Magic Hat Chaotic Chemistry

Brewed by Magic Hat Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
South Burlington, Vermont USA

btl by SpringsLicker. Orange pour with creamy white head and lace. Dried apricot and dates on the nose. A hint of vanilla, orange, and raisins for the flavor. A tad thin for me but I’m really happy to have had a chance to try it.

Thanks to Slob for sending this one to me in a trade long ago. Shared at decaturstevo’s Februmergency Tasting. Bottle dated and signed by the brewer 1/1/04. Pours clear orange/amber with a minimal fleeting head. Oakey malt, light bourbon aroma. Well balanced. Starting to thin out a bit.

Bottle at our Febmergency tasting, bottled on 1-1-04. Pours bright orange with thin off-white head. The aroma is sticky sweet caramel, some bourbon, alcohol, and craisins. The flavor is a little blander than I expected given the aroma but has a mellow bourbon, some ash, vanilla, caramel, and some distant fruitiness. Not bad.

Bottle at decaturstevo’s Februmergency Tasting for those of us that missed out on Sexual Chocolate ’09. Very Many Thanks to springslicker! Pours a hazy amber with small white head. Aroma is like that of dried apricots that come in the mixed fruit trial mix pack in gas stations, coupled with a sweet woodiness. Flavor is amazingly non-alcoholic considering the high abv. Semi, and Really good, but not great. AWESOME bottle design.

Sampler at Capone’s. Pours a deep caramel with a tiny beige head. Aroma of strong bourbon notes, caramel, candied malts and dark fruit. Taste of sweet caramel over a nice bourbon blend. Hints of vanilla, dark fruit and candied malts. Nice warm finish. Excellent !!! Thanks Matt for letting me try this one.

Tasted from Growler. Poured a medium and slightly hazy amber-orange color with smaller sized white head. Aromas of caramel, dark fruits, vanilla, some woodiness, bourgon, and some nuttiness. Tastes of vanilla, caramel, and some dark fruits. Bourbon came out a little more in the tastes. Some alcohol in the finish.

Bottle in a trade bottled 1/1/04 Batch 2 #418, a second bottle from EDA, and on draft at capones and EBF. Pours an orange amber body with a thin white head. Very complex and alcohol latent. Bourbon, vanilla, dark citrus fruit and everything screams soaked in bourbon. Im a fan.

Growler thanks to Matt Capone for sharing! Pours a hazy orange amber with a smaller creamy off white head. Aroma of dark fruits, toffee, molasses, nuts, vanilla, bourbon, oak and light alcohol. Flavor of the same...overally just a really intense aroma and flavor. Loads of vanilla, oak and bourbon in the flavor.