Batch 374
Magic Hat Brewing Company

Batch 374Batch 374
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From:
Magic Hat Brewing Company
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 9.32%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
42
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 18, 2011
Added:
Apr 27, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Schwarzbart:
Photo of Schwarzbart
Reviewed by Schwarzbart from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: A dark amber orange with a nice frothy head. Some mild cling.
Smell: Umm, fruity hops. Slight hint of spices like cinnamon. More hops like grass.
Taste: Complex hops balanced with good flavored malts. Some sweet tarty notes and a little sugary. Hops are fruity and grassy.
Mouthfeel: Medium.
Drinkability: I really like the hops in this one.
Feb 22, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Burt from Rhode Island

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by ROGUE16 from Delaware

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of changeup45
Reviewed by changeup45 from Florida

3.32/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Came with the summer sampler pack I purchased (it was the "mystery beer"). Pours a brownish, amber color. Small head and a little lacing. As the case with a lot of Magic Hat beers, it was pretty sweet and fruity. Maybe a little too sweet but still a solid beer. A nice amount of hops to go with a citrus fruity flavor make it enjoyable and pretty easy to drink. I'd definitely have it again.
Aug 24, 2008
Photo of mjsarch
Reviewed by mjsarch from Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Purchased on a road trip out east over Labor Day weekend 2006.

A - Light copper color, nice head retention. Slight cloud hanging around the top edge, and very slight carbonation evident. Upgraded for Belgian lacing on the glass as the beer goes down my gullet,
S - Citrusy hop aroma, which to me signals Cascade,
T - Slight bitter hops, seems typical for an American pale ale taste profile,
M - Nice hop bite, and a little more alcohol warmth than expected. Kind of fizzy on the palate,
D - Enjoyable session beer, and another nice offering by the people at Magic Hat.
Mar 10, 2007
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
'Shop with the pros'

Appearance - a murky dull amber with highlights of red and orange. A pale creamy light orange with some lazy lacing.

Aroma - lots of citrus. Orange, peach, and pine. Fragrant and appealing.

Taste - a layer of malty sweetness, coverd quickly by a dose of hoppage. As much citrus as bitterness, this is a really nice blend of hops. Not much balance to the malt side, but that's all for the better. A zippy red with some character. Great stuff.

Mouthfeel - medium body, kicked up carbonation, good, good...

Drinkability - quite quaffable, and most enjoyable with some chili, it turns out. Props to beachbum for hooking me up with this one.
Dec 19, 2006
Photo of jubnat
Reviewed by jubnat from Louisiana

3.92/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Dark amber with cream colored head. Smells very malty at first, with a hint of alcohol. Very hoppy taste. Spices and grapefruit. But underneath it, there are some nice creamy malt flavors also. It has a big hop flavor, but it's still pretty balanced. Good beer.
Dec 08, 2006
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a magnificient dark red with a large, rocky head.

Smells of yeasty yeasty bread dough and a fistful of hops. Orange hops and lemon hops and dry hops.

Tastes of huge yeast and bread dough up front, like I'm walking in the back of a bakery and the flavor just permeates the air, makes it so you have to breathe it in. Then there comes in this tremendous amount of hops. They're mostly citrusy, and some of them I can't for the life of me place. Lots of raw dough, is all I can say, and it's pretty fantastic.

Man, east coasters don't know how to live. This beer ain't over hopped. It's juuust right!
Oct 13, 2006
Photo of davidshamoon
Reviewed by davidshamoon from New York

2.83/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Something about this beer makes me want to give it higher marks than I have, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Magic Hat made Batch 374 into a novelty beer at the expense of real drinkability. The brew has simply been over-hopped, in my opinion. Underneath those hops is a tasty, if average, red ale, but it's tough to really savor the more subtle flavors (maltyness, hint of fruit) because the bittering hops are so distracting. Though it vastly improved when I drank it with food versus when I drank it alone, I still can't say I recommend this one to any but the most dedicated of hop-heads.
Sep 19, 2006
Photo of Slepkov
Reviewed by Slepkov from New York

3.06/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Colour is a deep red-orange with good clarity. Full and fruity in the nose, but the beer suffers from too much hops. Even though I like a good dry-hopped beer, this batch is over the top--novelty amounts of hops, really. With 30% less hops, this brew would be very good indeed.
Sep 01, 2006
Photo of NoLiberty
Reviewed by NoLiberty from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is a delightful beer.
The appearance is a great rich amber color, truly an amber beer with great tones of dark tannins. Lofty head with wide lacing.
The aroma is by far the best part of the beer. Wow! Like walking into a wet pine forest. Woodsy and piney with a sticky strong nose. Big big bouquet.
The taste is milder than expected, but perhaps that's the true nature of the all Simcoe hop character. The hop bite is mild and pleasant. The hop flavor is present up front, but not layered and not lasting through the back palate. There's a meaty, metalic aftertaste.
The mouthfeel is nice but not excellent, but generally good and rounded.
Drinkability? Yes, more please.
Aug 25, 2006
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Wow! What is this hoppy concoction before me? I could smell the hops when I opened the cap... fruity, citrusy, floral, piney... quite impressive. The distinctive grapefruit, orange, pineapple and melon notes really pull you in.

It pours a hazy copper-orange with a ruby cast and golden highlights beneath a frothy head of antique-white that holds well and leaves some very nice, thin, craggy lace about the glass.

A second whiff reveals that in addition to the citrusy hops there's also a soft, sweetish note of bready malt underneath.

The flavor delivers the hops that the nose promised: upfront mid-palate, at the swallow, and in the finish. Very nice. The sweet, underlying bready and lightly caramelish malt acts as a springboard to propel the fruity hops forward while a solid bitterness keeps a tether on it from below.

