Magnifico - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

ScottStache

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.7%

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

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

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

alienlifeforcecube

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

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

AutumnBeerLove

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

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

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11%

02-09-2013 21:56:16 | More by PEIhop

hopandbarley28

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11%

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

Bapoonini

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%

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

bum732

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
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 -8.6%

12-18-2012 21:56:10 | More by Coax

rolive

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-02-2012 20:46:40 | More by rolive

rosschive

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

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

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
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 -8.6%

10-02-2012 23:24:48 | More by uustal

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
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 +22.7%
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

ComRock12

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%

09-14-2012 02:13:35 | More by ComRock12

bigred89

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +11%

09-13-2012 10:54:40 | More by bigred89

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

09-09-2012 22:47:45 | More by DaveHack

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Perfectly clear gold. Lively carbonation. Head is creamy, bright-white, and leaves some nice sheets of lacing. Head retention is good. Small cap lingers for the duration.

Smell: Grassy. Pale malts. Graham cracker and bread crust. Mild herbal/earthy hops. Very pale. Slight push of grains. Nice floral edge with something approaching raw honey. Very mild.

Taste: Clean, floral, and pale malts. Some cracker. Mild earthiness. Grass. Extremely light. Maintains that mild raw honey edge found on the nose. Nice depth. Very mild yet complex. Small touches of yeast. Mild spiciness in the back. Toasted just a touch. Everything is done minimally.

Mouthfeel: Body is a bit on the thin side, but it works with the lively carbonation and delicate flavors. Some slight dryness.

Overall: It's mellow and it's incredibly drinkable. This is a fantastic summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 18:42:18 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled in: June 2012

A: If you pour it straight into the glass like the bottle recommends, a huuuuge, bubbly yet pillowy, crater-filled, towering, white head forms. Slowly falls leaving behind a ton of lace. Hazy, pale, golden-yellow in color.

S: Big bouquet of yeast, hops, lightly toasted malt, spices, and wildflowers.

T: Pale malt, floral hops, yeast. It's so smooth and fresh that I can't go any deeper than that to find flavors. It's insanely drinkable (as it should be) and the finish is fantastic. Dry, hoppy, and with a bit of yeast.

M: Incredibly smooth, right amount of carbonation, tons of flavor for the ABV. I can't say anything bad. If I wanna get picky, I'll say the body is a bit thin at the front but from the middle to the finish, the body beefs up and becomes perfect for the style.

O: If someone on the street told me that Pretty Things made a bad beer, I would slap them. This is a ridiculously good, well-crafted beer!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 21:15:15 | More by Gatch

Auror

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.4%

08-29-2012 04:20:35 | More by Auror

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A-Magnifico pours a brilliant glowing orange color. Head is frothy and gigantic and it lasts forever. Light lacing. The bubbles rise in strict columns. Looks awesome.

S-Lemon and lime zest. Sweet muffin malt. Candied citrus hops and floral hops. Light grains and buttery biscuits. More intense than you'd expect from a 3.4%er.

T-Lemon and lime zest again. Grassy and flowery hops along with light citrus. Sweet bready malts and lightly spicy grains. Taste is fuller than most American Pale Ales I come across. Really tasty.

M-No skimping here. Body is (in the context of a low ABV beer) surprisingly full. Also has plenty of bitterness and lingering dryness. Sessionable for days.

O/D-Pretty Things once again demonstrates how multifaceted their brewing expertise truly is. A beer under 3.5% ABV with this much flavor is impressive. It also doesn't hurt that the beer just plain taste great. Kudos.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 19:19:02 | More by VelvetExtract

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 5

Bottled June 2012

A: Nice head and lacing.

S: Dusty yeast, bread and leafy hops.

T: Doughy and yeasty with herbal hops that are a bit bitter on the finish. Fairly balanced flavor.

M: Initally very carbonated, hits a sweet spot, and then quickly flattens out.

O: Remarkably flavorful beer for the abv. Unsurprisingly, it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:04:31 | More by greybeardloon

Celtics76

Rhode Island

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is an interesting one. Had seen it at Bottles for about a month before finally deciding to pick it up. I guess the low 3.4% ABV scared me off for a while.

I poured this as directed, half of it straight down the middle. After letting the 1/2 inch of head settle, poured the rest. Hazy gold in appearance.

As expected, this has a mild taste. Citrusy, light hop flavor. One of the most drinkable beers I've ever had. Paired very nicely with a dinner of stuffed scallops and grilled salmon. The finish is bitter, which lingers afterwards. This surprised me but was welcomed.

Recommended, especially with a seafood dinner. What I don't recommend is pairing it with an episode of Real Housewives, which is unfortunately what I had to sit through while enjoying this.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 13:14:10 | More by Celtics76

marcdalke

Connecticut

2.75/5  rDev -28.2%

08-15-2012 23:06:31 | More by marcdalke