Encore - Magic Hat Brewing Company

nick76

Florida

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The aroma is very hoppy with citrus, pine, and sweet malt. The appearance is hazy amber gold with a medium head. The taste is like the aroma and balanced with bitter and sweet. The palate is smooth. Overall a good example of the style and one I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 01:28:28 | More by nick76

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy orange-amber color. Very nice three-finger head; settles rocky leaving a thin ring of lace initially.

Lots of raw hop smell right up front. Fresh. No malt aromas.

Classic IPA flavors: Light pale malt up front with a bitter hop wallop quickly descending on the tastebuds. Full bodied with some spritzy carbonation. The hop is simply a bitter flavor delivery system. It doesn't have a more specific background taste. Like I said, it is a perfect fit in the category, but it doesn't offer anything different or unusual.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:19:32 | More by smcolw

TheImperial

New York

4.47/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass. This is probably the best beer Magic Hat has put out in bottles in a while. If you had that 100 IBU IPA and enjoyed it then check this out!

A - Amber in color, sort of caramel. Looks like a New England IPA.

S - The smell is very nice, however I rated it down because it's not overly strong, you really need to waft it to smell it. Citrus, piney, and definitely some wheat.

T - Very hoppy and spicy, it's great but may dominate your palate, not that that's always a bad thing.

M - Possibly the best part, biting carbonation, sticky and resiny.

D - This depends, the average hop head could kill six, but this could necessitate antacids in others if consumed in mass.

Over all very nice!

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 22:11:22 | More by TheImperial

mbrady55

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Straight from the bottle, this smelled as an ipa should. Citrus is predominate, mainly grapefruit and hops are also clearly noticeable. Taste was very good, grapefruit, lemon and hops all make themselves known with the slightest warmth from the alcohol on the finish. Mouth was light to medium bodied. An incredibly drinkable ipa and look forward to having more of this in the coming months.

Overall this is a solid ipa, i've had better but for what its worth a good ipa. Comes with my highest recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 23:21:11 | More by mbrady55

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.1/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange color with a small frothy white head, very little lacing on the glass.

Smell has a good citrusy hop presence, it's actually quite surprising that this aroma comes from a Magic Hat beer, light sweet malt helps to balance out the citrus hops but only slightly.

The hops aren't overly bitter in the taste, the citrus/pine does make a good appearance and has a resiny lingering aftertaste, the aftertaste can make it a bit difficult at times since sometimes it overstays its welcome.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 00:46:34 | More by deltatauhobbit

mc1775

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured from brown bottle into samuel adams tasting glass.

A- Pours a hazy golden orange with a thin white head that hangs around and a good amount of lacing that clings all the way down

S- Wow very fruity and lots of citrus. Maybe some pineapple or something. Nice.

T- Strong citrus balanced with hops, Actually i cant reall tell apart Is it the hops that give it a citrus taste or is there actuall fruit in this. I like it, my palate is not evolved enough to pick everything out.

M- Light carbonated earthy.

D- Not sure this is only my second IPA, way better then the first one i had though so i assume its pretty good. Overall i enjoyed this beer.

Notes. Kinda similar to a sweet, grapefruit juice or something. My first IPA reveiw, hopefully ill get a better appreciation for them soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 03:53:30 | More by mc1775

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Hazy dark orange with a big, creamy white cap. Good head retention. Rings of lace form wherever the beer rests when I finish a sip.

S- Lots of hops upon opening. I get a good dose of tropical fruit (peach), some citrus, pine and floral. Fades a bit over time but nice.

T- A good amount of malt and bread notes add into the hops in the flavor. The hops are pleasant, peach, citrus zest, floral and slight pine make a balanced hop profile.

MF- Light end body that is somewhat on the watery side of things. Carbonation is moderate and appropriate. Moderate bitterness as well.

DB- Magic Hat has been cranking out IPAs as of late. This one is really fresh and probably my favorite IPA by them so far. The hops are moderately used and balance out nicely. One could easily session this.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 03:47:07 | More by cbutova

Billolick

New York

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ouncer, purchased in Peekskill Bev., Peekskill, NY.

Best before dating etched onto the neck of the bottle...nice- best before some date in Jan 2011.

Hazed, medium apricot, quality head, near white, retentive, leaves nice fine lace, on top of some temporary sheeting.

Pungent pinapple, citrus hop in the nose. Fresh and flavorful.

Well hopped, waves of resiny, citric hops. Also picking up a complementary and subtle wheat malt character.

Enjoyable creation, better then most MH offerings...

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 02:38:33 | More by Billolick

claspada

New Jersey

2.65/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Aroma is straight citrus and grassiness from the hops mixed with a hint of clove and wheat.

The taste is all bitter, not detecting much malt (barley or wheat) The citrus and grassiness of the hops with only a hint of clove from the yeast. Really not enjoying this one, too much bittering hops and not enough balance in my opinion. Hard to stomach for some reason.

The mouthfeel is full of lingering grassiness and sticky resin. This beer lingers far too much for my taste. It shouldnt be a struggle to finish a 12 oz bottle, but this was...

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 20:19:02 | More by claspada

busterthecat

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass

A- pours a very hazy golden orange. good head that keeps foam as i drink.

S- upfront tropic and citrus fruity hops. some spice. slight sourdough.

T- Light, refreshing, zesty. Mostly a citrus hop profile, light pine. some malt for a background but not the traditional "balanced" malt bill. Orange in the finish. Crisp hops that burst.

M- Wet, some sharpness. mellow hop linger. Not an over powering bitterness. A bit light.

