Magic Hat – #9 (Not Quite Pale Ale)

ABV: 5.1 (Bottle)
IBU: 20
YEAST: English Ale
HOPS: Cascade, Apollo
MALTS: Pale, Crystal

This is Magic Hat’s flagship brew. Aside from Dogfish Head, this is one of the beers that got me into craft brewing. Let’s get to the beer.

#9 — Not Quite Pale Ale
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.

Appearance:
This is a great looking beer. It has a hazy golden color with a foamy head which just beckons you to drink it. The head doesn’t last very long but there is a good amount of lacing left. I noticed some a bit of sediment in the bottle.

Aroma:
The sweetness hits your nose right away. You will probably notice the apricot aroma the most with some sweet malty notes. I also get a bit of that orange citrus smell as well. Probably from the hops which evens out that sweetness.

Taste:
This is sweet beer. It almost reminds me a bit of the McAuslin Apricot Ale but with more character. A very crisp mouth feel. You definitely taste apricots but as this is going down you notice the orange citrus a bit more. It has a nice even hoppy bitterness at the end that blends nicely and stops it from being overwhelmingly sweet. Nice hoppy aftertaste is left.

Overall:
This is a great tasting beer. From start to finish it is a treat. Great look and aroma but most importantly a great taste. It is no wonder this is their flagship beer. I can drink this over and over again. It would also make a nice session beer. I can definitely see myself easily drinking a lot of this in one sitting.