Magic Hat Hocus Pocus Wheat Ale
I picked up a 12 ounce bottle of a curious microbrew today. Hocus Pocus Summer Wheat Ale, brought to me by Magic Hat Brewing Company of South Burlington, VT.
I've tried a few Magic Hat Offerings in my years. None of which I'd been all that much impressed with overall. Don't get me wrong, each Magic Hat beer I have tried has certainly proven itself much better than the macro swill I'd find in any bar, pub or street corner tavern in the Pittsburgh region. It's just not been a "memorable" track record with this brewery in particular.
I guess what attracted me to even picking out the bottle in the cooler is the cool label design. That's what's always snagged me with Magic Hat beers. I see the funky, cool and colorful label designs, my eye gets drawn, my interest is piqued. I've gotta at least try it right? One thing about Magic Hat is that, while their label are very interesting and fun, trying to tell what style of beer is inside the bottle is like throwing darts in the dark. There is very little anywhere on the bottle to even let you know what you're spending your hard-earned cash on on the inside. After very close inspection, I noticed this is a "seasonal" micro brew offering, a "summer wheat beer" to be exact. "What the heck?" I thought and grabbed a single.
Well, wheat beers, while not my favorites, have been enjoyable from time to time. It just depends what you're drinking I guess. This beer poured quite flat and dull. It just didn't give me a whole lot of signs of life at least visually. Several small streams of bubbles lazily sauntered upwards in my glass as if to say "yeah, we're here, but we're not real thrilled about it". Uninspiring.
Taste? Well, I'm used to the lemony wheat flavors in typical summer microbrews, but this one really made me pucker and not in the best of ways. It made me cringe a little with each sip and the slick coating it left in my mouth wouldn't let me forget it all that quickly either. In fact, after just one bottle, it was making me thirsty for something, anything other than a beer! Probably shouldn't be serving this in bars or everyone will be drinking iced teas and sprites before they know what hit them!
To quickly summarize my experience with Magic Hat Hocus Pocus Summer Wheat, my one line impression is sour, dry and at the same time a watered down essence. I wouldn't tell you to avoid it at all costs (especially if the wheat beers are your thing). But if I'm going to be paying $2.00 to $4.00 a bottle for a "microbrew", I want something at least a little better, more fulfilling an memorable. My rating for this Magic Hat offering is 5.00 out of 10.00. There's not a whole lot of magic in this Magic Hat Hocus Pocus, at least not for me. Just being honest, not hating.
You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!
I've tried a few Magic Hat Offerings in my years. None of which I'd been all that much impressed with overall. Don't get me wrong, each Magic Hat beer I have tried has certainly proven itself much better than the macro swill I'd find in any bar, pub or street corner tavern in the Pittsburgh region. It's just not been a "memorable" track record with this brewery in particular.
I guess what attracted me to even picking out the bottle in the cooler is the cool label design. That's what's always snagged me with Magic Hat beers. I see the funky, cool and colorful label designs, my eye gets drawn, my interest is piqued. I've gotta at least try it right? One thing about Magic Hat is that, while their label are very interesting and fun, trying to tell what style of beer is inside the bottle is like throwing darts in the dark. There is very little anywhere on the bottle to even let you know what you're spending your hard-earned cash on on the inside. After very close inspection, I noticed this is a "seasonal" micro brew offering, a "summer wheat beer" to be exact. "What the heck?" I thought and grabbed a single.
Well, wheat beers, while not my favorites, have been enjoyable from time to time. It just depends what you're drinking I guess. This beer poured quite flat and dull. It just didn't give me a whole lot of signs of life at least visually. Several small streams of bubbles lazily sauntered upwards in my glass as if to say "yeah, we're here, but we're not real thrilled about it". Uninspiring.
Taste? Well, I'm used to the lemony wheat flavors in typical summer microbrews, but this one really made me pucker and not in the best of ways. It made me cringe a little with each sip and the slick coating it left in my mouth wouldn't let me forget it all that quickly either. In fact, after just one bottle, it was making me thirsty for something, anything other than a beer! Probably shouldn't be serving this in bars or everyone will be drinking iced teas and sprites before they know what hit them!
To quickly summarize my experience with Magic Hat Hocus Pocus Summer Wheat, my one line impression is sour, dry and at the same time a watered down essence. I wouldn't tell you to avoid it at all costs (especially if the wheat beers are your thing). But if I'm going to be paying $2.00 to $4.00 a bottle for a "microbrew", I want something at least a little better, more fulfilling an memorable. My rating for this Magic Hat offering is 5.00 out of 10.00. There's not a whole lot of magic in this Magic Hat Hocus Pocus, at least not for me. Just being honest, not hating.
You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!
Labels: Magic Hat Brewing, microbrewery, summer wheat beer, vermont microbrewery
posted by David James at 1:23 AM
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