Encore - Magic Hat Brewing Company

JoeAmerican77

Colorado

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a deep hazy orangw with a hint of blood, one fingr of head clings to the top...The nose is Sweet pale malts, alcoholic piney hops, and slight citrus peels "orange".

The flavor is like three stages of orange skin; sweet orange oils on the front, a fleshy wheaty citric bite in the middle and a slight aftertaste of the skin's bitterness at the end. Absolutely some hop bitterness in there, not very balanced. Just bam orange, bam bitter. Medium light bodied, a little watery as it gets warmer, nice amounts of small bubble carbonation.

Overall a nice direction, interesting notes with the IPA citric wheat thing going on. I wouldn't really puch this to a friend though.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 22:23:49 | More by JoeAmerican77

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

A. Hazy orange amber with some minor sediment particles, one finger of foam that lasts a minute, no lacing left behind.

S. Straightforward herbal and citric peel hopping aroma, I'm having a hard time picking up on any wheat malt aroma underneath.

T. Oily hops and grapefruit pith, some minor lemon and orange peel notes, malt is almost completely obscured and comes across as a poorly balanced attempt at a Gumballhead sort of flavor profile to my palate. Its a shame that the wheat malt isn't really allowed to shine through as much as it needs to in order to provide a proper equilibrium.

M. Medium body and carbonation, very crisp and dry throughout.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 20:15:17 | More by WastingFreetime

worta1128

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer was very occluded when poured into a nice glass, which is a feature that I like. There's something about a beer that doesn't let you see right through it... Surprisingly nice head. I don't know why I didn't expect more from a Magic Hat, but it honestly took like two to three minutes for the foam to dissipate. The aroma is very hoppy. Taste-wise, it fizzles a bit. Starts out strong and just kind of... vanishes after a bit, leaving a sort of weird aftertaste. But I'd buy it again. Magic Hat does well in its endeavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 03:43:55 | More by worta1128

beerman207

Kentucky

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

Got this in a magic hat 12 pack

A: Dark yelloish orange that has a decent head that lingers a little while

S: Floral smell with a grapefruit zest that hits the nose

T: Citrus and a slight bitterness, some wheat flavor

M: Easy to drink - carbonation is moderate

O: Nothing really special here but it's a good beer. I wouldn't turn it down if I came upon it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 02:05:34 | More by beerman207

RedSpecial1

Florida

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a cloudy, coppery, orange with a finger of frothy white head.

S: The main aromas are of typical American hops: pine and citrus in almost equal amounts.

T: A pleasant grapefruit flavor hits first with a burst of bitterness hot on its heels. This is followed by a more mellow citrus flavor backed by a characteristic wheat graininess. This all slowly fades with an almost sweet citrus character lingering slightly.

M: The bitterness in this beer is almost palpable as an actual physical sensation as it barrels down the center of your tongue, brief as it is. It makes your whole mouth tingle in a not unpleasant way. Unusual, but interesting.

O: An interesting beer, and one I wouldn't mind drinking again on a hot day. Very refreshing, and with a flavor profile that's interesting enough to not bore you after a glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 00:39:35 | More by RedSpecial1

Mantooth

North Carolina

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

I got this as an extra in a trade with SMason - thanks bro! Poured from a bottle into a Terrapin pint glass.

A: Pours a murky caramel brown/orange with a knee deep frothy head and a thick collar of lacing.

S: The nose is a pleasant combination of citrus and fresh grains.

T: A steady malt background anchors the initial taste of hop dryness which slowly gives way to an unmistakable wheat finish.

M: Hoppy and bright start, slightly effervescent with a grain dry finish.

O: A nice brew, not as hoppy as I'd expected but fairly well balanced. This is a really pleasant brew that I'd enjoy having again.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 01:00:35 | More by Mantooth

Hibernator

Massachusetts

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

Magic Hat Encore
12 oz brown bottle
Best by February 29, 2012
Served in a 20 oz tulip glass

Pours a hazy orange color with a very frothy and fluffy white head on top. Nice trails of sticky lacings decorate the glassware.

The nose if floral and quite hoppy with some citrus.

There are some toasted biscuit flavors with a hint of caramel sweetness. The real flavors in this IPA are the citrus notes of orange and lemon. I notice some low carbonation levels, which make this beer very smooth.

I like how this beer is not overly aggressive hop bomb, yet it still provides a really enjoyable amount of hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 22:53:18 | More by Hibernator

kaufmaal

Alabama

3.55/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle. Good 1/2" white head that turned into 1/4" as the drinking continued. Light caramel color. Slight citrus smell, not too hoppy on the nose. First thing that hits me when I taste it is the carbonation: lots of tiny bubbles on the tongue that quickly disappear. Mostly I'm tasting grapefruit in the hops, some pine, basil; the citrus lingers nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 02:36:45 | More by kaufmaal

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a light brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of hops, a touch of citrus. Taste is piney hops up front, some citrus notes, a touch of wheat is present. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 16:45:27 | More by tone77

drabmuh

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer served in a shaker pint. Beer is yellow and mostly clear with a white head of small bubbles, moderate carbonation, low retention, not a lot of lacing, looks fine.

