Batch 371 (Saint Goötz)
Magic Hat Brewing Company

Batch 371 (Saint Goötz)Batch 371 (Saint Goötz)
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From:
Magic Hat Brewing Company
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Dunkelweizen
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.46 | pDev: 16.47%
Reviews:
119
Ratings:
126
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 08, 2014
Added:
Jul 19, 2005
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  0
Originally released as Batch 371, this was released again as Saint Goötz.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by FLAbeergutinMASS:
Photo of FLAbeergutinMASS
Reviewed by FLAbeergutinMASS from Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
So much has been said about this beer. Mysterious, Bath 371, whatever. Overall a nice looking beer. I'm on my second, the first I had straight form fridge, second one at room temperature. I feel I am getting a nice cross-section of its characteristics.

Poured pretty aggressively on both pours, second pour revealed a khaki colored head half an inch thick. Tastes a little bitter front to back, body consists of major dried fruits, raisins and dates.

Tasty beer, but again, Magic Hat is just slight off IMO.
Oct 29, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by dgherm from Pennsylvania

Jul 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Jan 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Turbodog666 from Connecticut

Jan 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by alamode from Massachusetts

Dec 14, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 02, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by ROGUE16 from Delaware

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of changeup45
Reviewed by changeup45 from Florida

3.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
11/8/2005. Pours a dark brown, amber tinted body. Slightly cloudy but that's hard to distinguish due to the color. Nice thick tan head. The overall appearance I must say is pretty nice. Interesting set of aromas: roasted and chocolate with a mix of banana, vanilla, and some yeast. The taste is interesting but in the end quite good. It's got some coffee and chocolate but at the same time there is banana along with other fruity tastes. Roast all those and you've got this strange brew. There's a slight hop bite as well. It's not the greatest beer I've tried but it was definitely a fun beer to sample and review. There's so much going on that I want to try it again. I bet I find something else about it that I missed.
Aug 24, 2008
Photo of JMD
Reviewed by JMD from Connecticut

3.92/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Deep opaque brown, almost black. Looks like a stout. Small tan head, that dissipates quickly. Almost no lacing on the glass.

S: Big malty nose, ripe fruit, spices, some chocolate. Great aroma with this beer.

T: Toasted malt, carmel, yeasty and fruity.

M. Smooth, very little carbonation. A bit on the watery side, which I wasn't expecting. It looks and smells like a big beer, but doesn't have that feeling once it hits your mouth.

D: I found this to be very drinkable. Definitely a solid brew.
Jun 27, 2008
Photo of JohnnyM2002
Reviewed by JohnnyM2002 from Maryland

3.32/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sampled from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass at 40 degrees.

A - Pours a cola-brown with a small head, but strong carbonation.

S - Sweet n' spiced with a strong caramel backbone.

T - Spices seem to be faint amongst the overly caramelized-malt...but flavors are a little on the thinner side.

M - Lighter-medium body with good carbonation.

D - Didn't remain a strong selection...flavors quickly wear off as it warmed.
Mar 25, 2007
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

3.72/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Cloudy raison body with almost no head, flattish looking.

Nice sweet aroma with plenty of banana, chocolate malt, and sweet powdery yeast. Fruity.

Tastes very light and fruity. Some banana and almost a hint of artificial strawberry flavor. A touch jammy. Not much clove but that could be because this sample has been cellared for 6 months.

Spicy finish. Light bodied. Mild carbonation but spritzy in the finish.

Very drinkable. Sessionable even but interesting enough to keep me happy.
Jan 22, 2007
Photo of Jaynuze
Reviewed by Jaynuze from District of Columbia

2.88/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A- Pours a murky brown with touches of gold and amber. It's head is thick at first but fades quickly (could have been due to the cleanliness of my glass).

S- Notes of banana and spice with a touch of malty sweetness.

T- Not what I expected. Though the nose has fruity notes, the taste does not round off like a normal DW. It's almost a little bit smoky/salty rather than sweet. This sounds awful to say, but soggy burnt toast comes to mind. There are hints of sweetness and spice, but there is some overbearing taste which dominates this beer ... not in a good way.

MF- Nice carbonation, smooth with a creamy feel.

D- I'd have to agree with Jason A on this one ... don't drink it by itself. Unlike the German DWs, this one works better with food than on its own. I was surprised to see this labeled as a DW since it really doesn't compare too well to others that I've tried. Then again, what does compare/match a nice beer from Weihenstephan? A good attempt, but too watery/bitter for my taste.
Nov 03, 2006
Photo of Golden2wenty1
Reviewed by Golden2wenty1 from Wisconsin

3.12/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Hauled back from PA by expatsteve. Thanks for the opportunity.

Pour: murky, dingy, opaque mahogany, minimal khaki head fades to nil, few chunks of clumpy yeast settle in the glass.

Nose: nutty, musty yeast, roasted wheat malt. Fairly subtle overall.

Taste: starts off astringent and almost plasticky. Sour wheat malts, some roastedness, fruity/nutty yeast in finish.

