Magic Hat DeVEILed and Seance

Magic Hat deVEILed (2013)

Seasonal (Fall).

12 fl. oz. / $1.49 USD / 5.2% ABV

About: "Shrouded in otherworldly goodness! A thin veil rests between two worlds, shrouding one’s view from the other. Lives of the present and those long gone may cross the boundary if they wish, but they must first awaken to the possibility. Once eyes have opened, a harmonious convergence of life and death can be seen, the oneness deveiled, shifting into sight. Malts: 2-Row Pale, Victory, Crystal 40L, Caramel Munich, Caramel 120L, Chocolate / Hops: Magnum, Cascade / Yeast: English Ale"

Thoughts: Damn that is some nice artwork label there. I wonder how much the beer is going to suck just based off that it's got such incredible artwork alone! DeVEILed poured an amber red color with a small foamy light tan head on top. There's generous carbonation and the beer itself is very cloudy. Leaning in for the first whiff and I get toasty water. It's really hard to smell anything here. I get some sweet syrup way in the background but that's about it.

Mouth feel is a little fizzy like and really watery. This beer has a raw funk to it. It's peppery and citrusy and just really kinda grimy. Not all too pleasant I'd have to say. The flavors all blend together kinda nice at first but once you swallow and let the air hit the inside of your mouth it gets all jumbled up and gross. It's like a spiced brown ale, with a lot of grassy water and a little dirt added. Not liking this one too much. Fuck you awesome artwork. Final thought, this motherfucker needs to be REveiled. Ha!

Magic Hat SEANCE (2013)

Seasonal (Fall).

12 fl. oz. / $1.49 USD / 4.4% ABV

About: "Some mysteries are more easily attainable through collected energies and certain assembled elements of seasons, dreams and that which is not at all what it seems. Hold a Séance and peer into an ethereal world of pleasures lying just on the other side of our psyche, floating on shifting winds, through blurred seasons and between waking and sleeping bends. Malts: 2-Row Pale, White Wheat, Victory, Carafa, Flaked Oats, Crystal 80L, Cherry Wood Smoke / Hops: Goldings, Hallertaur / Yeast: Saison II"

Thoughts: Seance poured a really dark brown color with a long lasting light tan head. One things for sure this smells a hell of a lot better than deVEILed. Ahh, it must be that belgian yeast. This one smells sweet, with hints of banana, candy apple, toasted oats, and bonfires.

The beer starts off peppery and smoky, with a lot of that bonfire feeling coming through real strong. The tons of malt mingle together peacefully while the sprinkling of hops bounce around the palate. It's not a strong beer at all, but it's loaded with flavor and tastes good. It's slightly on the charred side, but I've really got no problem with that. Drinking this really reminds me of getting drunk at the beach back when I was a freaky teen. It's got a slight hint of sourness around the middle mark, but a really fine and clean aftertaste to it.

Mouth is a bit fluffed up and weighty. You can tell this beer was made by Magic Hat as their stuff does share a similar kind of base taste and a gritty, dirty rawness to them... but here's one that actually worked out. I'm not in any rush to go buy any more of it, but if they do something special like age it in wine barrels or something I'll have another go at it.

Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream Pumpkin Ale

Magic Hat Wilhelm SCREAM Pumpkin Ale (2014)

Limited Release (Fall).

12 fl. oz. (x6) / $8.99 USD / 5.4% ABV

About: "The distant drums of change are thumping, signaling the coming of chilling frosts, falling leaves and ghoulish screams. In a patch ripe with orange glow, Wilhelm Scream awakens and unleashes his season-stirring call for fall. His revelers listen for his echo across the ripened dancing days and prepare their seasonal celebration of harvest and ale. Malts: Pale, Victory, Caramel 80L, Caramel 120L / Hops: Apollo, Nugget / Additives: Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice."

Thoughts: Well this one is a contender for the clearest fucking pumpkin beer I've ever seen. So clear in fact, clearer than most lagers actually, that it makes me wonder just what if any pumpkin was used in the making of this. Probably filtered about ten times before bottling right? It's a deep orange, really nice color actually, with a yellowed head on top that turned to nothin' real quick as carbonation fell flat.

It smells sweet and sugary, so that's a good sign I suppose. It's actually got a nice scent, sweet with a good spice kick to it. Nearly smells like a cold store bought pumpkin pie, which is actually more than you can say about some other pumpkin beers... but alas, this smells a bit synthetic and the sugary tones are kind of weird.

Hmm. Wilhelm Scream isn't horrible tasting by any means... it's sweet but not too sweet, gently spiced, got the slightest bit of bitterness, and overall is pleasant for the first few bottles. The beer itself is too weak to actually enjoy in the long run, since it just become so monotinous and bloating after a while. It tastes good all the way through, but there's just something seemingly fake about it. Though it's somewhat closer to a pumpkin pie-type beer than a raw fleshy pumpkin beer, there's nothing interesting about it after the first bottle. Total hit it and quit it. I needed beer tonight so I bought a six pack just to try, but really I wanted to buy a single and then drink something else. I had a feeling this was going to be a weak offering.

Still, it's not that bad. The residual aftertaste and feeling are a bit "icky", and that's the big problem, but besides that it's smooth, tastes ok, there's nothing off-putting while drinking it and it's even got a decent balance. There's a little bit of a smokiness on the back end of things that kind of brings out some sort of vanilla type note. If this were 8% and had I just huffed a canister of whipped cream while taking a cinnamon challenge I'd probably love it... but the way things are right now, I'm neither pleased nor disappointed. For a synthetic tasting pumpkin ale (whether it is or not), it's utterly non-offensive and enjoyable. Just drink 'em fast.

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest (2011)
Autumn Seasonal - August 1'st thru October 15'th (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz. / $1.75 USD / 5.4% ABV

Specs: "A malty amber ale with hints of toffee and caramel and a slightly smoky finish." YEAST: German Ale / HOPS: Apollo, Hallertaur / MALTS: Pale, Vienna, Crystal, Cherry Wood Smoked Malt, Malted Rye.

Look: Poured out a hazy golden orange, like honey, with a dark bubbly head that didn't entirely fade. Something weird is happening in the bubbles. They're clumping together in some spots. I'll blow on em and they'll dissipate then form in other areas. What the fuck!?

Scent: Smells different from the rest straight off. Not really like a  märzen at all, which as I hold it in front of my computer monitor just now and see, oh of course, it's a red ale like Freaktoberfest. The scent has a very caramel undertone to it.

Taste: Bitter toffee. Coffee notes. Cherries and light toasty bread.

Feel: Medium bodied. Leaves an astringent feeling, and it's a bit drying.

Final: This one's not bad. It's a bit malty though, and there's not much going for it in terms of special recognizable qualities.  Wish there was more to say about this one, aside from that it tastes pretty good, but it was somewhat plain. It's their highest ABV from their seasonals, and has the coolest artwork, but I'm not really feeling the brew all too much and that's what matters most. I don't dislike it, but it just didn't live up to that wicked image.