Beer: Magic Hat Wacko

Used with permission
Magic Hat Brewery

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewery South Burlington, Vermont

Overview: Magic Hat, famous for its #9, has a wide selection of seasonal beers that you can occasionally pick up at your local liquor store.  I got hooked on #9's weird fruity flavors on a business trip in Herndon, Virginia, strangely also the first place I found Wacko.  This six pack of Wacko, however, was available in Texas, and, as it happened, I was sending and receiving some messages on Twitter from @magichat on the day this year's Wacko batch was being bottled.  I'm not sure I know of any other beer, by the way, that contains beet juice.

Aroma: Really clean malty aroma with some moderate sweetness from some fruit (can't for sure say it is the beets).

Appearance: Pours a pale hazy pink, like a white zinfandel or other "pink" wine.  Think white head that dissipates quickly.

Flavor: Medium malt profile with a hint of tangy flavor around the front of the tongue.  Only a slight hint of sweetness.  Some spice to the hops in the finish, but not anything overwhelmingly bitter anywhere in the beverage.  Some crisp dryness to it.

Overall Impression: I am not sure what this beer is.  Magic Hat calls it a "Summer Beer" and I would have to agree, I suppose, as that category is just as fitting as any other.  I will say, in the flavor profile, the beets are not really strong enough to bring out a ton of sweetness or much else.  This is just a very easy drinking, light and refreshing summer beer.  I would definitely put this a notch above the typical American lite lagers, and probably not quite in the range of APAs for a preferred style, but it fits as a drinkable and accessible beverage with some unique qualities to it (the color, tangy flavor, bizarre fruity smell), and you can't forget the great slogans in the bottle cap.  Mine said, "Bubbles in the Bath make your toes Laugh" though I am not quite sure why my beer was discussing bathing habits, nor do I get the weird capitalization.  Still, it's Magic Hat.  So it's unique.

Vitals:
Style Specialty Beer
Price $7.99/six-pack
Found In Local Liquor Store
Alcohol Content 4.5% by volume
Availability Year-round
Bitterness 15 IBU


Rating: 92