Magic Hat Brewing Company- #9 Not Quite Pale Ale: Not Quite Sure What To Make Of It

I hadn’t the intention of doing a review this evening but figured what the hell.  I headed to the garage to see what awaited me and would tickle my fancy.  As the bottle tops stared back at me I decided that I would remove my cap and try a hat.  One of the cool things about this brewery is that they have sayings underneath their bottle caps, mine read “You Might Sigh if left with Humble Pie”…mmm pie.  In case you‘re wondering I am referring to the Magic Hat Brewing Company and my date for this evening is their #9 - Not Quite Pale Ale.

Magic Hat Brewing Company classifies this brew as a Not Quite Pale Ale and their website describes #9 as “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.”

This beer pours a hazy orange color with a tiny ¼ off white head, aromas indescribable, 4.6% ABV.

I would have to agree with the brewery on this one, I’m “Not Quite” sure what to think.  It drinks easy, the flavor is very light beer tasty but better than most if not all light beers.  I really like it but I don’t love it, kinda like the new Big D and the Kids Table, Fluent In Stroll.  It’s good but not “Strictly Rude” good.  With this beer being at 4.6% ABV you could definitely upgrade from your standard macro brew light beer fare and drink some #9 and you might be able to increase your street cred with the craft brew crowd.

ABV: 4.6%

Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy a Twelve Pack

Magic Hat Brewing Company- #9: Everything I Dislike In A Beer, And I Freaking Love It.

Magic Hat’s #9 sounds like a horrible beer on paper. It is billed as a “not quite pale ale.” It pours only slightly darker then the color of Bud Light. It hardly foams. It smells like sweet fruit. It, it, it. It is a mysterious beer muse, which will challenge everything you have pondered and decided about beer.

I can’t explain it but I love this beer. When it first strikes your lips the bitter pale ale flavor takes over. However it is rapidly replaced with this sweet, citrus flavor. My little brother swears it is apricot, and I agree. The taste is very reminiscent of sucking on a peach pit, a certain earthy flavor that is not too sweet but definitely present. I just love this beer. We spent a night drinking it around the campfire last summer on my Aunt’s property and I have had a slight beer crush ever since.  

Brewing is becoming more and more about trying new ideas and when it works, it is a beautiful thing. There is simply no other beer like this on the market. When I taste a beer for the first time I like to compare it to another. With #9 I truly can’t. It is a beer without a peer. That reason alone makes it worth your time and money. Buy it. Drink it. Love it!

 ABV:  4.6%

 Consumed: Pint Glass

 Verdict: Buy A Case!