Magic Hat Lucky Kat

This is a step down from HIPA, but the consistency is almost the same. I would enjoy more of a hop presence but then I would be drinking an HIPA, so for the sister IPA this wicked cat is not that bad.

Bottle. Pours a deep orange with a fluffy off-white head. Aroma is pine and citrus hops. Taste is largely the same, with a slight malt characteristic mixing in toward the end. It’s a bit astringent, and not nearly as good as the Hi-PA.

12oz bottle. Pours dark orange with a foamy beige head. Lots of carbonation. Taste is of pine, hops, caramel, and malt. Doesn’t smell very IPA-ish. Taste is mildly bitter hops, pine, and grass with a caramel malt backbone. Not very bitter, or hoppy, just rather dull. Body is too overly malty. Weak, very weak.

Best by January 2009. Dark caramel orange with two big fingers of dirty white head. Grassy pine hops. Taste is a strange bitter metallic note, more lingering grassiness, hay, and a light pine resin.

Bottle 355ml
Appearance: light amber look with gold twist. Large presentable, foamy head. Fine lace.
Nose: Soft aromatic nose. Rose , hibiscus hint of citruss.7+
Flavor/Palate : Medium bodied with decent softness. Clean mellow well malted base with good balanced approach of hops. Frontal more woody aromatic with stronger citric alpha bite at finish. Refreshing not over the top drinkable bitter. Does it have to be bold to get high ratings? Personally I like that softer , rounder more balanced approach. Solid brew.

Bottle - Poured a slightly hazy darkish amber in color with a medium off-white and foamy head that stuck around. Some lacing on the glass. Aroma is medium of floral hops. Flavor is not, at all, as hoppy as I would expect from an IPA. Flowery hops are subdued by a hefty amount of malty sweetness. Only mildly bitter on the finish with as much sweetness lingering as hop bitterness. Flavor overall is not strong. Disappointing... I expect better from this brewer.

Bottle. Pours clear red orange with a medium sized head. Aroma is highly floral; flavor levels quite nicely on that same note. Enough sweetness to make this beer widely accessible, but bitter enough to remind you it is an IPA. A good effort from Magic Hat.

while this beer does have a nice appearance and a solid mouth feel, the rest is lackluster. the malts are solid, but the hop while bitter are too astringent and not too clean tasting. the finish is what makes this not what it could be.