Imperial Cold Side
Magnify Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On draught at the brewery. 14 oz. pour. It pours a cloudy, mostly opaque golden-yellow color with almost a finger of foamy, bright white head that dissipated slowly - but never completely - leaving lots of soapy lacing on the glass. While the smell didn't jump out, it was nonetheless aromatic with lemon, grapefruit, melon, onion, and delicate, floral hops. While understated, it's a great nose. The taste is great! Lemon, lime, orange peel, a hint of honeydew melon and sweet oats. There's onion but it's not overly dank. The complex hop bill of Mosaic, Centennial, Amarillo, Chinook, Simcoe, and Equinox is truly flavorful but with little bitterness. The feel of this brew is fantastic: it's incredibly smooth and silky with little noticeable carbonation, and it's dangerously drinkable at 8.5% You've finished your first pour before you know it. I'm really impressed. When I reviewed the original iteration my rating was fairly significantly below the average. This is a different DIPA and a truly excellent one. In fact, one of Magnify's best!

 

 

 

 

 

L - pours a luxurious cream coming out of the can. Hazy brick of yellowy orange color.

S - holy crap this is potent and juicy! Such an aromatic explosion from the moment I cracked the can. Grape candy, pineapple, and mango pith. Sweet peach rings and slight lemon. Maybe some bubblegum!

T - oh this is just not fair. Without the kettle hopping, this is just straight up sinfully delicious. Huge juicy flavors of pithy orange, pineapple smoothie, and spicy ruby red grapefruit. Reminds me a lot of the Veil/Trillium collab IwanttoBU, which also featured very low bitterness (0 IBU to be precise!). Doughy and earthy in flavor. Some grass, but none of the bitterness, rather the vegetal unripe green..ness of it all. Finishes prickly and mealy. Chalky.

F - smooth and with some moderate fluff up front. The back end and finish is grit city. Like doing the cinnamon challenge with lupulin powder. Dries the mouth out.

O - much better than OG Cold Side. Like a completely different beer. Hugely juicy and also very pithy in true Magnify fashion, and the lack of bitterness makes it super drinkable and flavorful.

 

 

 

Canned today.

Pours murky orange with a persistent ring of off-white head.

The smell and taste are candied tropical hops. The lack of hot side hop additions is almost a blessing and a curse here, as the beer is crazy fruity and expressive but medium+ sweet because there's no bitterness. Guava, green melon, and cotton candy. Some leafy green on the backend. The mouthfeel is almost stout-like out of the can, mellowing and thinning slightly as it settles in the glass. Definitely a juice bomb. Low bitterness but still somehow aggressive. Reminds me of certain Other Half doubles.

Overall, definitely a unique beer. I found myself wishing this was a Single IPA at times, reigned in a notch and a touch less sweet.

I loved original Cold Side and this is even better. So super smooth and easy to drink but packed with fruity goodness. Wonderful beer. Well rounded beer. Side note - I've had a few cans of this that were fairly old and they held up very well. Cheers

From a can release about a month ago

L-golden yellow slight haze, massive 2 inch head that lasts a long time......carbonation bubbles rising from the bottom of the etched glassware

S-Big fruity hop aroma......orange, mango, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit.........slight pine

T-follows the nose.........with more of the grapefruit than orange and mango.........finish is slight lingering grapefruit rind and pine

F-medium, creamy, smooth, not overly carbonated which enhances its drinkability......very little bitterness

O-extremely drinkable given the ABV.....another quality brew from Magnify .......hope to see this one again