Magic Beans
Bullfrog Brewery

 

 

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a medium brown color with decent clarity. Marred a bit by some floating sediment. thick finger of dense tan foam which hangs around for a minute or so.

S - Vanilla...sweet and spicy with a bit of apple. Rather tart overall.

T - Tart, a bit apple cidery. Some chocolate and vanilla, touch of dark malt, lactic sourness, touch of acetic vinegar too.

M - Thin body with a foamy, mid-level carbonation. Some vanilla creaminess smoothes things out.

O - Overall, not outstanding, pretty good and enjoyable. Definitely interesting and a bit different from other offerings out there.

 

 

 

Big thanks to Jason (ClockworkOrange) for opening this at his most recent tasting. The brew pours an amber brown that is quite hazed. A creamy tan head sits atop the brew and as it recedes, leaves spots and a webby pattern of lace on the glass. When held to the light, you can see some orange coloration and more of a yellowish tint of clarity around the edges.

The smell of this brew is strong with cocoa nibs right out the gate. There is a bit of a lemony lactic note as well as some dryness of oak and mild pepper quality. More smells reveal some fruity rind character. When swirled some sulfur notes come out.

The taste includes just as much cocoa nib flavoring as the aroma would lead you to believe. It is a bit earthy before blending into some lemony lactic notes. Through the body are some fresh grain flavors and mild peppery spice from the yeast. Some oak is present across the back in a very mild yet noticeable way. The inclusion of vanilla brings the whole brew together in very tight and enjoyable package. The vanilla really exaggerates the cocoa inclusion that starts to pick up some sweetness towards the end of the glass.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. An absolute awesome and unique arrangement of flavors. Jason mentioned to me that right from the get-go there was a noticeable bottle variation between the people who purchased bottles. You can see that from the reviews below as well. Luckily, this one was amazing. Either a good bottle or nearly 3 years of cellaring has made this beer fantastic. I wish I could drink this on a regular basis.

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this retired gem.

The beer pours a brownish-amber color with an off-white head. The aroma is very odd, with a lot going on. I get what appears to be a nut brown ale, with a lot of cocoa and vanilla mixed in. There is also a big peanut butter component mixed in to the aroma.

The flavor is fairly different than the aroma. You still get the nut brown notes, with some cocoa and nut notes, but that is where the similarities end. I get a lot of Belgian yeast notes, with some orange and lemon notes also mixed in. There is a little bit of funk from the yeast, but not any real sourness.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Overall, a very odd beer that has a lot going on. I really liked it, even though I have no idea if this is what the beer was supposed to taste like.

 

 

 

From notes, consumed the day of the release.

Pours a dark chestnut brown color with ruby/mahogany edges and a one finger light beige head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Odd aroma with a blend of earthy oak, funky yeast, cocoa and sweet malt. I'm not picking up much vanilla but the sour chocolate presence is really strange. That combined with the oak make for a unique nose but not in a good way.

Medium bodied with again, an odd combination of flavors. Lots of earthy oak and sour funkiness up front countered by dark malt and sweet chocolate. Similarly to the aroma, I'm not picking up any vanilla at all. It might be there but with everything going on it's lost to me. Funky without being acidic with sweetness from cocoa and malt making for one strange beer.

light brown colored pour here with a small head on top that was maybe a quarter of an inch before settling back down into essentially nothing. Tart aroma here, sour apples coming through very clearly. Hints of maybe some light cocoa, not much though and I am nit sure where the chili peppers that were advertised should have been coming from. Smooth, light body here with a sour, apple vinegar like flavor from start to finish. Mellow chocolate notes were way hidden in the back and the overall feel of this was that of a classic sour ale. Smooth, and very drinkable.

Overall not bad, but not at all what it was advertised

A 750 mL bottle, corked and caged, from the brewpub. I believe that Deuane picked this one up for me.

A: The saison is, while not quite dark, a robust ferrous hue. Still translucent, the ale glows. A white head accompanies the first pour, quickly whittling down to a thin pool, a pangaea in my glass.

S: The nose is complex. Wood is immediately evident, an oaky strength. Chocolate needs a little bit of time to emerge, releasing its powdery sweetness when the ale warms up. The chocolate crowds out any vanilla, although the oak provides a bit. A very interesting note on the beer, which is now 2 and a half years old.

T: Sourness, oaken vanilla, chocolate. That's a tall order for one beer (but, then again, Terry's saisons are up to the challenge). Tartness flicks at my tastebuds, a lemony citrus flavor that segues into the oaken frame of the ale. Chocolate, in a powdery sweet presence, lingers over the entire ale. In a way Magic Beans reminds me of Fantome ale, wild with a wide-ranging flavor profile. Each sip brings both the oaken wildness and chocolate back into focus. Kudos to the dryness, it gets going midway through a glass. The lingering chocolate is a treat. In that finish, vanilla bean sweetness finally makes an appearance - a nice way to cap off the ale.