Aroma is a little grainy, a little sweet, and a little hoppy, mostly pine and citrus hops.

Beer is medium to light in body, the finish is nice but not bitter enough, the overall beer is decent but boring, not enough hops, it says it is an American Wheat IPA on the label but I don't get a lot of wheat character.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 02:58:15 | More by drabmuh

KajII

North Carolina

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

[Best served in a Weizen glass]

The pour was a rich golden honey color with a large (2-3 finger) rocky white head that mostly diminished into a fluffy puddled residue that created excellent sheets of lace on the glass.

The aroma upfront was bold and hoppy of a citrus hop, a straw like malt and a moldy yeast with a notes of caramel, citrus (grapefruit) and a decent dose of wheat.

The taste was very yeasty and a bit malty with a note of caramel from the onset. It then progressed into a nice bitter hoppy flavor with a strong citrus note and a bit of wheat at the end. The flavor lasted an average amount of time after the swallow, allowing for the hoppy grapefruit taste to linger on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was a bit heavier than light in body with a nice dry texture and a prickly carbonation.

Overall an IPA with a really nice wheat characteristic and a wonderful hoppy aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 17:55:38 | More by KajII

Arithmeticus

Maryland

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

Poured chilled in flared glass

A: semiclear orange; medium-thickness head; strong carb action
S: light malt and yeast in the nose (doughlike)
T: lighter flavor profile than is customary in IPAs; very strong hop presence, but not bitter; grapefruit rind flavor; the wheatness comes through a bit, but not so much as to turn off someone (like myself) who doesn't like wheat beers.

Satisfying, light

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 01:06:07 | More by Arithmeticus

BrewCrew2010

New York

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a golden straw color body, cloudy clarity, with a decent size foamy head; spotty lacing.

S: Although not as strong of an aroma for an American IPA, the nose has a citrus quality with notes of bready malts & lemon.

T: Hoppy bitter upfront with notes of an orange peel rind and herbs. It's followed by some wheat character and malty sweetness, but finishes again very bitter. Long lasting flavor and nice hoppy American IPA.

M: Medium carbonation; light to medium body; somewhat of lean texture and finishes dry.

O: Not a bad American IPA, but not the best example of the style. Price, availability, and low ABV make it very drinkable and a nice beer for a hop head. Try it out if you see it, but I wouldn't recommend seeking it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 19:26:52 | More by BrewCrew2010

MacQ32

South Carolina

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

A - Pours a nice hazy golden orange with a decent near white head that has great lacing and leaves a thin layer over the top of the brew 10+ minutes after the pour.

S - Tropical fruits, citrus hops, bready malts maybe a little pine. Mostly sweet fruit + citrus hops

T - A nice tropical fruit taste into bitter/dry to a piney/bready character. Almost a rye taste at the semi dry finish.

M - Less than medium bodied I'd say. Very drinkable, well carbonated.

O - Pretty solid, mostly sweet and citrusy fruits, some dry bitter qualities for sure, and a nice bready/rye quality as well. Would definitely be a nice 6er to enjoy with friends

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 22:44:09 | More by MacQ32

ScorpyX

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a cloudy gold with a white head. A little bit of lacing gets left behind.

S: Hops dominate the scent, but there's a strong grassy smell to it as well. Citrus sourness is certainly present.

T: As expected, hops bitterness dominates the flavor, though it's not overly powerful. The citrus gives a bit of a kick.

M: Medium-bodied, a good balance with some earthy elements. Quite drinkable. Not the best IPA, but a solid beer to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 08:27:50 | More by ScorpyX

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle, $1.69 as a single. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a hazy dark gold color with about an inch off-white head that sticks around for a little while. There's also a good amount of lacing left behind on the glass. Aroma is citrusy (grapefruit, lemon peel, tropical fruit) and pine hops, along with some bready malt. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, it's mostly citrusy and pine hops, and some wheat and bready malt are noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit sticky and has a good amount of carbonation. Overall I think it's a solid brew. It's not a great IPA, but one that's still worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 00:44:18 | More by bluejacket74

burnstar

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a slightly cloudy gold. Good sized persistent head. Smell is very mild lemony hops. Taste is bitter hoppiness throughout. Just a little bit of underlying sweetness. Nice citrusy hop flavor. Grapefruits and lemons. Pleasant lingering bitterness. Medium bodied and well carbonated. Maybe a bit one-note but overall this is a pretty solid IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 01:35:30 | More by burnstar

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle given to me by my neighbor Brian as a Christmas gift, poured into a standard nonic.

A: Appears to be relatively low on carbonation. Perhaps my pour was too tentative, but head is relatively thin. A very hazy golden color underneath.

S: Muted citrus and earth tones. A touch of cotton candy sugars. Maybe I'm stuffed up, but I'm not picking up much here in the nose.

T: Bitter-sweet and earthy, a touch of pine-cone. I'm finding more sweetness than I care for; my typical complaint for most East Coast IPAs.

