Someone in VT let Magic Hat know...

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brewt00l

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
3,725
Reaction score
18
Location
Doylestown, PA
...that Circus Boy doesn't belong in every variety pack you produce...especially fall/winter packs.

Thanks!



PS> Ravell back in bottles please ;)
 
when you do so, also let them know about this Great American Beer Fest that they seem to have forgotten to attend.
 
Oh, and tell them to throw their "magic" hat in the ring, because their brew...it is, how you say, 'not very good'.
 
They had a seasonal out last year that I liked a lot... what the hell was the name of it... damn, it was basically a red IPA, which as I have noted in the past is a style I especially enjoy...

EDIT: "Roxy Rolles"
 
I was dissapointed with their showing at the Durham World Beer Fest - they had their Circus Boy and #9. I figured it would be a good time to break out one of their mystery brews.
 
I hear ya all....it seems to me that the marketing of magic hat has taken front seat to brewing great beers. They can do some great stuff but it seems that they would rather rely on the kitschy marketing to carry the brand forward.
 
My wife and I toured the brewery this August. Definitely all about the marketing (to the younger set). They had no information on their beers in the tasting room/souvenier shop. The only way to tell what they had was to read the tap handles and if you wanted any info. on the beers you had to ask the people serving. Our tour guide proudly said that they have been using the same yeast strain over and over again and that it was over 100 years old. That explains why their beer keeps changing in flavor. I had their Fat Angel and a beer fest and liked it, but did not like it at the brewery.
 
pjj2ba said:
My wife and I toured the brewery this August. Definitely all about the marketing (to the younger set). They had no information on their beers in the tasting room/souvenier shop. The only way to tell what they had was to read the tap handles and if you wanted any info. on the beers you had to ask the people serving. Our tour guide proudly said that they have been using the same yeast strain over and over again and that it was over 100 years old. That explains why their beer keeps changing in flavor. I had their Fat Angel and a beer fest and liked it, but did not like it at the brewery.

That tid bit on the yeast was prb a bit misleading, it's pretty widely know that magic hat uses Ringwood on most all (if not all) of their beers. Shipyard is another brewery that uses Ringwood. The guide was likely referring to the consistent use of that strain.

http://www.beveragebusiness.com/bbcontent/art-arch/mmbryson0601.html
 
Glibbidy said:
Amen to that. Their beer has been on a downward spiral since the mid 90's:(

Bingo. That's why I haven't had any of their beer in about 10 years. Besides my disliking ringwood yeast, they've just become pedestrian and dismissible. Not to mention, if I'm anywhere near Burlington I'll save my money for The Alchemist...
 
Going to Burlington to tour Magic Hat tomorrow. Any suggestions of other places to see?
 
bigjohnmilford said:
There's some good beer around Stowe too. The Shed is nice and Rock Art isn't far.

Yup, the Shed Mountain Ale used to be my favorite. But then I started homebrewing, and the clone I made came out better! :ban: (as judged by my friends, anyway!)

Also, the Alchemist in Waterbury has some tastey brew. The brewmaster there apprenticed at VT P&B
 
not so sure that magic hat relies on marketing...their marketing pretty much consists of hosting and sponsoring parties...as for the brewery, if you catch them on a weekday and decide to taste the beers, the employee behind the bar giving you the samples usually can give you a good amount of information about each one as you taste them. however if you go on a weekend they are so busy that just getting the sample is a chore and they dont tell you anything beyond the name of the beer. some newer beers they have only on tap at the artifactory are braggot, and kerouac. kerouac is a red beet beer. i have also heard that fat angel is being replaced by their current test batch.
 
Quote:Originally Posted by Jester369
Also, the Alchemist in Waterbury has some tastey brew
Soulive said:
Best beer in VT no doubt IMO...

+1.

After our tour of Magic Hat, my wife was not really interested in going somewhere else to taste more beer. I asked her then was that the last beer she wanted to remember the taste of on our vacation? I suggested that we really needed to have some good beer to remove the disappointing taste of the Magic Hat beers from our mouths (the tour was cool though). She thought about it for a second, and agreed. We had some GREAT beers at the Alchemist
 
VT Pub & Brewery. Phenomenal smoked stout. Anyone know if they ever give tours? Now that Five Spice Cafe is no more, wife and I decided that VT P&B is "our place" when we're up north.
 
the_bird said:
VT Pub & Brewery. Phenomenal smoked stout. Anyone know if they ever give tours? Now that Five Spice Cafe is no more, wife and I decided that VT P&B is "our place" when we're up north.

Yeah tours on Saturdays IIRC and I think you mean Smoked Porter. The 2 dudes who brew there are pretty laid back. I used my pro credentials :cross: and they hooked me up with a tshirt for free...
 
the_bird said:
They had a seasonal out last year that I liked a lot... what the hell was the name of it... damn, it was basically a red IPA, which as I have noted in the past is a style I especially enjoy...

EDIT: "Roxy Rolles"


i got a growler of that last year when i visited the brewery....i really enjoyed that....and honestly i enjoy "Hocus Pocus" too
 
+1 for VT Pub and brewery! We spend 4-5 days in VT every August (in Stowe) and just found the VT Pub and brewery last year... We'll be going back...
 
Soulive said:
Yeah tours on Saturdays IIRC and I think you mean Smoked Porter.

Nope. Couldn't remember the name, it must have been the Handsome Mick. Something tells me that it might have been blending with another beer, though...

beer.GIF
 
Now I don't know what I had. It was called Micks but the bartender said Smoked Porter. She definitely could've been wrong though. I guess it was the stout, but either way it was very good...
 
the_bird said:
Nope. Couldn't remember the name, it must have been the Handsome Mick. Something tells me that it might have been blending with another beer, though...

beer.GIF

You guys are making me want to play hooky tomorrow so I can cross the lake! I'm just a ferry crossing from Burlington...:drunk:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top