Magnifico - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

Kinsman

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hazy and bright orange in the glass with a nice bit of white head. Some bready and doughy notes on the nose which sit nicely alongside a slight fruity character. Some grassy hop character as well.

A good balance of flavors in a light package. Malts stand strong but don't over power the more delicate hop flavors. A nice mix of earthy/grassy notes with some nice Cascade citrus pop and rounded out with a healthy dose of IBU's.

Mouthfeel is a light and a bit bubbly. Overall, low-ABV beer that goes big on flavor making for a great easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 19:04:22 | More by Kinsman

Archemedies

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.7%

06-18-2013 03:05:14 | More by Archemedies

Rusty_Pabst

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.5%

06-16-2013 14:34:09 | More by Rusty_Pabst

brez8791

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%

06-15-2013 03:41:27 | More by brez8791

EnronCFO

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

06-15-2013 02:41:28 | More by EnronCFO

HawkIPA

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.7%

06-06-2013 11:19:16 | More by HawkIPA

harsley

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

This is everything a hop forward session beer should be. It's light on the mouth feel, which would probably be my only negative. It smelled and tasted like there were hop pellets in the bottle. Full of carbonation which left a huge head lingering until the glass was empty (which didn't take too long). The malt definitely takes a back seat but it's there enough to keep things real. Color was nice and it was pretty clear. I didn't notice much "Belgian" about it and didn't know it was considered a Belgian Pale until I saw it here. I'm guessing it was fermented on the cooler side to keep the esters down and the hops either drowned them out or were so well matched that they blended with each other into one harmonious flavor explosion.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 16:03:32 | More by harsley

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thin bar-poured head. Settles to minute rim bubbles leaves some streaky lace. The cloudy broth is dirty gold in color.

Pleasant flowery hop with a black pepper kick. Light crystal in the background.

This a strongly bitter (said black pepper!) beer. The swallow and aftertaste is like sucking a hop pellet. It's hard to detect the malt base--mostly pale. The body is neutral; the carbonation elevated. Definitely a hop head beer.

---

June 9, 2013 -- Bottle version

Key difference comes from the head, which is very impressive. Lumpy while settling. Lots of chunky lace on the glass. I would also consider the body to be on the thin side with the carbonation still elevated.

I did not change the scores to reflect this.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2013 17:03:45 | More by smcolw

nmann08

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

05-26-2013 04:30:30 | More by nmann08

discharmingly

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -34.6%

05-24-2013 17:48:07 | More by discharmingly

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%

05-12-2013 17:58:51 | More by mikeburd1128

alienlifeforcecube

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

03-16-2013 06:14:24 | More by alienlifeforcecube

AutumnBeerLove

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

03-15-2013 17:57:27 | More by AutumnBeerLove

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

02-09-2013 21:56:16 | More by PEIhop

hopandbarley28

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

01-25-2013 21:28:10 | More by hopandbarley28

Bapoonini

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%

01-13-2013 19:01:57 | More by Bapoonini

bum732

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

S: Bitter, perfume-like hops, light grapefruit peel

L: Cloudy golden yellow, creamy white head dissipates. Decent lacing.

T: Bitter, dry maltiness up front. Medium high herbal/citrusy bitterness with some herbal hop flavor. Light malt character with a dry, slightly chalky finish.

M: Medium light bodied, medium carbonation.

Kind of an older bottle (June 2012). So maybe unfair to judge, but not a huge fan of this beer. Very bitter and dry.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 04:43:35 | More by bum732

Coax

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

12-18-2012 21:56:10 | More by Coax

ScottStache

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.5%

12-02-2012 21:16:30 | More by ScottStache

rolive

4/5  rDev +4.7%

12-02-2012 20:46:40 | More by rolive

rosschive

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

11-24-2012 00:20:03 | More by rosschive

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz bomber poured into a pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a copper/golden color with a slight haze. Fast-moving streams of carbonation rush to support a very cratered yet creamy looking bone-white head. Retention is good, and a thin blanket of lacing coats the glass.

S: Oily and floral hops with a subtle leafy backing. Yeast scents are slightly chalky and lightly spicy with a ghost-like hint of clove. Malt is light but multi-dimensional. Bready with that lightly fruity aspect- definite Munich. There's also a cookie-like expression and just a touch of sweetness. The nose is good. Light but playful.

T: Yeast character at the outset with a brief wash of chalk and vague spice. Hop oils follow that up with floral and spicy/leafy tastes. Grass too. Bitterness is very tame. After a touch of initial sweetness, the malt base goes dry with tastes of cracker, sugar-free cookies, and dry biscuit. The finish is bone dry and abrupt, leaving only fleeting thin, grainy cracker tastes and slight oily hop bitterness.

M: Light in body, but full in the mouth with a semi-firm malt texture that creates the illusion of some weight. Ample prickling carbonation. Some astringency and enamel-scraping.

O: The playful complexity on the nose didn't really translate to the taste. It's just too dry and astringent for me. The chalky yeast tastes were a bit out of place too. I feel very indifferent about it, and really, what's the point of a session ale if it doesn't leave you wanting another?

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:47:34 | More by ryan1788a5

uustal

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

10-02-2012 23:24:48 | More by uustal

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

¡Magnifico! is a homological name, it expresses a property which it itself possesses. ¡Magnifico! looks exactly that: magnificent. Its golden complexion shimmers and, as most sediment stays caked to the bottom of the bottle, maintains a clean, more or less clear complexion. Its head is like something from a lotion commercial; there's as much froth on the top of the beer as there is on the sides of the glass.

Pine-like tree resins and great, budding leafiness give this aroma the (literal) air of a Northwest forest. Add to it faint grapefruit and herbal spice and you've got yourself a more than noticeable hoppiness, albeit one that doesn't boast hops as ends in and of themselves. There is plenty of biscuity, bready maltiness to temper things (and even a little bit of yeast, too). Things are shaping up nicely...

Note that ¡Magnifico! has exclamation marks at *both* ends of its name. The first, I assume, relates to the honeyed, bready malts that initiate the flavour, and the second the earthy, vinous hoppiness that concludes it. In this flavour, sweet and bitter shake hands like two world leaders. This beer witnesses a wonderfully harmonious, Kumbaya moment between the two seemingly opposed features.

A highly hopped, low alcohol beer may appear a new style but it’s actually not that novel an idea. So-called "session" or "table" beers are historically common in nations like Belgium and England. The idea is something flavourful that can be casually (perhaps copiously) quaffable. ¡Magnifico! is exactly that: it has as much barley as grandma's heartiest soup and hops so crisp you could cut your teeth on them.

¡Magnifico! provides exactly what a low-gravity session beer should: carefree enjoyment and flavour that is both plentiful and balanced. The people at Pretty Things know what they're doing. It's a brewery that if you ask anyone from New England about it, and they've tried their beers, they'll say: "They're great! I love their beers!". And if they haven't, you'll probably say to them: "They're great! You'll love their beers!"

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 16:26:05 | More by biegaman

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is golden amber with some haziness visible in the glass. The head pours nicely at first but has larger carbonation bubbles than most other beers. Solid lacing. Classic ale smell with a bit of hopiness on top of it. The taste is phenomal for a beer this low strength - how they crammed this much flavor into a beer this mild is a feat. Solid hops and malt flavoring - from front to back - not leaning in any particular direction but still a very nice clean flavor. The taste even lingers for a bit. Well done, and definitely sessionable (many sessions).

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 22:00:00 | More by Oakenator