Imperial Zig Zag
Magnify Brewing Company

Rich golden, medium white head, nice lacing. Aromas of pine and alcohol heat. Notes of wet pine needle, stone fruit, grapefruit and gin. Fluffy carbonation lightens the medium body, some stickiness and big dry finish. Solid but I don't care for these big ABV IPAs.

 

Traded for this a few months ago and finally got around to it on this frosty night. I like West Coast style IPA's but as others have noted on here, the aroma was the best aspect of this beer as it was solid but a bit underwhelming at best. I just thought that the addition of the lupulin powder would have taken this to another level...

The pour to this was one would expect for a beer of this style - golden, waxy, and a bit hazy as this was very reminiscent of something from Sierra Nevada. Lots of mango, papaya, and melon in the nose with much of the latter in the taste. That was combined with a strong onion taste to go along with some citrus pith and dank earthiness that seemed to drag this down a notch. Lots of oil and resin here as the tropical fruit gave way to a dankness that I never warmed up to, even as this beer warmed up. Plenty of body here as there was an unsalted, crackery presence in the malt and a slighty less than average amount of carbonation. A beautiful presence of soapy lacing and understated apricot sweetness saved this beer from being a letdown as they became more apparent as I worked my way through this.

There was plenty of alcohol here in the taste and on my breath once I finished this off. While not a bad beer, this didn't measure up to Magnify's recent offerings. Worth a go once but this didn't know if it was an East or West Coast brew at heart. In the end, the name was appropriate as this beer was a Zig Zag between two disparate and differing styles. Worth a go once for the soothingly slick mouthfeel...

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a lightly hazy golden amber in color with a finger of white head, moderate retention and decent lacing. Aroma starts with a big burst of pine but gives way to a sweetness and some tropical fruits that are reminiscent of mango and candied pineapple. Taste also begins with pine and transitions to a melange of tropical fruits that have an artificial note that I just can't get past. Decent mouthfeel, medium body and carbonation with a bit of a mouth coating slickness that lingers. Overall a god beer. It made a very positive first impression, when cold the pine notes dominate. As it warmed the artificial tropical notes become more prominent and detracted from my experience. I was impressed with how well hidden the 10% ABV, it since I knew the ABV going in I sipped a bit slower and the slight warming of the beer revealed almost artificial tropical aromas and flavors I wasn't enamored with.

Poured into a Trillium tulip, light bronze with a soapy, rocky head. Tons of papaya, stonefruit and puréed blueberry dominating the nose. Taste follows the nose with some honeydew and ethanol emerging through the sip. High carb, above average feel but not exactly chewy. No overbearing dank or resinous qualities which keeps the 10% ABV in check. That being said, it's undoubtedly a really big beer. Even as it warms towards room temp, the way it lingers on the tongue and in your esophagus is almost reminiscent of drinking a screwdriver. Very nice refresher from all the citrus forward IIPAs coming out of New England.

 

a: hazy amber orange color with a 2 finger solid off-whitehead...looks like you could rest a coin on it

s: huge tropical fruit. pineapple, mango, apricot, strawberry, and a huge sweet orange citrus note. there is a malt presence in here as well that is lending a slight sugary sweetness as well. a little bit of bitter citrus towards the end of the nose as well

t: ripe mango and pineapple, orange rind, bitter grapefruit and a slightly dank resin. all the flavors come pretty rapid one after another right away so i had a little trouble discerning them at first. but, the more you sip the easier it gets to pick them apart. the alcohol presence in here is quite noticeable as well - to be expected with a 10% beer. however the alcohol cut the juicy flavors just a bit more than i would have liked. the end of this is a residual grapefruit bitterness. definitely able to pick up the house yeast in this; almost reminiscent of Stone

m: medium mouthfeel, carbonation is good, right in the middle. not too much, not too little...it definitely works

o: i will say this, the aroma on this beer is amazing, however its not quite as juicy as the aroma would lead you to believe, and there is a bit too much alcohol. but that being said, there is nothing off in here, i just wish the flavor was a bit more like the aroma and had a touch less alcohol. i do think this is a good accurate representation of a West Coast style IPA. Close my eyes and tell me this was something from Stone and I'd believe you

 

 

 

I had this on draught at the brewery the night before the can release so it was super fresh. It pours a cloudy, orange-amber color with a foamy, egg shell colored head and lacing with excellent retention. It has a nice dank aroma with tangerine, pine, pepper, and resinous hops. The taste is a nice blend of onion, some sweet tropical fruit, and peppery smoke, with a hint of caramel at the finish. It's nicely dank and rather spicy. This ale is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and the 10% ABV gives it a lot more punch than the original recipe. Overall, this is a nice, revved-up rendition of Magnify's West Coast style IPA. I enjoyed the original and I enjoyed this one, as well.