Feel: smooth, slick, a little lacking in character. Crisp for a wheat beer.

Drinkability/Overall: Not a particularly impressive beer. Astringent/plastic undertones are too distracting to ignore. Not awful, but not something I'd ever try to find again.
Oct 09, 2006
Photo of williamherbert
Reviewed by williamherbert from New York

3.97/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark, opaque reddish brown color. It looks of rich mahogany. Very little head. There might be carbonation but I sure can't see it. Head is prevalent but leaves no traces on the glass.

Spicy winter-warmer smell. Malty, but sweet. The spices shoot out of the glass.

Nice spicy, malty winter flavor. Pungent winter wheat flavor. Slight sourness that works against the malty backing. If there are hops in this beer, I certainly can't find them. But that's to be expected.

Smooth but thick. A nice combination. Flavor sits on the tongue, but the thickness doesn't. Sweetness is a perfect balance of the malt and spice flavors.

The guy where i bought this from told me it was retired. Too bad. It's a fine, warming winter beer. Good bye St. Gootz. I'll miss you.
Oct 03, 2006
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This is the first time I've had this labeled as Saint Gootz. I actually had pours from the first known keg outside of the tasting room at the brewery of Batch 371 at American Flatbread in July of '05 and I thought it was outstanding at the time.
This one has a freshness date of Feb '06...guess I'm getting around to this one about 6 months late, so I'll try to be fair.
Appears a dark, dense, murky reddish brown with a 2 finger light tan head that slowly fades into a small cap. Little chunks of spent Bavarian yeast drops into the goblet and settle near the bottom. Spots of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of caramel, light toffee, and cocoa dusted bananas. Slight amount of spent yeast/oxidation in the aroma that is ever so faint and expected for being a half year past it's prime...especially in a wheat beer.
Taste is of the same aromas. Little hints of cocoa dusted banana and caramel that are typical of the dunkel weizen style.
Mouthfeel is smooth, sweet on the tongue at first, and slick along the tongue leading to a dusty and semi-dry finish.
Not too bad for being aged a small amount of time.
Todd H.- please, please, please up the abv on a batch of this and turn it into a Weizenbock for the champaign bottles.
Aug 15, 2006
Photo of cbl2
Reviewed by cbl2 from New York

3.25/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
$1.50 12 oz. 6.20% No best by date, though it is a winter seasonal.

Appearance:

Pours an almost opaque deep dark brown with a thin film of tan head on top.

Aroma:

Roasted cashews with a hint of bittersweet chocolate.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Begins with a typical wheat mouthfeel, that then turns tartly acidic, but finishes with a sweet nutty malt sensation. Decent, though not spectacular.
Jul 30, 2006
Photo of expatsteve
Reviewed by expatsteve from Wisconsin

3.91/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Plum mahogany with chocolate hues; cloudy, with no visibility. No head or lacing; low viscosisty.

Aroma: Banana wheat aroma with caramel notes. Raisins quickly become apparent, and pleasant low chocolate notes emerge as the beer warms.

Taste: First mouthful is curious, and took a little work - lactose sours, espresso, and dunkel weizen flavors seem to be competing. Nice wheat finish, that becomes better as it warms. But the beer really picked up as I kept drinking - bananas, raisins, and intriguing cola notes all add to the flavor.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, light - good wheat beer body. Med/low carbonation - good banana wheat finish.

Drinkability: More and more drinkable as it warms (just don't warm it too much). If MH had called this a dunkel-weizen, I might say it was unbalanced and just a little too sweet. But they gave this a "dark wheat ale" label, which bought them license to really develop fruity flavors that are almost reminiscent of a scotch ale. Pretty bold and one of the better offerings I've had from MH. Definitely drinkable if you can get past the first disorienting mouthful. Check it out.
Jul 15, 2006
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

2.54/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a dark brown with a red tint, a short tan head that fades quickly and doesn’t leave much lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malt, caramel, dark chocolate, wheat and a touch of dark fruits.

T: It doesn’t taste as sweet as it smells. The flavor is bready, metallic and a little smoky with some chocolate in it. The after-taste is similar to that of a Stout or Porter.

M: Smooth, with a medium body, light-to-medium carbonation.

D: It’s not too filling and has some flavor to it, but something about it just isn’t thrilling me enough to make want another. Overall I just didn’t like it very much.
Jul 10, 2006
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

2.51/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured a pale brown hue with a 3 finger pillowy head. There was decent retention but poor lacing.

The smell was mostly roasted malt with a bit of an earhy nose.

The flavor was of toasted wheat, with an unidentified and unpleasant sharpness. Relatively dry and a bit metallic. Someone said unripe banana, and I agree. Needs more of a yeast character. Not something I would like to try again.

The mouthfeel was thin and dry.

Not very drinkable. The flavor is entirerly off. Not a good example of the style.
Jun 18, 2006
Batch 371 (Saint Goötz) from Magic Hat Brewing Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 126 ratings