MAGIC HAT #9

MAGIC HAT #9 (NOT QUITE PALE ALE), MAGIC HAT BREWING COMPANY, SOUTH BURLINGTON VT. MagicHat.net

HISTORY: "A beer cloaked in secrecy.  An ale whose mysterious and unusual palate will swirl across your tongue and ask more questions than it answers.

A sort of dry, crisp, refreshing, not-quite pale ale. #9 is really impossible to describe because there's never been anything else quite like it.  Our secret ingredient introduces a most unusual aroma which is balanced with residual sweetness."

I know that it says that I don't drink during the week, and so this is true, these two posts I put together last night and was unable to put them up. So, enjoy!

The pour into the glass (mine's the Pilsner, as always), elicits a rich head directly, but it quickly dissipates into nothingness. The beer is certainly within the realm of a Pale Ale, but it's as easy to see why it's considered, 'Not Quite'. It's aroma conjures a bit of fruity citrus after a god swirling to open it up. Behind it, a meager hint of wheat. It's clear, with a light yellow hue and looks very nice indeed.

Once it's drunk and sloshed a little around the mouth, one can easily discern the aforementioned fruitiness, but not so much so as to say it's by any means fruity. It has a bit of a hoppy/grassy note as it flows across the tongue to the throat leaving a nice trail of sweetness. It's certainly a rich, bright, and clean finish and would easily go well with dishes using poultry or maybe shellfish. I could really see myself kicking back with a few of these on a muggy evening. Very refreshing. Oh, and as with all Magic Hat bottles, the cap offers u a nice nugget of wisdom:

          "Find a Solution to Mind Pollution"

RATING: FOUR AND A HALF STARS FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT IT'S AN ALE AND IT ISN'T ALL AT THE SAME TIME. DELICIOUS!

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