The wheat provides a bit of thickness and viscosity to the flavor, but I also think it serves to dampen the bittersweet punch of the IPA. As it stands, since what I am finding here appears to be long on the sweet and short on the bitter, with a lack of citrus/grapefruit, perhaps I should be greatful, as I feel like that might be improving drinkability for me.

M: Thick and heavy in the mouth, which is expected for a wheat beer. Some sticky goodness left behind on the finish, which is expected for an IPA. Overall carbonation is a touch low, but otherwise mouthfeel is a bright sport for this brew.

D/O: Although it's not a terribly "remarkable" IPA, it touches on several of the right notes in a reasonably balanced and very drinkable manner. I was surprised at how quickly I finished the glass. Repeatable.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:30:49 | More by psuKinger

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

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

Golden tangerine color with a thin, clingy head. Cap says "don't eat with your feet." The previous cap said "live where you love and love where you live," which after ~9 years of drinking Magic Hat is the first cap I like.

Sharp pine aroma in the bottle settles into a passion fruity meringue hop in the glass. Twinkie malt. Smells good but I like stronger aromatics.

Tastes like orange sorbet with a pineapple acid bite. Good balance of prickly hop bitterness and juicy hop flavor. Wheat adds a mildy creamy dimension to the standard IPA mouthfeel. The ol' 1-2 punch of Simcoe & Amarillo never seems to fail.

Won't ever be confused for a West coast IPA but it's pretty bold by Magic Hat standards. A fine NYE libation.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 14:45:07 | More by donkeyrunner

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours medium gold/orange with a big foamy head. Good head retention, some lace. Towering head and some bubbles in the glass. Pretty beer.

Citric hop aroma up front, some grain in the nose.

Hoppy up front, with grapefruit rind bitterness. Some wheat and unrefined bready notes. Bitterness creeps in at the end with a finish for the hops. The use of whet doesn't do much for me here - in fact it makes the brew seem like it is lacking something.

Carbonation and a medium body. A bit tingly.

Overall, not bad, but something I'd tire of fast. Grill beer or something to chase food with. Hops and bread, and not much else. But that is the nature of the brew. Still, it was ok.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 15:14:01 | More by OtherShoe2

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Magic Hat Encore

Pours a hazed straw, appearing like an unfiltered wheat beer with a soapy head. Aroma of lemon peel, citrus, herbs and hay. In the taste, wheat malt coming across almost tart, with a moderate bitterness and leafy, oily resins. Lemon, pine, small grapefruit. Not over the top, quite in balance with the wheat taking the lead. Comes off somewhat juicy, essentially a hopped up wit. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, well carbonated, little to no bite. Overall, a mixture of styles, a bit confused, but still decent.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 21:36:11 | More by Stinkypuss

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours cloudy amber with 1/2 inch white foam, some resides. Sharp pine smell, evergreen. Pine cones. Hoppy full bitter taste wrapped around a lighter malt.

Interesting juxtaposition - sharp botter with a light wheat malt. Nicely blended, works really well together.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 16:08:50 | More by KTCamm

Jason

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

LOOK: Good frothing, hazed pale amber

SMELL: Leafy, spicy, hop oil, tangerine, fresh cut grass, bready, yeast, kiwi, esters

TASTE: Bitter, smooth, medium bodied, hop oil, herbal, tobacco, jasmine, earthy, mint, citric rind, grainy, yeast, vegtal, bitter semi-dry finish.

Decent, a bit unbalanced. The hop flavor takes over a bit too much. Sure you get your hop fix but it is a bit of chore to sip.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 02:46:59 | More by Jason

Durge

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Found at Maggie McFly’s in Brookfield, CT as part of their modest craft beer list, this one shows a hazy yellow-tan color with a big fluffy head and decent lacing. The aroma gives off pleasantly sharp citrus wheat and mild floral toffee....not bad. The flavor brings bright citrus and woodsy wheat with a bit of a sunshine bite on the tongue. This is medium-light bodied with a crisp, refreshing feel that would be especially perfect for a summertime backyard refreshment. There is a slight aqueous quality but overall it offers full carbonation to fullfill each sip. I’m generally suprisingly pleased with this offering from Magic Hat and recommend it to anyone that enjoys a hop bite to their brews.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2011 00:55:39 | More by Durge

NedShakeshaft

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From the bottle, plucked from Magic hat's winter seasonal pack.

This one is billed as an American Wheat IPA and is exactly that. Pours a cloudy orange with a thick head that holds its own. I was actually a little worried after the pour, thought it might be a jumbled mess but it's actually an extremely well-balanced ale. Fruity nose balanced by lots of American Hops. It's kind of like #9 meets Sierra Nevada, which is meant as a high compliment. Silky mouthfeel, very easy to drink for a hoppy ale. A bit bitter and grassy on the finish.

Kind of surprised it was included in the winter pack, it seems like more of a summer beer. Maybe there's a double-entendre in the name, like one more blast of summer amid the schwarzbier and the porter in the pack.

This would be a go-to IPA if it were year-round brew. I actually prefer it to the Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 05:36:05 | More by NedShakeshaft