Drink #12 Magic Hat #9

1.28.2012

Apple Pie, Baseball, and helping friends move. There are few things more traditionally “American” one might argue. (Unless you want to yell, debate talk politics in 2012 and then shhh, shhh, I can’t hear you right now…)

And when you do help your friends move, your payment does not just come in the form of goodwill, an exercised core and getting to see all their stuff in boxes, it’s also, usually in the form of pizza and beer. It’s like hotdogs at the ballpark: they just go hand-in-hand.

I mean, seriously, how else do you properly thank your friends for helping to get your 12’ square couch through a 7’ round door? A handshake? A promised but never delivered massage? No, beer. You get them just tipsy enough to forget how beat and tired they are. And it works every time.

Trust me, I’ve moved plenty.

Our friends Courtney & Jordan–you might remember them from my Mimosa post– asked us to help move them into their new home (which, has it’s own cool little blog by Courtney you should check out if you’re into home-remodeling: http://mocojo.wordpress.com) and I knew it would be a great opportunity to have another beer on the Adventure.

Thankfully they didn’t have too much to move, their parents also came to help, and it was a beautiful day. So when we were all finished and ready to eat some pizza Subway, Courtney let me know I’d be trying her favorite beer–a Magic Hat #9.

I was only vaguely aware of Magic Hat. I’ve seen it in stores and I know a few friends who like it, but it’s not part of my mental beer log. So it was a fun, unexpected choice as it wasn’t even on my list for the year. (I can hear the “for-shames” already) Have a beer I need to try? Let me know.

And guess what? I liked it very much.

Magic Hat Brewing Company, a very cool micro-brewery out of Vermont, self-describes #9 as a “Not quite pale ale” and I could see that. It’s not dark, but it’s dark-tasting in a noted way with it’s depth.

It’s fruity, but not sweet. It’s bitter, but in a citrus rind kinda way that’s pleasing. I could taste orange and apricot for sure. Berry maybe? A touch of lemon? It was really malty and I love that flavor, so that was a big, surprising bonus for me. It has a nice full flavor, some complexity, a touch musky but crisp. Its flavors lingered nicely after you had a sip.

I liked it a lot. Each sip had something to explore, each sip was nicer than the last. Unlike my experience with Yuengling Lager–which I also liked–every step of the way through the bottle became a bit more layered.

My favorite beer prior had been the Corona w/ lime. And for a lighter drink, with a really clean crisp edge, it’s still my favorite in that very pale lager category, but Magic Hat #9 is my new favorite beer outright.

[Should I be showing off this early that I’m learning more and more about beer, wine and alcohol in general? Hm, I need to think about it because I don’t want to overwhelm my readers with the general awesomeness of my research skills. NOTE TO SELF: keep Google a secret for now.]

Now, if you’ll recall, I’ll be trying some 40+ beers during the year on my Adventure, so give me some time to declare a winner if ever there need be one. But for my 4th beer, it was pretty fantastic.

So, did it put a spell on me? Oh god, am I even going to exercise that handy analogy? Yes, perhaps. Perhaps it did.

Will I help you move anytime soon on the promise that you’ll get me a 6 pack of Magic Hat? No, perhaps not. Perhaps never.

You’ll have to pick a new beer for me to try at least–don’t be lazy.

Oh, and please remember to remove your stuff from the drawers before I try to move it. I only look like a cross between Superman and He-Man. But–and don’t share this secret with everyone--I’m not that strong. My hands are soft for a reason. Physical labor is not my friend. I do not like to sweat. …I could go on.

However, I like to help my friends and those in need. …You know, that’s probably why I remind you so much of Superman crossed with He-Man, if you think about it.

Cheers, Ben


PS: Next up?! My very first shot of alcohol. Oh yes, I’m going to throw that baby back with skill. Or do my best to choke it down. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

PPS: Plans for the February Happy Hour here in DC are almost complete. I can tell you this much, its going to be at the Blue Banana on Wednesday, February 15th from 6:30-8pm and will have a very special $8 firstdrink cocktail with $2 from every drink going to the Washington Animal Rescue League. Very cool indeed, mark your calendars, full details coming start of next week.