S.M.A.S.H. Hits I.P.A. Volume 2
Magic Hat Brewing Company

 

 

Pours a cloudy golden color with a finger width foamy head. Head retention is decent. Lacing is good. Lemon aroma with some piney resin. I feel like this may have been on the shelf for a while. Strong lemon taste with some piney resin, ending with a good amount of astringency. Long lasting bitterness at the end. Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. I reiterate, this is probably an older bottle.

A; slight haze; copper colored; 1 finger ivory head that receded slowly to a thin cap; very nice lacing;

S: not a lot of aroma; the cascade comes through, as does a bit of grassiness;

T: not much flavor either; a quick hit of grass, then it's predominantly metallic through the finish; not even a hint of cascade flavor; mild to moderate bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; lightly dry finish;

O: if a beer is single hopped with cascade, I want to taste cascade - doesn't seem to be asking too much;

I keep finding bottles as I continue to purge the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody! My period of unemployment, coupled with the new low-paying gig, has really allowed/enabled/forced me to conduct this much-needed push & I am actually kind of grateful for the opportunity.

From the bottle: "1 hop, 1 malt, 1 smashing IPA!"; "Now Spinning! Malt: Goldpils (R) Vienna Hop: Cascade"; "A Performance in Every Bottle".

I Pop!ped the cap, but given that it has been in the queue for a while, I decided not to S.M.A.S.H. it with an aggro pour & went with a gentle one, instead. Once a sufficient amount had been decanted, I gave the beer a vigorous in-glass swirl. This raised three finger of foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with good retention that left great lacing behind as it slowly fell away to wisps. Color was solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose illustrated a brilliant pairing in this case. There was a lemony-grapefruit citrusiness that was accompanied by a honey-infused biscuity maltiness. Mmmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The interplay of the hop and malt really followed the nose. It was like studying for a beer-related exam with one of those kits that are available in that I already knew what to expect from the Cascade & it was obvious what the Goldpils (R) was then imparting. Now, the rub. For an AIPA, it was pretty light & unobtrusive, more towards an IPL. If you were hoping for yet another in-your-face experience, this was not going to provide one. Still, it was worth tasting. Finish was semi-dry, but in total, more reminiscent of a German Pilsener than an AIPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 oz bottle on January 15, 2017. Tastes more like a pilsner than an IPA but still worth trying if you like hoppy pilsner.

 

12 oz. into a tulip.

Appearance: Hazy straw/orange with a big white head.

Aroma: Fruity, hoppy. Herbal. Some pinecone.

Taste: Follows nose. Fruity and herbaceous with a floral character.

Mouthfeel: Pretty easy on the palate for an IPA. Bitter but far from overpowering. Nice malt backbone.

Overall: Nice concept and good execution. Swell IPA to pair with pizza. Not a "Wow!" IPA, but it doesn't have to be.

Clear gold color with orange hues, very active with a nice and dense white foamy head. Good retention.

A very clean semi-sweet corn malty aroma from the Vienna malt. Slightly creamy with an excellent pineapple and fruity hop scent from the classic cascade hops.

A very nice, super clean and refreshing bite from the earthy, piney, slughtly fruity hops. The Goldpils Vienna malt brings a very crisp, but smooth taste with a fine cream o corn and golden wheat edge. Amazing balance because of a highly focused, one-two punch from the single hop/malt combo. They compliment eachother very well, good complexity from just the two main ingredients. This is a very lean, crisp and simple IPA. I thoroughly enjoy the one malt, one hop approach because you can really taste and feel eachone's contribution to the overall effect. A light, wheat and grass flavor with a big earthy and dry finish.

A fine IPA with a wonderful balance.

A much better offering than Volume 1...

The appearance presents itself with a nice golden hue, the head had little staying power, but there was some slight lacing. The odor was the most surprising thing of this beer - sweet, citrusy and really amazing. The mouthfeel was very clean, very crisp, and the carbonation was almost nil, just the way I like. Volume 2 has a very strong IPA taste for IPA lovers, but it was mixed well with the citrus - a very good mix. Overall it was a great beer. I had one of these while eating some jalapeno poppers and I can tell you it the spiciness of the jalapenos brings out the sweetness in the beer.