Keep It Mello
Magnify Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traded for this recently, as this was the last of the Magnify beers that I had in my basement stash. Sure enough, it was probably the most enigmatic as it was the closest thing to a "Sweet IPA" that I've had in quite some time. The amount of sediment here clouded out (no pun intended) the sweetness but if it was possible to have an IPA as a dessert beer, I would want it to taste something like this. Yes, it's that good and that different!

Nice pour to this as the beer had a cloudy, carrot juice-like hue to it as the head was minimal and didn't last long. It's rare that a beer I pour out has virtually no head or lacing but that was the case with this, though it wasn't much of a detraction to me. Plenty of earthy hops could be detected in the nose form the Galaxy and Motueka as the sweetness was quite subdued underneath them. My initial impression was that this was going to be another melon-infused hop bomb reminiscent of other beers from this neck of the woods but the taste completely killed that notion. Tons of apricot, orange marmalade, and marshmallow sweetness came in once I gave this a sip and completely altered my opinion of this beer as the mouthfeel strongly felt like the former two; coating my palate and lingering long after the liquid was gone from my pint glass. The lactose leveled out the sugar and hop bitterness and somehow, united the two together. There was still a kick here from the bitterness but it was muted and enhanced by the flavors inherent in this, as it went down fast once I start to take my sips!

Sure, there was enough booze in here but with so much going on, who would notice? This was a crazy beer that changed from scent to taste to finish throughout my session but in the end, it was a big winner. Easily Magnify's best collab and one that I'd love to see again, simply because of the uniqueness factor. A must-try for any hophead or for someone looking for an unexpected change!