The mouthfeel is smooth and lightly creamy, with a dextrinous medium body and a moderate, seemingly natural, very fine-bubbled carbonation.

Quiet nice! This reminds me a lot of some of the hoppier beers that English brewers are doing now with American hops. Well worth trying!
Aug 21, 2006
Photo of sacfly
Reviewed by sacfly from Maryland

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear amber/copper color. Tan head of medium bubbles. Sweet grapefruit aroma. Taste is sweet grapefruit with a hefty backbone of malt that holds up quite nicely to the hops. Nice balance IMO. Almost creamy mouthfeel. A touch of astringency. The aftertaste starts with a pleasant bitterness with grapefruit and a touch of sweetness from the malt, but fades into astringency. This was a nice surprise as I haven’t cared much for there mystery beers in the past. Tone down the astringency, and this one is a keeper.
Aug 15, 2006
Photo of Hibernator
Reviewed by Hibernator from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Magic Hat Batch 374
12 oz brown bottle
Best by October notched on the side label
Served in a 20 oz tulip pint glass
Part of the Magic Hat Summer Variety Show 12 pack

Pours a hazy light orange with a reddish tint. Big, fluffy head on top that leaves intersting patterns of sticky lace on the glassware.

Plesant aroma of sweet malts and big time hops. Strong whiffs of citrus.

Juicy, grain biscuit malt feel with an incredibly soft and smooth mouthfeel with a touch of caramel swirl. Intense, yet controlled hop presence with a lime and grapefruit twang.
A solid offering and well crafted beer from Magic Hat. Rarely do they let me down with the Mystery beers.
Aug 11, 2006
Photo of UnionMade
Reviewed by UnionMade from New York

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
I guess this one's unofficially called Big Red, at least at Eli Cannons Tap Room.
Old brick red, topped with a full puff of off white foam. Great clarity, great retention and great lacing. These past few "batches" have been stellar appearance-wise. Chewy malt aroma and surprisingly hoppy. Lots of caramel and citrus, grainy, somewhat reminiscent of Rogue's red ale. The flavor follows suit, with plenty of caramel malt and a slight diacetyl butteriness, fruity and estery, buffeted by blaring, oily citric hops. Great stuff, and very drinkable. These were the first beers gone from my mix pack. Kinda reminds me of Humble Patience, risen from the grave and madder than hell.
Aug 10, 2006
Photo of AudioGilz
Reviewed by AudioGilz from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Quite a hoppy one here, and in a very good way. Pours a translucent amber color, with little head. STRONG aroma of pine, and citrus grapefruit. It's quite treat just to smell this thing. Aromas directly transport themselves into the flavors of this beer, with a hop dominated citrus grapefruit and pine character. Bitterness lingers in the aftertaste a bit, but isn't overpowering. Altogether, an awesome beer here, and quite a surprise out of the variety case with a "mystery beer" in it.
Jul 28, 2006
Photo of Ieatlambfries
Reviewed by Ieatlambfries from New Jersey

4.12/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My sample came in a variety pack. Served in a traditional pint glass.

It poured a dark orange, very slight haze. Perhaps even just a chill haze. Medium tan head that didn't stick around very long.

The smell was very fruity. Canned pineapples and citrus oils. Also piney hop resins. Simcoe or maybe Cascade?

The taste was bitter yet had a sweet citrus quality. A lot of grapefruit and grapefruit rind flavors. Sharp piney aftertaste. Smooth slick mouthfeel. Not overly carbonated.

Quite drinkable. I was surprised to see this classified as a red ale. My initial impression was IPA. A nice solid beer. I wouldn't mind seeing it make it into their line up.
Jul 23, 2006
Photo of EPICAC
Reviewed by EPICAC from Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a crystal clear amber with a fluffy beige head that recedes to a thin layer leaving patchy lace.

Smell: Piney hops with sweet toffee and caramel malts.

Taste: Light sweet malts in the center are dominated by a resiny hop bitterness in the finsish.

Mouthfeel: Oily, medium-light-bodied.

Drinkability: Drinkablitiy is okay, but could use some more balancing malts.

Overall: A decent session beer.
Jul 18, 2006
Photo of AaronHomoya
Reviewed by AaronHomoya from Indiana

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
12 oz brown bottle.

Pours a dark auburn color with a nice, lacy head. I noticed my friend's looked a lot lighter colored in the same type glass. Interesting. The smell is nice with a lot of sweet, fruity hops and a fair bit of malt in there too. A bit of a toasted, almost roasted coffee aroma too. The taste is nice and balanced with sweet malt and some fruity hop flavor up front, followed by a nice hoppy bitter finish that was quite pleasant. Mouthfeel was pretty light and almost thin, and the carbonation was fairly light as well. Clean feeling finish, though. Drinkability is high with the nice taste and nicely bitter finish that makes you want more.
Jul 15, 2006
Photo of Stubbie1
Reviewed by Stubbie1 from Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
This brew pours the color of a strong tea, dark in color but very clear. Nice tall head that fades to a very nice lace to the end of the glass. Aroma caught me off guard (in a good way0. Hops! but a nice aroma to it. Spice, pine and orange in the mix that comes to my nose, not overpowering but complementing to the brew. The taste is smooth and very nice. The zing from the hops is all up front but the beer gives a slight change to roasted malt in the middle but the flavor is taken back over by the hops.

I really enjoyed this brew. It has a nice mixture of flavors with a different side (type) of hops that I haven’t had or had this way yet. Easy to drink, very enjoyable. I wonder if this will be produced without being in a mixer?
Jul 11, 2006
Batch 374 from Magic Hat Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 42 ratings