Magnify Brewing Update (2021)

I agree 100%. The Woah were great,

 

I feel this sentiment could get applied to several NJ breweries. Diving IMO way too far into those styles as well as leaving behind or changing beers that were once regularly brewed and brought them fans and love. Some say "can you blame them, its what sells." The current inventory of IPAs all these places have begs to differ though.

It's the same sequence for every IPA factory brewery () it seems:
1. Lines, lines, lines...pain in the ass to obtain. Sell out same day.
2. Less line, beer lasts the weekend.
3. No line beer lasts the week.
4. Beer sits too long, so we distribute sells out fast in stores.
5. Beer sits on shelves in distro now.
6. Uh oh...

 

I agree with your post but one detail (which I think is important) is that those IPA factory breweries are able (at the present time and for many previous years) to price their beers at high prices (e.g., $18, $20, and even more per four-pack) and beer consumers seem to be happy to pay those prices.

For the situation of long lines the breweries would sell directly to the end consumers which yielded them HUGE profits. Now that they are going through distribution the profit margin is not as high but those IPA factory breweries are still making a lot of money in selling those four-packs.

IMO, we will know if there is true 'saturation' in the market if those breweries need to lower their prices in order to move product. Maybe this will happen in the next few years?

Cheers!

P.S. You may want to consider starting a thread in the Beer Talk forum entitled "IPA factory breweries". since this is a topic of broader interest to the BA community.

 

I used to go to a couple of their releases more than 4 years ago. But I just cant commit to a four pack from them. In fact not even a can. I would get them on tap at a bar/restaurant, but I haven't been to one since march. I wish they focused more on dialing their beers in instead of pumping out "new" beers.

With all of the ingredients they add to their beers I feel like it just hides all of the imperfections of the beer they brew.

 

Here is a list of what Magnify has on sale this week


RAINBOW SHERBET, 11%

Imperial Sour Ale inspired by one of our favorite desserts. Brewed with lactose and conditioned on raspberry, tangerine, lime and Madagascar vanilla beans. $20/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


COLD SIDE, 7%

Zero IBU IPA double dry hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo. Next to no bitterness. $17/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs

Kegs available - email [email protected] if interested


ON AND ON, 12%

Double Dry Hopped Imperial IPA with Citra, Nelson, Kohatu and Centennial. $18/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs

Kegs available - email [email protected] if interested


INFINITE UNIVERSE, 12%

Quadruple IPA hopped with Galaxy and a touch of El Dorado. Incredibly smooth and no hint of ABV. $22/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


DDH ROCK ME DR. 'SAIC WITH INCOGNITO, 8%

All Mosaic Double IPA picked up a notch this time around. Mosaic Incognito, Mosaic pellets and Mosaic cryo. $20/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


SOFT PEAKS, 6.5%

IPA brewed with lactose and hopped with Nelson Sauvin. This beer is our Peak of Ripeness IPA with the addition of lactose. $16/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESECAKE MIND OVER MATTER, 8%

Double Chocolate Milk Stout with lactose, cocoa nibs, cheesecake, pumpkin spice and vanilla. $20/4 Pack - Limit 3 four packs


BOURBON BARREL AGED SINISTER PRIME MINISTER, 13%

Collaboration with Interboro. Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels for over a year and with hazelnuts and maple syrup. $18/500 ml bottle - Limit 6


CHERRY LIMEADE R&R, 11%

Imperial Sour Ale brewed with lactose, lime and cherry. New variant of our lemonade inspired sour series. $20/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


IMPERIAL PILLOW TALK, 8.5%

Marshmallow Imperial IPA. Brewed with lactose and marshmallows and double dry hopped with Motueka, El Dorado and Mosaic Cryo. $20/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


MIDNIGHT SOCIETY, 8.5%*

Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Mosaic, Rakau and Comet hops. $18/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


IMPERIAL TWO PERCENT, 8.5%*

Strawberry Milkshake Imperial IPA. Brewed with lactose, double dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Motueka, and conditioned on strawberry puree and Madagascar vanilla. $20/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


LOW VISIBILITY, 4.8%

Hazy and crushable Pale Ale with Waimea and Mosaic. $12/4 Pack - Limit 6 four packs


*low quantities
They must not be having problems selling their brews since sales are limited to 1 case. Not much of interest to me on that list way to many added flavors.

 

Cold side and DDH Rock me are the only things I would want 1 single can of.

 

Magnify is the Four Loko of Breweries in NJ

 

this was the Weyerbacher model for years, most of their beers were high alcohol and Easton was a colllege town (Lafayette) and there was always plenty of market for big beers particularly 5-10 years ago where it was high ABV, high IBU

 

Without going back and looking on Instagram, I would think that list is not a deliberate attempt to put out mostly high ABV offerings, but rather an accumulation multiple weeks worth of beers, where the leftovers consist of mostly the high ABV ones. Ordinarily I would suspect in any given week they are only doing one TIPA or high abv stout. Otherwise, 8-8.5% DIPAs are pretty standard for the "IPA Factory" releases, with the occasional 6.5%

 

Completely agree with your point about their earlier focus. I really think they’d still make money even if they continued the Woah series and more saisons alongside the NEIPAs. Oh well.

 

I poke into Magnify every so often (well, before the pandemic - haven't had any reason to get their beers).

I always felt that they were a slightly more refined/consistent Bolero Snort. In that they chased hypes, tried to put out the biggest variety of the same types of beers instead of refining a handful of beers, and their beers had a very small window of being "good" and then they fell off and were just messes.

They're definitely better than BS, and seem like much better people than the BS guys, but while I refuse to buy BS beers, I put magnify in the same category of "only buy what I know i can drink within 1 week" where as with more refined breweries like Conclave, Troon, and Kane I know an IPA can sit on the shelf for a month and still taste just as good as day 1.

 

I visited earlier in the year, pre-pandemic, and was severely underwhelmed. They had an English Mild on tap (ok), Shameless Plug IPA, which had an awful aftertaste, and Pancake Mind over Matter, which was very thin for a Imperial Stout.

I always thought their labels were ugly and (for lack of a better term) very cheezy, too.

And yes, their prices seem really high.

 

Last time I had magnify was their anni oreo stout + the cake batter one? They were both awful, sugar bombs. I actually had to dilute the oreo one with water just so i can make it drinkable.


I had buncha IPAs which I thought were mediocre besides Summer Storms. Even their velvet Rope isn't that good IMO and it's wayyyy over priced. I pass by that brewery sometimes (work) and I just don't care enough to stop in. I see their stuff at liquor stores and same thing, I don't really care enough to spend my money on them.

One of their best IPAs (and my all time favorites) was the Tiny Basket collab with dancing gnome though. That was a panty dropper to me.

 

I cannot keep up with the constant release of new brews from Magnify. One week I would come across a great IPA from them but a few weeks later i would find myself in my local shop thinking "is that the one that I really liked?"

 

I check in on Magnify every so often and am generally happy with the 4-packs I grab. It sufficiently scratches my hazy IPA itch without my needing to pay toll markups for driving to Gowanus (still not super comfortable with public transit), for example.

Also, Sinister Prime Minister is one of my favorite BA pastries, but my sweetness tolerance might be higher than others'. I also haven't had any of their other pastries, so perhaps Sinister is a bit less cloying?

Agreed that I'd like to see a bit more style variety from them but still very happy to have them as a convenient option, along with Brix City.

 

I need to know who asked for a lactose & marshmellow thiccccc seltzer