Vamplifier
Magic Hat Brewing Company

Clear, amber color. Medium-sized, off-white head. Aroma of toasted malt, grass, and citrus. Balanced taste with a strong malty backbone and strong enough hoppy bitterness. Easy drinkable.

 

 

Pours a cloudy reddish/rust color with a finger width foamy head. Head retention is very good. Lacing is excellent. Has a more malty aroma with some dark fruits and a small amount of piney thrown in. A lot more of a piney hop to the taste and heavy on the dark fruits. Floral all the way around. It is a little off. Has a medium body with moderate carbonation.

 

 

This was poured into a nonic pint glass. The appearance was a burnt amber color with a sly transparency about it. Carbonation moves upward at a slow pace to fill a one finger white to off white foamy head that dissipates at a nice pace. Ringy foamy to semi-bubbly lace weaves around the glass. The aroma has that "green" fresh hoppiness (normally found in some of those hop burn-ish AIPA’s). But normally like MH beers, the hops are there, they just seem somewhat dried floral to a slight "glossy/muddled" earthy hops. Caramel and toffee malts come in slyly to a baked breadiness. The flavor is fairly earthy bitter. Slick oily hoppiness creates the associated hop burn I was ready for. Big earthy slick oily aftertaste and runs into the finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body. Fairly sessionable. Carbonation hits fairly low. "Green" / fresh hop burn does hit. Overall, interesting red ale that drinks like an AIPA (aroma, flavor and feel just seems to lean to the AIPA). I like it for me, but true fans of amber ales might want to take a second guess on this beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a bottle, pours dark amber with a tan foamy head. Aroma is all hops and spice. Taste has a pronounced grapefruit and orange peel vibe with a hops bitter bite. Lots going on with nuts and pine and floral tastes. Overall, really interesting, but a bit of a soapy finish that keeps it from being world class.