D- Very high. Surprised by this East Coast IPA. Kinda like a jr sculpin. An exciting offering that I am planning to get more of.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 00:09:44 | More by busterthecat

ZSimon

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from the mixed-six aisle at Cary Street Martin's, Richmond, VA.

Pours very hazy, almost murky apricot. Light tan, tight head that sticks around forever and doesn't show a sign of breaking up if I let it sit out all evening. (I would try this experiment, but then I wouldn't be enjoying this fantastic-looking brew.) The cap settles into irregular clumps, calling to mind a big Belgian IPA like Houblon Chouffe - and I don't use that comparison lightly.

The nose follows closely on the heels of its odd, intriguing appearance. Spicy citrus up front, but a big dose of yeasty, bready malt balances. This one feels like a winner already.

Surprising juicy fruit hits you on the first sip, but a tangier-than-the-nose-lets-on wheaty malt backbone backs it up. The finish is orange and grapefruit rind bitterness - not this beer's highlight, but hardly a weakness. Lively carbonation prevents any stickiness. A slight touch of warming alcohol peeks through at the end, which is surprising given the middle of the road abv, but I feel like I'm nitpicking at what is otherwise a very special beer.

This is a stand-alone brew - my feeling is that food would detract from this very beer-y beer. Drinking Encore brings to mind epic tastings with other beer nerds. Indeed, this is a beer that demands advocacy. Tell your friends - this one is a keeper!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 22:54:55 | More by ZSimon

silver0rlead

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy golden color with a frothy white head that leaves awesome lacing. The aroma has a blast of citrusy hops upfront, along with some piney and floral notes in the background, wheat, caramel, orange zest, fruity esters, and some alcohol. The flavor also starts out with a citrusy hops explosion, along with some floral and piney notes, bitter aspirin, wheaty twang, orange zest, biscuit and alcohol. The mouthfeel is light and slightly oily, and drinkability is pretty good. Pretty damn tasty IPA, that is just shy of being great.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 02:45:56 | More by silver0rlead

soze47

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours the color of an over ripe orange, with an almost yellow/brown overtone to it. Very vibrant and clear. Big pillowy head with impressive lacing.

Aroma: Orange flesh fruity sweetness with a nice malt backbone. Almost tastes like a Pilsberry Orange Danish roll.

Taste: Loose, with an orangey hop bitterness that quickly get sweetened, almost too soon, by a wheat-like malt. However, the malt goes away pretty quickly, leaving a much more rind-like bitterness that develops in the aftertaste.

Overall: An odd IPA in that it is orangey and citrusy, but not in a bitter way. The malt's affect on the hops here almost cuts it off from being too complex. I wish more of a grapefruit or pine bitterness would have complemented it. That said, this is my favorite of the IPA series that Magic Hat has put out. I'd get this one again, but it isn't up there with my favorites.

33 Beers Wheel Scores (5 high to 1 low):
Alcohol/Solvent: 2
Dark Fruit: 2
Citrus Fruit: 4
Hoppy (pine): 3
Floral: 2
Spicy: 2
Herbal: 2.5
Malty: 3.5
Toffee: 2
Burnt: 1
Sweet: 3.5
Sour: 1
Bitter: 2.5
Astringent: 1
Body: 2.5
Linger: 2.5

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 23:09:05 | More by soze47

samktz

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Just tried this tonight. I've been loving the On Tour series of beers Magic Hat has been coming out with. I won't lie though, I don't enjoy their standard beers, but I do enjoy the Odd Notion Series as well as this On Tour IPA series.

The appearance was great, very cloudy; you can tell its a wheat beer. Very smooth, a touch bitter, but very drinkable. Very happy with this brew; it was a pleasant surprise in the liquor store today! I walked up to the fridge expecting to se Hi.PA and saw this.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 04:02:29 | More by samktz

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Quite a hazy IPA, which would seem to promise plenty of up-front hops. Color is a peachy orange/gold, the head is plenty creamy and long-lasting. Along with all that haze, it looks a right beaut.

Aroma is a wow-er, lots of bright, breezy, clean citrus fruit hops, like a tropical fruit punch spiked with lemon-lime soda. Malts are hard to discern, but there's a sweetness wafting into the nose that's sort of tart and candy-like, and I'll suppose that's them.

Taste is predominantly fruity, with big sweetness tempered by tartness. Tart, super-clean, bright hops are the name of the game here. There's a ghost of a resiny vibe in the background and in the finish, but this mostly remains a pungently fruity IPA. Encore never tips the scales in being too sweet or too bitter/tart, exhibiting a perfect balance. It's new-school for sure, as the malt and everything else is an afterthought, without the entire beer seeming one-dimensional. Ultra-refreshing, especially with a huge grapefruit blast hanging around in the finish. This is great.

A smooth, round, creamy texture is the knock-out punch that could've been but never was. This feels just a little too aggressive and prickly. Let the bright and breezy flavors deliver the electricity jolt, not the carbonation. Still, it feels fine enough, but I would've loved a softer feel here.

I repeat: this is great. I'm sure this would be a much bigger sensation if it were brewed by Deschutes or Alesmith or some such--and I'm not the biggest Magic Hat devotee myself--but gotta call 'em as I taste 'em, and this is a fantastic, fantastic IPA. One of this brewery's best-ever beers. I demand an encore, as in: "Give this permanent year-round status, Magic Hat!!"

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2010 16:38:11 | More by Metalmonk

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a pint glass.

Pours a hazy dark amber/light brown with a generous and fluffy light brown head. Nose is hoppy and fresh, a bit sweet.

Taste is quite crisp and hoppy, is really quite good for magic hat. Has a nice malty backbone and sharp carbonation, really easy drinking!

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2010 19:23:09 | More by kingcrowing