Odd Notion - American Sour Ale (Winter 2009) - Magic Hat Brewing Company

bnes09

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer is truly odd and is like no other beer I have ever tried.

Opaque, hazy brown color with orange hints when held up to light. The pour releases a white head that disappears quickly and leaves minimal lacing.

Smell is sweet with hints of lemon but nothing abnormal.

Taste starts out with some citrusy hops which suggest hints of lemon and apricot. Immediately a sour flavor overwhelms the palate and sits on the sides of the tongue. A sweet prune juice essence finishes off and sustains itself well into the aftertaste. For an instant I can sense a chocolately presence. Truly a unique and complex flavor.

Light to medium-bodied and small amount of carbonation. Pretty smooth and refreshing mouthfeel.

What an interesting brew! Its pretty adventurous but still has adequate flavor. Good to try for something different but probably won't be buying it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2009 03:13:42 | More by bnes09

bluerabbit

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev +9.8%

05-31-2012 02:22:27 | More by bluerabbit

Stockfan42

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +43.6%

05-26-2012 06:12:45 | More by Stockfan42

avisong

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -7.1%

04-14-2012 19:12:36 | More by avisong

Mauidan

New York

3/5  rDev +1.4%

04-01-2012 01:42:56 | More by Mauidan

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2/5  rDev -32.4%

02-10-2012 17:14:56 | More by coreyfmcdonald

mtparty37

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +18.2%

01-25-2012 21:25:38 | More by mtparty37

imperialking

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +18.2%

01-13-2012 19:27:53 | More by imperialking

phrobi

Virginia

3/5  rDev +1.4%

01-06-2012 08:31:40 | More by phrobi

Codytucker13

New York

3.5/5  rDev +18.2%

01-06-2012 03:53:15 | More by Codytucker13

dowen44

Georgia

3/5  rDev +1.4%

12-18-2011 00:51:51 | More by dowen44

Goldfoot

Michigan

5/5  rDev +68.9%

12-16-2011 16:19:36 | More by Goldfoot

DeutschesBier

Maryland

3/5  rDev +1.4%

12-13-2011 21:15:03 | More by DeutschesBier

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -7.1%

11-23-2011 05:08:54 | More by jmdrpi

Burt

Rhode Island

3/5  rDev +1.4%

11-18-2011 22:41:05 | More by Burt

waiting4lunch

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +35.1%

11-18-2011 21:01:49 | More by waiting4lunch

MerkurKing16

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +1.4%

11-17-2011 15:56:37 | More by MerkurKing16

Exiled

Texas

2/5  rDev -32.4%

11-15-2011 02:00:11 | More by Exiled

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.13/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light reddish brown color, with a short off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains dark fruit, Belgian yeast, some spices and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out with some sweet flavors of caramel, dark fruit and spices. Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty malt character and some Belgian yeast followed by a little sourness. The hops presence is mild but creates some balance. The after-taste slightly tart and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, very mild kick, decent representation of style, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but there isn’t much that’s too good about it either.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 02:55:36 | More by TheManiacalOne

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.23/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

reviewed from notes, this one was serve in a pint glass during a magic hat tasting i had with my brother in law down at his apartment.

a murky brown pour yields a semi pour head of off white that barely sticks to the glass long enough to produce any lacing with a light ruby color around the edges of the glass. aroma is sour but not in a good way, light wet hay that was peed on, just off in every aspect, malts that seem moldy and brown sugar? not a good mixture, the flavor was even worse with just a wrong overall profile that did not work in any manner at all. a drain pour for me.

overall i am not sure what this is supposed to be but it was not good.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 13:53:36 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

1.2/5  rDev -59.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Reviewed from notes.

Why, why, why would you do this to anyone? This is a terrible, terrible beer. Just absolutely disgusting and I cannot understand why this would be released to the public. The color is an inoffensive brownish color with no head--likely because of the demons that lurk inside. Small is totally acetic and tastes like a beer that has been left out for days and days. In fact, I have a really apt description--this smells exactly like our kegerator's drip tray when I get lazy and don't change it for a few days. I imagine the taste is along the same lines, but I don't want to subject myself to that.

They got the sour thing; maybe I should give them half a point somewhere for that? Likely not, as I think the tactic on this was just leaving the beer out and then bottling it. This is really acetic with a hefty dose of cardboard. Overall, just an epic fail. Please don't try this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 03:43:56 | More by Thorpe429

jlandis

Pennsylvania

1.78/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

A - Murky brown in color with thin white head that slowly fades.

S - A medicinal malt aroma that has twinges of sweetness that are not very inviting.

T - After doing some reading I noticed that Magic Hat used acidulated malt, and there are no bugs in this one. Nothing that really makes it an American wild ale. Sour yes, wild no. There is a bit of a mouth puckering sour mixed with tainted moth balls. This is terrible.

M - High carbonation with a thin body.

I'm sorry, but I can't keep drinking this one. I think I'm going to die from tainted moth balls.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 14:48:16 | More by jlandis

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

1.93/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A-Hazy amber with a smaller head.

S-Has that Magic Hat scent. Sickly sweet. Not appealing.

T-Ew. They just puked into a bottle and called it a wild ale. Not a fan. Really sweet. Tangy bile like taste.

M-Medium bodied.

D-Not for me thanks. Had to really get focused in order to slurp this back.

Bad Notion

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 02:28:13 | More by VelvetExtract

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a Sprecher nonic. 4.5% ABV, Best By F '10 notched on label.

A - Odd Notion Winter '09 pours a clear brown color with a quickly forming off-white head. The near three-finger head was poorly retained and quickly dropped to a sudsy layer of thin bubbles. Tiny specks of lace were left behind.

S - Sweet caramel and toasted amber malts erupt from the beer. It's very sweet initially. A small tart astringency barely comes through in the back end to clear it up a bit. Very low level of floral hops. Not very mild.

T - The malts almost make it borderline sour brown. Toasted amber malts and caramel once again but that is overpowered, this time by a slightly astringent, sour finish that lacks a good "wild" funk. Definitely could be the age though as it is a lower ABV.

M - Medium-light bodied and smooth with a slight carbonation tickle to the swallow. Dry and sour astringency finishes it out.

D - It probably would have been a little bit better fresh but I can't see it changing all that much from the standpoint that it was in a cooler the whole time. It's not bad for a mild wild ale, it's probably just overshadowed by the saturation of good beers in this now-popular style.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 02:15:57 | More by BeerFMAndy

larryi86

Delaware

3.93/5  rDev +32.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle dated 2/2010 poured into a pint glass

A- A nice red color with a three finger head the goes away quickly. When the head goes away it looks almost like soda.

S- A brunt caramel/toffee smell with a hint of grapefruit.

T- Different but good. The grapefruit taste is big up front, very sour, and finishes with the brunt caramel/toffee with a hint of bitter hops. Very smooth

M- Tons of carbonation and a little light.

D- This is just a really different funky beer that is very easy to drink and leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 02:17:38 | More by larryi86