Magic Hat Howl

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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UPDATED: DEC 18, 2009 Bottle To Glass. Deep Brown almost black in color with fairly thick beige head. Smokey malts are the headlining notes in its aroma. Tastes of roasted malt and a hint of smoke are noticed.

11.13.09 Enjoyed on Friday the 13th. Very dark and very hearty beer. Not up to par with other shwarzbiers I’ve had but still rather good regardless. Check it out

Bottle thanks to Swalden28. The look is clear with an off white head and amber in color. The smell is toast, malts, slight malt bitterness, and ok. The taste is a little off, roast, and malts.

Bottle. Pour coca cola black/brown. Aroma is slightly lactic and nutty. Taste is mocha, roasted malt, vanilla, smoke. Crisp body. As much as I think this might be the most overrated craft brewery... I got to admit this is a really, really good swartz.

12 oz. bottle, labeled as "Magic Hat Howl Winter Seasonal Black-as-Night Winter Lager." Malty aroma features caramel, toasted bread, caramel apple, and pumpkin scents as well as the smell of German hops. Pleasant but weak aroma. Pours a clear, dark amber to medium brown. If this is as black as night, then it must be a clear sky with a full moon, snow on the ground, and city and Christmas lights. It’s not that dark, I tells ya! But that’s okay, because it does have a really cool look to it. There’s a large amount of uneven, deep beige to taupe head and good lacing. Dry, roasted taste. Bran muffin flavor with a plummy finish. Pleasant but not complex taste. Dry aftertaste. Light to medium body. Good, crisp lager palate effects. Easy to drink. This is a good beer for watching a football game on a cold but bearable November day, which just so happens to be exactly what I’m doing. It’s better than I expected and than the other ratings suggest (no offense, other raters) and constitutes a pleasant surprise. I will admit that schwarzbier is one of my favorite lager styles, but I am a tough rater. Well done, Magic Hat!

12oz. botte from sixer. Pours a deep dark brown, practically opaque with a thin cream colored head. Aroma is roasted malts, nutty, smokey with some light mocha. Flavor is nicely roasted malts semi-sweet finish. Dry thin/medium bodied. Pretty well balanced. Solid schwarzbier.

Brown pouring beer that has hints of chocolate and some bitterness. First taste is good, but the aftertaste is not. Not something that I truly would like to drink again.

Pours a dark muddy brown with a large frothy, creamy top. Nice lacing. Aroma is full of bright roasted malts. But comes through a little weak in the mouthfeel. Not as full as i like a shwarz. Has a bit of breadiness to it. Nonetheless, tastey in every way. Slightly bitter near the finish. And sort of syrupy in a way."

On tap at Wildflowers in Pennington, NJ. Pours a black body with a creamy, finger-width, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a moderate lacing. Aroma is a light, earthy malt sweetness with a soft smoke and roast. A touch of lager fruitiness, must, and toffee as well. Flavor is similar. The roasts are light, but present thanks to a lighter bodied, semi-sweet malt. A soft earthy bitterness and some cocoa as well. Dry in the finish thanks to the roasts with an aftertaste of a moderate duration. Light bodied, smooth, and sessionable. Overall, a simple, but balanced and enjoyable, sessionable schwarzbier. Not bad.

This one poured a darker brown color with an off white head. Aroma was roasted malts, some grassy musty hops and some chocolate too. Flavor was sweet but roasted dark malts, a tad of bitterness and somewhat bready too. Interesting.