Elder Betty - Magic Hat Brewing Company

Tone

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, maize/copper color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of citrus (elderberry?), wheat, sweet malt, hint of yeast, and clove. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of elderberry, sweet malt, clove, and a hint of wheat. Overall, good appearance, aroma, and mouth feel. The body is a little lacking, though.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2012 13:17:36 | More by Tone

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

i like when magic hat does something new. this is a nice summer wheat beer with lots of subtle flavors going on. elderberry is a vermont staple in the permaculture age, and its inclusion in this otherwise average wheat beer is a nice treat. pours cloudy yellow with a faint pinkish glow and a 2 inch white foam head. smells pretty standard, a little fruity but at this point it could just as easily be the yeast. flavors are tart fruit at first, sweeter fruits in the middle, and a very crisp wheat malt finish. i bet this would be killer as a big ipa, but i like it well enough in its current form. mouthfeel is fine, medium carbonation and a pretty light body for an unfiltered beer. overall very drinkable and im sure ill have a fair few this summer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 20:40:39 | More by StonedTrippin

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a shaker pint glass at a local BBQ joint.

Pours a hazy cloudy pale golden yellow. Good foam that settles down to a thin layer. Moderate lacing.

Nose is fruity, berry like. Know nothing of elderberries, but the smell and subtle taste is blueberry. Not quite as tart though - subdued sweetness. With overriding wheatiness.

Low carbonation - may just be the draft effect, but there wasn't too much substance or pop to the mouthfeel. Hops were quite light as well.

Another interesting MH brew. Not earth shattering, but a good enough summer wheat beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 12:23:02 | More by KTCamm

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16 ounce pint - $6.00 at Taco Mac in Canton, Georgia.

Appearance: Fairly cloudy appearance for a dark, dingy-looking, golden hue. Very small, near white head. Let's jump on it, shall we?

Smell: Sets the tone of a modest base (wheat) beer to hold up the squirt of elderberry additive.

Taste: Sweetish taste of malted wheat with a crunchy granola bar accent and, then, the lightly tart elderberry flavor. Very low hops, near nil bitterness. Near dry, berry-hinted finish with some, thankfully, palate cleansing carbonation.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Well, it's better than Wacko. Elder Betty follows the tired, old fruit beer pattern -- bland to modest base beer (be it a blonde ale or something wheat-based) with a splash of flavoring.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 15:49:20 | More by ChainGangGuy

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Received a slightly hazy yellow/orange brew with a foam white head. No real retention, but maybe a slight skim, no lace.

Wheat brew at it's most pedestrian. Grainy, with a level of sweetness and some musty yeast notes. I guess there is a hint of fruit aroma, but I have a hard time finding it.

Sweet wheat grain, some yeast and a little husk bitterness. Some berry in there somewhere, but very very mild. Light bitter grain in the finish.

A little more body than most of this type. Good carbonation.

Another dud from this brewer. Middle of the road, no thing to make you want to recommend or try again. Not hateful, just not worth chasing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 19:54:01 | More by OtherShoe2

mfnmbvp

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. Part of the Magic Hat summer sampler twelve pack. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours two fingers of fluffy off-white head on top of a murky lemon-orange colored body. Steady streams of thin bubbles rushing to the top.

S - Smell is of bubblegum malts, and some must. No real berry smell to be deciphered from here. Some banana bread qualities to it, also. A fairly underwhelming aroma.

T - Generic, fruity bubblegum malt taste, which I am not likened to. Some kind of artificial fruit roll-up type taste going on as well, which I suppose is the elderberry. Again, somewhat of a banana bread like quality to it's taste.

M - Feel is crisp, malty, dry. No lingering flavors of any kind.

Overall, a painfully average beer, probably my least favorite out of the four beers in the mixed twelve pack. An easy sipping refresher of a beer though, I suppose. One that would go over well with BBQ on a hot day, & would possibly satisfy those who are new to craft beers.

Magic Hat Elder Betty ---3/5.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 20:10:52 | More by mfnmbvp

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Artistic looking label caught my eye. Upon realizing I hadn't tried this, I picked up a single at Total Wine.

The beer is yellow and mostly clear with a small white head. The aroma is a bit sweet, fruity esters. Smells OK. The flavor is a bit of a let down. A bit too sweet, and lacking those distinguishable attributes we associate with hefeweizens. I can't single out or detect any elderberry presence. While drinkable, this is pretty boring. I won't buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 17:04:09 | More by Huhzubendah

drabmuh

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hefeweizen? Really? This beer is GOING DOWN. Tick shared by the other Matt, Huhzenbendah, thanks!

