Vine Shine - Double Dry-Hopped
Magnify Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traded for this a few months back and finally got around to it tonight. I've been on a big Magnify kick lately as their more recent offerings have been an improvement over what they first brewed and though this beer didn't blow me away, it was quite enjoyable but didn't look or taste as dank as the description would have led me to believe.

The pour to this was decent as the liquid golden, bright, and somewhat hazy. Lots of grapefruit and Mosaic in the nose with plenty of those in the taste. Those were reinforced with tropical fruit, pine, yeast, and a bit of dank Simcoe as there was a nice range of flavors here. Thin, bubbly, and light in alcohol, this went down so smoothy that it almost didn't feel that it was double dry-hopped. A bit of citrus juice could be found in the aftertaste along with a mild, earhty dankness that softly receded before I took the next sip.

Not strong nor weak, the alcohol was spot-on here and couldn't be tasted at any point in my session. While not a great beer, this was an improvement over the original as the hops and bready malt balanced each other out nicely. A further sign that Magnify is on the right track with their more recent offerings!

 

Appearance - Pours semi transparent yellowish color with nice 2 inch white head; great lacing all around the glass.

Aroma - Mild hoppy notes, a bit of orange and mango citrus.

Taste - The flavor packs much more hop flavor than the aroma let's on. While the hops are the main attraction there are also glimpses of pine, grapefruit, mango and orange.

Feel - Medium body very well carbonated pretty dry finish.

Overall - This is the third offering I have had from Magnify and they have all been great, excellent balance between the hops and mild fruit in the flavors and spot on feel. The only thing I will say is the aroma is a little weak but it is just disguising the great flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canned 3 days before consumption. Poured into Magnify tulip glass. It pours a hazy, golden-honey color with one finger of bright white head and lacing. The smell is rather subdued; there is a faint aroma of simcoe and mosaic hops and some sweet citrus but not nearly as aromatic as other Magnify offerings. The taste is a big improvement on the smell. The base Vine Shine is enhanced considerably by the dry hopping and the mosaic, in particular, is flavorful. I'm a big fan of mosaic hops and enjoyed their enhanced profile in this variant. The ale has a crisp, dry, slightly bitter taste. It is pleasantly carbonated and quite easy to drink with an ABV of 6.5%. Overall, the enhanced hops improves the taste of the base Vine Shine.