Close Up Magic
Mast Landing Brewing Company

Picked this up, along with a lot of other single cans that I never had before, at Gary's in Wayne. The other brew that I had from Mast Landing was solid and this wasn't bad either as it was an enjoyable American IPA with a pretty hidden alcoholic presence to it. There was enough body to this to make it feel like a American Pale Ale as the hops were not that strong or biting throughout.

Not a bad pour to this as the apricot-hued liquid was quite clear with just a few specks of fine and dark sediment floating in it. Enough head topped this off as the lacing left behind was soapy at the top of my pint glass and in the form of slanted layers on top of each other along the bottom half with lots of splotches below them. Plenty of blueberry, gooseberry, and some tropical and exotic fruit underneath those. Dewy forest, wet grass, and doughy malt came through in the taste as this beer was slick, a bit spicy, and so familiar and easy to get accustomed to. A good amount of carbonation kept things like as the aftertaste was nicely brisk, with some lime, fruit juice, and earthy hops coming through and lingering in the aftertaste for a long while once the liquid went down.

Hard to pick out the booze in this one as I never tasted nor felt it at any point during my time with this beer. Was it magic? Quite possibly along with figuring out how fresh this was since there wasn't anything written on the bottom of the can. Plenty to chew on here - between the balanced feel and the subtle and wide-ranging array of understated flavors. Call it what you wish but this beer was a nice little gem of magic, that wouldn't offend anyone and would fit in year-round. Fun stuff that grew on me throughout my time with it!

From a 16 ounce can, pours a slightly dark, moderately hazy orange. Decent NEIPA, but something a little off about the taste. Okay, but definitely didn't love it enough to have a second.

Close Up Magic is a 100% Mosaic IPA that is a little bit more in the non-NEIPA realm than is typical for a lot of the newer breed of hoppy Mast Landing beers. I, for one, am for it, however. Other recent ML beers like Arizona Sun have definitely played with a less hazy, less juicy, more wide-ranging and, as such, less forgiving playgrounds for these talented brewers. I love Mosaic hops, and I love IPAs, but at times... I don't love IPAs that focus all of their energy on this tough-to-pin-down varietal. Then again, most of my criticisms of single-hopped Mosaic beers tend to hit those that are stronger than this ale, which is merely 6.5%. Will it achieve greatness in its relative simplicity? Let's find out.

The pour here is pretty hazy and mostly-translucent with a honeyed yellow-ish orange color that probably is more accurately described as "goldenrod." Awesome head with superb retention measuring several fingers at its highest point, settling down to approximately a full finger after almost ten minutes post-pour. Some great, drippy lacing and pretty excellent legs as well. Overall, a quality pour for sure!

My first sniff is definitely Mosaic-forward, bringing out a complex melange of notes ranging from blueberry to dank pine resin to tangelo and mango, with some gradients in between that smack of earthy spice, chive, and passion fruit. Yeah, it's Mosaic, so a lot happens in a relatively-small time frame, but I think the overarching aspects are berry, light stone fruit, and dankness. I think some tropical aspects are presented in a forward way, as well, but most of it is what I just mentioned.

Stiff earthy spice, red and darker berry notes, and pine-like aggressive dankness dominate the flavor profile here. It's really an obviously Mosaic-only beer, and I'm proud of ML for pushing something so obvious and superlative. The malt bill lends a decent balance with some slight oat-laden elements and a tiny little crackery backing note. It's enough to barely withstand the Mosaic onslaught, and not much more. Make no mistake: this is definitely about the particular hop on order, and they're not making concessions about that fact. The feel is pretty well-rounded; not quite pillowy and soft, but also not hard-edged or overly-bitter/aggressive, either. I enjoy this one and could see myself drinking a four pack of it over the course of a few days, which is more than I can say about a lot of Mosaic-driven hoppy ales. Good show.