Beer served in a snifter, beer is yellow and mostly clear with a lazy white head, low retention, low lacing, not a good looking head.

Aroma is sweet, a little yeasty a little elderberry-y.

Beer is medium to light in body, nothing about this beer is elderberry, it has this mild sweetness, mild fruitiness, I wouldn't have guessed this was a hefeweizen. Not a repeat.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 03:21:32 | More by drabmuh

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

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

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at fridge temperature.

L – Hazy deep gold color with a 1.5-finger white frothy head. Decent retention and some patchy lacing.

S – Grainy wheat malt, spicy peppery and coriander yeast, and a touch of berries.

T – Sweet nearly all the way through with bready and grainy wheat malt and a touch of berry sweetness and tartness. Yeasty coriander spice appears towards the finish.

F – Medium-bodied with good carbonation, a crisp and somewhat creamy mouthfeel, and a sweet and spicy finish.

O – This is not a bad beer and was actually much better than I was expecting. It’s actually a pretty tasty and drinkable beer, but because there are so many good hefeweizens out there, it’s tough to rate this one much higher than average. It just doesn’t have the complexity and body that good beers of this style possess. Still, this is a decent beer and maybe one of our favorites from Magic Hat – although that may not be saying much.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 22:05:07 | More by BlackBelt5112203

Drunkelstiltskin

3.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of my favorite Magic Hat seasonal beers. Golden, mostly clear appearance with not much of a head. Smooth, crisp, with pleasant after taste. Not too fruity, but definitely a beer you can enjoy with your girlfriend. Great on a hot summer day under a nice shady tree. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 00:31:58 | More by Drunkelstiltskin

neophilus

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber colored pour, fluffy white head on top. Sweet, fruity aroma, some yeast esters. Musty fruit.

Crisp flavor of berries which linger through the aftertaste. Mild bitterness up front. Cracker like grain malt. Smooth finish.

Nice take on an American wheat beer. Elderberries added a nice fruity depth, would be nice to see that playing off some more adventurous yeast character.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 22:12:46 | More by neophilus

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had Elder Betty in a nonic pint.

Appearance- Very hazy body in the glass, it has some amber patches around the edges of the glass with a dark marigold hue. The head is a white film that just covers the beer.

Smell- I actually can smell some juicy blackberry and a general berry fruitiness. I also get a honey-sweet malt flavor. I suppose there is some spice and earthiness here too, but I had to really get my nose down in this stuff to find it. Nice touch with the berry flavor.

Taste- I am surprised by the bitterness that hits first. I also catch the berry flavors with the bitterness. Just like that, those flavors fade and are replaced by a wheaty, phenolic flavor. The follow through does not really expand on what has already happen or change in anyway. It just kind of, drops off.

So, more of the berry should follow through, and some kind of hop presence would be nice. The yeast has really taken over for most of this drink. Maybe since this is a Hefe, that is what the brewers wanted?

Mouth feel- The beer is more of a medium body, but does not stick, or have any lift. This beer just slides over the tongue. This would be unfortunate if the beer was more complex. As it is, it fits the conventional nature of the palate.

Overall- Elder Betty surprised me when I took the first couple whiffs. The juicy dark berry scents were promising. However, the flavors fall off on the tongue. The berry is short lived and the phenols over stay their welcome.

As a light and refreshing beer, I can't be too upset with it. I'd have it again, but I wouldn't be excited to .

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:27:16 | More by Pintofbrown

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Part of the Magic Hat Summer Scenes Variety Pack, a new Summer Seasonal, replacing Wacko. Elder Betty is brewed in the Hefeweizen style but uses Elderberries for a subtle fruit twist.

