Audio By Carbonatix
Never pretend to a friend. –From the underside of the bottle cap of a Magic Hat #9 sample.
In a sign of both the growth of Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company and that of the market for craft beers in the area, Magic Hat’s flagship #9 is now available in Texas for the first time.*
Magic Hat #9 is marketed as “Not Quite Pale Ale.” Maybe that qualifier is the reason I don’t notice any of the hoppiness I usually associate with American pale ales. This has much more in common with lighter English pale ales. It’s not very malty either. The primary impression is that of apricot–without the sour aspect–making for a nice light (4.6% ABV), summery beer.
*According to a Magic Hat spokesman, Magic Hat was previously distributed only as far west as Chicago. This is driving me nuts, though, because I could swear I’ve seen it before. Is anyone else having beer deja vu? Are there Magic Hat bootleggers?
