#9 "Not Quite Pale Ale" from Magic Hat Brewing Co.

By Don

Well, I'm a huge fan of Vermont - especially Burlington.  But, I have to admit that I had never tried any Magic Hat from South Burlington, VT.

Our Wegman's Grocery Store has a really great beer selection.  Plus, they have a couple coolers with single bottles.  While shopping the other day, I spotted some single bottles of Magic Hat #9.  It's billed as "Not Quite Pale Ale."  I brought it home and put it in the beer fridge.

For dinner tonight, Lori was making a new recipe - sweet potato and apple pierogies sauteed with spinach and craisins along with spinach and feta chicken sausage. Yum!  I wanted a nice compliment for the potatoes and the spinach and feta in the sausage.  So, I thought a nice Pale Ale would do the trick.

Instead, I remember that I had the "Not Quite Pale Ale" in the beer fridge.  I grabbed my pint glass and the #9 and made my way to the dinner table.

#9 has a nice golden color and is just a little cloudy in appearance.  It has a fruited aroma and some hints of orange or apricot in its' taste.  This "Pale Ale" goes down easy.  If you don't typically like hopped up Pale Ales, you may like this one.

The Magic Hat website doesn't give many clues on the brewing of #9.  Magic Hat, much like the state of Vermont, is a bit squarely hip, but not too full of itself.  Other little surprises from Magic Hat include a message on the flip side of the bottle cap.  Mine said, "Beware of ducks in raincoats."

#9 was a perfect compliment to my meal.  The sweet potatoes, apples and craisins were a nice blend with the spinach.  And the herbs from the chicken sausage made the meal just perfect!  Once again, the #9 drinks so well that I was sad when this meal ended.

ABV on this one is 5.1%.  It's brewed with cascade and apollo hops.  Typical IPA's could have a bitterness (or IBU) of 40 or more.  #9 has a bitterness of only 20.

So, if you'd like to ease your way into Pale Ales, pick up some Magic Hat #9.

Cheers!