Served in a Magic Hat Pint glass at 55º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a crisp soapy off-white head over a mildly hazy golden amber body. Retention is average. Lots of carbonation. Beer looks decent, although not spectacular. The head quality could have been amped up a bit. 3.5

(Smell) A mild fruitiness over a murky wheat base, quite heavy and sweet on the nose. Berries are very forward in the aroma, not too unlike berry syrup extract, although the aroma of the elder berries are a bit more murky and tart. It certainly doesn't bring a traditional Hefeweizen to mind, but it's a pretty decent twist. I just wish the flavor was a bit more subdued and the sweetness was tuned down. 3

(Taste) A medium wheat profile is paired with a subtle berry profile. The berry flavor is a touch fainter here than in the aroma, although mildly sweet with subtle tart undertones makes it a more complex berry for a drinkable dessert beer. A bit heavier bodied than the average hefeweizen, the flavor is enjoyable unless you are looking for a more bare-bones Hefeweizen recipe. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is very mild, little carbonation presence, a mildly chewy presence from the wheat paired with a slightly syrupy slickness from the berry profile makes for a thick, heavy texture. Body is medium-heavy for a Hefeweizen, light-medium overall. Alcohol presence is low. The carbonation is too low, draws too much attention to the sweet heavy flavor profile of this beer and takes away from drinkability. 3

(Overall) An interesting Hefeweizen variation. While the elder berry additions were not overdone, the low carbonation makes the beer harder to enjoy. Suitable as a dessert beer to pair with some ice cream, but not as sessionable as one may think a Hefeweizen should be. 3

Magic Hat Brewing Company's
Elder Betty Elderberry Weiss
3.25/5.00

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 01:33:04 | More by Jadjunk

CHickman

New York

3.43/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy orange gold color with a 1 finger off white head that faded quickly and left a soapy layer on top and decent spotty lacing on the sides.

Smells of sweet berries like blueberry (elderberry I guess), grains, yeast funk, caramel, grass, wheat and malt; pretty basic nose, but still enjoyable as the berries smelt nice.

Tastes like it smells, sweet up front with berries like blueberry and I guess elderberry, grains, yeast funk, grapes, herbs, caramel, grass, wheat and malt; like the nose, the flavor is basic, but this to me is a nice summer beer. Some of the other Magic Hat experiments with fruit have been sub par, but this one was decent; while it’s not exciting, it is easy to throw back rather quickly.

Mouthfeel is light and on the crisp side, with mild carbonation, a medium grainy body and a semi-dry and slightly funky aftertaste. Overall it was decent and I’d have it again. Middle of the road beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 03:07:43 | More by CHickman

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

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

Had this a few times this summer. Clear dark yellow with a bubbly white head.

Smell is grainy, grassy, light and fruity, some berry scents, floral, fresh yeast

Again grainy and floral with light sweetness. Sweetness doesn't overpower, very low bitterness, yeast, clean finish.

Light and crisp. Lots of carbonation, light body, refreshing on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 17:46:44 | More by TheMultiYeast

jwc215

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours hazed gold with a thin head. Some lacing sticks then fades off.

The smell is of some fruit juice - elderberry and a hint of grain. Has a bit of the "artificial" juice aroma.

The taste is on the bland side. Some elderberry juice with a hint of wheat tang and yeast. Not too sweet.

It has a smooth, light body (fuller side of light body).

This is pretty much your typical American fruit wheat beer (perhaps a little less fruity and less sweet). A rather bland brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 16:57:35 | More by jwc215

cousineddy

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Very hazy tan/orange color 1.5 fingers of foamy white head that dissipates quickly

Smell: Smells a bit like welches sparkling grape juice, very sweet smelling.

Taste: Starts off somewhat bland, but i get backnotes of the elderberrys which i find very pleasant. I wish there was more hops to balance out the sweetness of the berries.

Mouthfeel: lots of carbonation somewhat thin

Overall: I was definately interested in trying an elderberry hefe. Not the best fruit hefewiezen ive ever had. I suggest trying it, but not buying it.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 00:39:19 | More by cousineddy

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Having a new beer to get me through the work of a hard project. Hope it won't affect the results.

I poured this into a fluted style glass. I got about two fingers of light foam that goes down really quickly. The coloring is brownish-yellow and pretty clear with tons of bubbles coming up from the bottom.

I really like the light berry smell coming off the bottom. I could only presume that I'm picking the elder berry. I also get some light flowery hops.

The flavor is pretty sweet, like crunch berries. It works well for a warm evening. This is pretty simple and clean.

If my mother smelled like elder berries (requisite Monty Python reference), then I wouldn't really complain. I like the berry presence in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 00:55:32 | More by ummswimmin

scaliasux

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - Medium yellow. Hazy. Thin white head that quickly dissipates. Looks like a weiss, but no hint of the elderberry influence.

