR, COLOR AND AROMA

Straight from the bottle, Number 9 pours very smoothly and forms a surprisingly large, bright white head. What’s odd is how quickly this foam disappears. Blink and you’ll miss it (literally). There isn’t a lot of carbonation, either, so its tepid body and lack of head lacing is understandable.

Its color is one of the prettiest shades of copper I have ever seen. Perhaps if you were to melt down a bunch of pennies this is what it would look like. You could easily hide a brand new penny in a glass of Number 9 – it’s that brilliantly colored. Strangely enough, it’s a tad bit cloudy, but not to the extent of a wheat beer.

The aroma is also very pleasant, a battle between the fruits and the malts. Usually pale ales have a very distinct malty nose, but they are about even with the fruit ingredients in Number 9. Either way, its scent is extremely original.

TASTE AND FINISH

Well, if the beer snobs want a beer with real beer taste to it but with a unique flavor, then Magic Hat’s Number 9 MUST be what they desire. I like how the brewers use the slogan “not quite pale ale” on the bottle as something of a disclaimer. Perhaps that’s to silence critics who would complain about it not being a “real” pale ale – which it’s not.

Number 9 has a very distinct apricot and peach flavor to its palate, but without sacrificing its roots of malts and hops. Those who like a sweet beer like a hefeweizen or any kind of summer ale would definitely enjoy the sweet, subtle taste found here. This beer has one of the best-balanced flavors I can think of. It’s sweet enough to make it easy to drink, but still has a real malty flavor to give it some bite.

And as is true of every beer in the Magic Hat line that I’ve tried, Number 9 is extremely smooth and finishes very clean. Thanks to its delicious taste and smooth finish, any beer drinker; whether novice, intermediate or expert; could easily down several glasses or bottles of this brew quickly and easily.

BODY

American pale ales have a tendency to be much heavier in body than you’d expect. From their appearance alone, they look as light as lagers, but their weight is deceiving. However, in the case of Number 9, you can believe you eyes. This beer looks like a typical ale and drinks like a lager. I was able to down three bottles in a row after eating a fairly heavy dinner. Imagine how fast you could drink a pint in a bar or just on an empty stomach.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is a great beer for introducing lightweights and casual beer drinkers to more high-quality craft beers. It’s tasty without being gimmicky. It’s sweet but still has some bite to it. It’s very smooth and not nearly as heavy in body as most pale ales. What’s not to like?

Amazing. I drink this all the time. This is by far my favorite beer of all time. I’m willing to make a trip up north just for this.

One of the best fruit beers Ive tasted in a long time. This beer taste manly of peach. Great underrated fruit beer.

This beer is great.When I took my first taste of this I thought good-nothing special.Then the fruity taste came in on the end and it became my favorite beer.

I like the sweet taste, but not too sweet the after taste is very refreshing

The aftertaste keeps you going for more

Just a hint of fruity goodness. love it-mean it..