M: The complexity, so much going in, is very Fantome-like. What I didn't appreciate 4 years ago is now a masterpiece. The tartness, never overpowering, holds the oak and slowly brings the choclate and vanilla to the forefront.

D: There is no hint of the heavier alcohol presence. The tartness and array of spices hit all the right spots. Bullfrog has mastered the art of the saison. Here's to hoping that it continues.

Thanks Deuane for sending this one to me in the Secret Bunny BIF. Shared at the Sour Fest Eve tasting.

A: The pour is an interesting almost chocolate color with a big off-white head.

S: The aroma is initially tart chocolate, if that makes any sense. A fair amount of vanilla, oak, and lemon juice. Just a very odd combination.

T: The flavor is like rancid Tootsie Rolls (if they could go bad, I suppose). There is plenty of milk chocolate, vanilla, lemon juice, and spoiled milk. The combination of and transition between tartness and sweet chocolate flavors is just wrong.

M: The body is light to medium with a high level of carbonation and a lingering sourness.

D: This had to be a mistake, as there is no conceivable way that the brewers thought this was a good idea.

Big thanks to McDiddyPop for sharing this

A - Mahogany, translucent, wispy white head.

S - Strange earthy chocolate chalky aroma, like Kaopectate plus cocoa and potting soil.

T - Nose, but worse; add mildew to the dirt and chalk, and put in some cocoa and carob powder.

M - I suffered through this as much as I could, for the sake of a fair and accurate tick.

D - Bullfrog is mad suspicious... I wouldn't go trading away the cellar for this H.S...

Didn't seek this one out too aggresively but recieved in a trade.

A: Murky brown with a tan head that fades away leaving spotty lacing.

S: Funky yeasty nose. Nice earthy character and subtle hints of chocolate and oak below that.

T: Surpised at the nice oak vanilla and chocolate character. Reminds me of bitter bakers chocolate. Dry ending. Certainly some funkiness in there too but not overpowering.

M: Nicely carbed (bottle popped when opened), medium body, dry finish.

D: Really fun and interesting beer. Really glad I got to try this and was a funky twist on a saison that worked for me.

Bottle shared by heliosphann late at night after Dark Lord Day. Thanks Scott! Reviewed from notes

Pours a dark amber/copper color. The aroma is tart pears, apples, and a hefty dose of oak. Trace of cocoa are present as well.

The flavor is hugely oaky, with a lot of dusty cocoa up front as well. Not super sour, but there is a nice tartness that adds some depth and helps shape a very unique overall flavor profile.

The body is medium and the carbonation is high but soft. The dryness here is absolutely bone-sucking, definitely gave us some cotton mouth. Overall I thought this was a very good beer and would love to try it again.

A: Pours a murky brown hue with amber highlights. The tan head is one finger in height. Nice retention and lace.

S: Unique aromas. Dark fruits, with a dark berry tartness. Nice blast of bitter bakers chocolate, and coffee.

T: I will tell you A+ for a new take on the style. Hershey's Cocoa powder up front. Notes of coffee and dark fruit. Hints of raspberry tartness and wood.

M: On the fuller side of medium, great carbonation to carry the unique flavor.

D: Pretty good. I like when people push the envelope, BullFrog pulled it off with this one.

Thanks go out to Jw347 for this one.

Pours a murky reddish brown with a fizzy off white head that actually lingers quite well for the style (considering this a wild ale, not a saison) and leaves ok lacing.

Nose is very flemish in nature with some lactic and oak notes, slight sour cherry in the nose. Definitely not smelling any chocolate or vanilla.

Hmmm. Quite interesting. This is definitely a wild beer. It has the tartness of a flemish ale without too much of the vinegar profile, which i actually prefer. I do get some of the vanilla, although it is very, VERY subtle. The chocolate is virtually non-existent in the taste. As it warms these flavors increase, but still are far from dominant. The finish is nice and dry, with lactic funk lingering on into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is right where you want it for a beer like this one. Slightly high carbonation, good clean easy drinking viscosity, and a great dry pucker on the finish.

Drinkability is actually pretty strong on this one. Its pretty smooth for a wild ale, and isn't abrasively carbonated or too sour.

Overall, this is a very nice beer from Bullfrog. After having a few of the quite over-hyped and over-rated brews of theirs it is nice to see one that lives up to its ranking. I don't know why this is classified as a siason. I know its base is saison noire, but this is by all means a wild ale. And a good one at that! A very pleasant brew, one i would like to put some age on. Not getting alot of the chocolate or vanilla profile that is supposed to be in here, which is maybe a good thing, but its tasty stuff. These flavors increase a little bit as it warms, but are very much an accent and not a dominant part of the flavor. I would definitely buy this again if it was local. Good beer.