Smell - Sweet pale malt with a hint of berriness. Not entirely sure what elderberries smell like, but the berry scent here is sweet and faux-blueberry-ish.

Taste - Sweet pale malt, a hint of clove and a hint of berry. Not offensive, but not impressive. Still don't know what an elderberry is supposed to taste like.

Mouthfeel - Light.

Overall - I don't dislike this, but I can't see going to it again. And I didn't get much elderberry. Maybe that's the fault of the fruit, but then why make a beer featuring it?

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 04:59:27 | More by scaliasux

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Elder Betty might as well be called 'Ugly Betty'. The elderberries have only lightly pigmented the beer while still making it considerably murky. They also may or may not be responsible for the pitiful head retention. Whatever is to blame, it's flat and drab. Bottom line: you wouldn't sell a lot of magazines with this on the cover.

Know, however, that if ever you come across a fruit beer that is boldly emblazoned the colour of that fruit something (i.e., extract, artificial colour) was most likely added to achieve that embellishment. You'd also be surprised how little most fruits will contribute to a beer's aroma. Here the scent of berries is sweet and pleasant, but expectedly faint.

The elderberry flavour is better appreciated on the palate, most of all for its tartness. Backed by a crew of deceivingly spritzy bubbles, the acidic tartness of over-ripe berries cuts like surgery but leaves little deposits of sweetness in its wake. It's all quite refreshing and, in a manner, universally appealing - who doesn't love the taste of sweet fruit?

The base of bready pale malt, for its part, plays the role of wallflower (which it's probably better off doing). There's little by way of grain to bog the beer down and make things feel heavier, more filling than they should. "A golden haze for summer daze" is a slogan that's spelling may be off but otherwise couldn't be more correct. It's light-bodied and agreeable.

Elder Betty is fruit beer au naturel, baby. As such it fails to arouse the same way that intensely or artificially sweetened fruit beers do. By the same token, however, it is a beer for which I have more respect. There's no makeup or push-up bras or airbrushing here, just a simple, humble, affable fruit beer made by a serviceable brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 23:44:21 | More by biegaman

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a hazy straw with a nice fluffy white head that dissipates fairly quickly but leaves some lacing on the glass. Smells of berries and sweet grain, very balanced. Tastes of barley and blueberry, very pleasant. Beer is balanced for its light body, with great carbonation and nice finish. Overall, a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 19:43:03 | More by cyclonece09

candytunes

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

since I drank it from a bottle i can only judge the bottle design I really like magic hat bottle designs. especially their spiral cap design. makes you feel like youre drinking a true micro-brew

Smells fruity like elderberry.

Tastes fruity a little sour but good. kind of refreshing.

Its a lighter beer.

I dont drink it all the time but if im in the mood for something light, fruity and different, it hits the spot.

Ill keep buying it.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 00:54:54 | More by candytunes

Kooz

New York

2.35/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass. Very slightly cloudy with very little head which dissipates quickly. It's a pale orange color, and not terribly impressive looking.

Smells of wheat and something else, something slightly sweet. Maybe this is what elderberries smell like?

Tastes a bit like cough syrup in the aftertaste. It's bitter and isn't sitting well on my palate. I was expecting something slightly sweet, this tastes almost ashy and tart.

Very little body to this beer. It's a bit too watery and has a bit too much bite.

I am not impressed with this beer. I expected a lot more from this. Disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 01:18:49 | More by Kooz

Tobe

2.83/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured a light amber color with an off white head. The head poured full but quickly dissipated.

Light aroma of elderberries fills the nose upon first inspection. There is a fainter aroma of grass and spice. The flavor is light and crisp. Fruitiness on the palate finishing with a little pepper. It coats the mouth nicely but doesn't overpower. This very well may be the best beer that Magic Hat has released in quite some time.

*After a couple ElderBetty it tends to coat your palete with an undesirable sweetness.*

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 16:17:06 | More by Tobe

buschbeer

Ohio

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

12oz bottle
Served in a weizen glass

A - It is cloudy with an orange hue and gold highlights. It has a couple inches of off white head.

S - There is a fruit aroma that I'm assuming to be elderberry. It's been a long time since I had elderberry pie which is the only experience that I've had with elderberries.

T - It has lots of beery flavor. That is all I taste.

M - Medium with a lot of carbonation.

O - It is a fruity wheat beer. It is good if that is what you like.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 15:23:11 | More by buschbeer