Plus / Minus - Magic Hat Brewing Company

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Part of the most recent Magic Hat mixed 12 pack.

Pours a very dark amber color with a finger of foam that recedes without lacing. Aroma is mostly crystal malt sweetness.

First sip has an initial rush of nutty sweetness that quickly cuts out with a dry finish. Has a bit of a metallic aftertaste.

Lacking some complexity. Has a nice sweet flavor up front but quickly drops off and not much else takes its place. I guess it pretty much fits the bill for a Mild Ale, but it is not something I'd go out of my way to get.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 02:16:18 | More by FickleBeast

campfirebrew

New York

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

04-04-2013 16:51:00 | More by campfirebrew

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

01-15-2013 13:46:25 | More by marlinsfan4

Orange

4/5  rDev +18.7%

12-23-2012 07:59:09 | More by Orange

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

12-22-2012 03:06:22 | More by cliff1066

micahmye

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +26.1%

11-22-2012 00:11:25 | More by micahmye

TheRuss9585

Vermont

2.5/5  rDev -25.8%

11-20-2012 01:54:08 | More by TheRuss9585

CraftBeerGuild

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -25.8%

11-16-2012 06:14:02 | More by CraftBeerGuild

gtermi

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

11-15-2012 08:06:43 | More by gtermi

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber-brown body with a very thin, very short-lived near-white head.

Smell: Aroma smelling a bit sweetly with malty hints of nutty caramel, chocolate, and mocha with a base breadiness to it and accented with light fruity notes.

Taste: Bready malts with light touches of milk chocolate, roast, and dark caramel. Faintly nutty. Passably sweet. Mildly fruity estery notes lending a hint of cherry. Woodsy hop character with a low bitterness, just enough to counter the sweetness. Finishes out dry, a bit nutty.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. Fairly smooth going down.

Overall: A nicely malty brew with a sensibly slackened alcohol presence. I thought it was a pleasant and it was gone in a flash.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 19:19:26 | More by ChainGangGuy

AlesaandLandon

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

10-16-2012 01:26:02 | More by AlesaandLandon

TaylorK

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +33.5%

10-14-2012 20:13:51 | More by TaylorK

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beers pours a dark copper color body with a small head that doesnt' hang around long. The smell has a nice inviting malt characters to it. The taste upfront has nice maltness then on the back of the tonuge after it has warmed up a little bit then comes some chocolate and roasted malt flavors with a nice hop presence but not over powering. The mouthfeel is good and overall a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 04:20:59 | More by chefhatt

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Poured dark brown, two shades shy of being black. Little foam, very fizzy, settles out. Funky nutty smell. Taste is sweet, nutty, and cola flavored. Earthy? (from notes, but in hindsight not really). A little like flat soda. Or a funkier nut brown. Mild understates it. Hard to fully describe.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 10:19:13 | More by KTCamm

canders0927

Texas

2.5/5  rDev -25.8%

09-24-2012 00:42:24 | More by canders0927

Heritage02Rider

New York

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%

09-04-2012 20:11:04 | More by Heritage02Rider

snowbeard

4/5  rDev +18.7%

08-09-2012 21:55:52 | More by snowbeard

hsc12

4/5  rDev +18.7%

08-07-2012 20:50:38 | More by hsc12

SlaughteredWolf

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%

07-29-2012 00:36:31 | More by SlaughteredWolf

JHeskew

3/5  rDev -11%

07-07-2012 14:59:51 | More by JHeskew

Jesse13713

Ohio

1.55/5  rDev -54%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance - This looks exactly like A & W light root beer with light vanilla and cola brown hues. Appears extremely watery with two fingers of head that puffs up in the center. This kinda looks like 'dirty' water.

Smell - Very heavy butterscotch and toffee right up front. A very faint sweet spice. All of the aromas are watered down.

Taste - I'm on my fifth drink and I hardly taste a thing. Water floods into the mouth and leaves no taste until being swallowed. This brings out tastes of light vanilla, cola, and Dr. Pepper. Extremely simple, and seems carelessly sloshed together. The low ABV is certainly no surprise. A flat soda-like disaster with light butterscotch notes. I suppose it is a bit nutty as well.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - I honestly cannot tell the difference between drinking this and drinking a soft drink. If I didn't have any previous knowledge that this was a beer, I'd think I was drinking flat fountain Dr. pepper mixed with cola, A & W root beer, and Sprite. This is really just a watery mess. I picked the right beer to have before leaving for work. I was worried about finishing one in time, but I've drank 3/4 of it in the time it took to write this short review. Insanely drinkable, but that's not a good thing in this case. Sorry Magic Hat, but you continue to underwhelm my taste buds. At least I can finish it and it's not a drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 19:23:49 | More by Jesse13713

swgwilt

Tennessee

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%

07-04-2012 02:48:49 | More by swgwilt

notjaredlouche

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%

06-30-2012 07:58:17 | More by notjaredlouche

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

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

A: The beer is a medium brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, honey, maple and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out mildly sweet with flavors of caramel, honey and maple. Then a hearty malt character comes in. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

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

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, very mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid sessionable beer to drink for a while.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 21:55:22 | More by TheManiacalOne

Focusf111

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +26.1%

06-21-2012 16:59:14 | More by Focusf111