Magic Hat Demo Black IPA

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company

Location: South Burlington, VT

Style: Lager

Brewery Website

Rating: A-

We interrupt our run of pilsner tastings for today with a Black IPA. Today we have the Magic Hat Demo IPA, one of their "IPA's on Tour" set. The Demo pours up a deep cola-black in color with a hint of amber. There is a bit of sediment in suspension as well. The head is mocha in color and frothy. On the nose there is a rich chocolaty porter aroma with a hint of fruity hops.

On the palate there is a slightly sweet mocha note up front paired with dark wheat toast. Bitter hops comes in a wave along with some fruity hops notes. As the hops fades there is a dryer toastiness with raisins and bittersweet chocolate. The Demo is medium-bodied, and feels right for an IPA. The finish has mocha notes, toast and some herbal and bitter hops as well.

I have yet to try a Black IPA I didn't like, and the Demo is no exception. I like the transition on the palate as the experiance goes from a sweeter porter to an IPA to a dryer porter, and finally it all blends together on the finish. There is a nice smokiness here, but it is not so overpowering to affect drinkability. Another highly recommended Black IPA.

Magic Hat Vinyl Lager

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: Lager
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

With spring just around the corner, it's a good time to kick into Magic Hat's spring seasonal - their Vinyl Lager. The Vinyl is golden amber in color and shows a good amount of fine carbonation rising in the glass. The head pours up a light golden-tan color and is on the shorter side. The nose is fairly light. Aromas of lager malt, wheat bread, and fruity hops are all here along with a faint whiff of cucumber.

On the palate the Vinyl starts with juicy notes that lead into an off-dry malt. There is a rich maltiness with some Eurolager notes in the background. Mineral and earth are also here as highlights. The bitter hops are on the mild side and take a few sips to build up. The Vinyl is medium-bodied, which suits this full-flavored lager well. The finish has lager malt highlighted by a fading hop bite and some steely minerality.

Magic Hat has a nice, full-flavored lager on their hands with the Vinyl. While this is pretty much a straightforward lager, flavor-wise this is a big step up over the typical Euro/Canadian fare. Vinyl hits the right balance between flavor and drinkability, and is a great addition to your spring rotation.

Magic Hat Howl

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: Schwarzbier
Brewery Website
Rating: B

Today's tasting is Howl, Magic Hat's winter lager. This dark schwarzbier is completely opaque mahogany in color. The foamy head is brownish-tan in color. The nose detects roasted barley, lager malt, a faint wininess, caramel and peanuts.

On the palate there is a big roasted flavor that has bittersweet cocoa along with roasted peanuts and peanut butter. Lager malt notes are here as well, but are hidden under the roast. There is a bit of hops here with herbal and pine notes. There is a bitter kick, but it seems to be more of the coffee ground variety than a hoppy punch. As things settle down the roasted character evolves a bit leading to some grilled corn/veggies notes. The Howl has a body that is a bit on the heavy side for a lager and has some chewiness. The finish is long with big roasted grain notes.

Magic Hat's Howl is truly a porter in lager's clothing. My only complaint is that the roasted character of this beer is a bit too one-sided. I wish there was a bit more of a hoppy twang to provide some counterbalance. If you like big roasted beers, Howl will definitely feed your fix. The question is whether it suits your taste enough to have you going back for more.

Magic Hat Blind Faith

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A-

Along with their full time IPA, Lucky Kat, their current "IPA on Tour" is the Blind Faith, which is on the tasting block today. The Blind Faith is a hazy amber in color. It pours with a clumpy off-white head that fades rather quickly. The nose has notes of citrus, wheat toast and caramel.

On the palate the Blind Faith has an initial citrus and bitter hops rush that fades a bit to open up a cereal/bready malt note. There is a touch of caramel and sweetness present. The hops component has an herbal character along with pine and citrus in the background. The finish is balanced between aromatic and bitter hops along with a sweet malt note with oatmeal and caramel.

The Blind Faith is a really nice IPA. The malt holds up well to the hops without ever stealing the show. This has just the right balance of malt and hops for an IPA, and a nice mix of hops flavors. I'd love to see Magic Hat make this their year-round IPA.

Magic Hat Lucky Kat

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Location: South Burlington, VT
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: B

On tap for review (well, in-bottle actually) we have Lucky Kat, which is the year-round IPA from Magic Hat. The Lucky Kat is ruddy-amber in color with a slight haze and very fine bubbles rising. It pours with a 2-finger, foamy, off-white head. The nose is on the faint side, with pine and herbal hops alongside a touch of sweet, bready malt.

At first taste, the Lucky Kat leads off with smooth malt as bitter hops start to fade in. There are notes of pine as well as faint citrus on the hops side. There is also a bit of a faint "eurolager" note in the background. The finish has more bitter hops which are rather mild for an IPA, but linger pleasantly. Lucky Kat has a light-to-medium body and is quite drinkable for an IPA. Balanced without being overpowering, The Lucky Kat IPA from Magic Hat is a great intro IPA for the hop newbie.