Zarathustra19
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
- Posts
- 1,456
- Likes
- 12
Last night I decided to swing by my local bar and pick up a few six packs for the weekend, thinking I could get some Victory Hop Devil or something similar. However, they were sold out of my favorite, so I started looking around the case for an alternative I hadn't had or hadn't had in a while. I spotted two different six packs of Magic Hat: Circus Boy and No. 9 and bought both.
This review focuses on the no. 9, another will follow for the Circus Boy when I have some time to write down some tasting notes.
In any case, I washed out a pint glass and poured the ale into it, then held it up to the light. It was clear, the color of a darker straw. I smelled it and was surprised to find that the first thing that came to mind was Miller Lite's "aftersmell" which gave me pause.
However, I persevered and took the first sip. At first, there wasn't much there, it was a very crisp beer with good levels of carbonation for the "pale" ale style. I got flavors of barley and light hops, which I couldn't place well (smelled a little like cascade, which the website says is in there). There was something else in it, which I couldn't place, but the Magic Hat brewery said it is a "secret ingredient".
After consuming two, I decided that I liked the beer, and tried to compare its flavor to another I had had. The closest thing I could come up with was a Bass Pale Ale. Its my feeling that when the Brewery calls this an "almost pale ale" they mean an almost American pale ale. It has characteristics of the old school British pale ales (of which I admit I've only had a few) and not the concentration on hop flavor and aroma that American brewers are leaning toward today.
Overall, a good beer, if you see it on tap, try it. If you have a chance to get a six pack, go for it. If you can only get a case, do so at your own risk, because this flavor is certainly not for everyone.
Stats from the Brewery:
Hops: Cascade and Columbus (very American)
Malt: Pale and Crystal (didn't see the color from the crystal).
Yeast: English Ale
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 20
Cheers!
This review focuses on the no. 9, another will follow for the Circus Boy when I have some time to write down some tasting notes.
In any case, I washed out a pint glass and poured the ale into it, then held it up to the light. It was clear, the color of a darker straw. I smelled it and was surprised to find that the first thing that came to mind was Miller Lite's "aftersmell" which gave me pause.
However, I persevered and took the first sip. At first, there wasn't much there, it was a very crisp beer with good levels of carbonation for the "pale" ale style. I got flavors of barley and light hops, which I couldn't place well (smelled a little like cascade, which the website says is in there). There was something else in it, which I couldn't place, but the Magic Hat brewery said it is a "secret ingredient".
After consuming two, I decided that I liked the beer, and tried to compare its flavor to another I had had. The closest thing I could come up with was a Bass Pale Ale. Its my feeling that when the Brewery calls this an "almost pale ale" they mean an almost American pale ale. It has characteristics of the old school British pale ales (of which I admit I've only had a few) and not the concentration on hop flavor and aroma that American brewers are leaning toward today.
Overall, a good beer, if you see it on tap, try it. If you have a chance to get a six pack, go for it. If you can only get a case, do so at your own risk, because this flavor is certainly not for everyone.
Stats from the Brewery:
Hops: Cascade and Columbus (very American)
Malt: Pale and Crystal (didn't see the color from the crystal).
Yeast: English Ale
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 20
Cheers!
