Wooly - Magic Hat Brewing Company

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74
okay
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132 Ratings

rAvg: 3.16
pDev: 17.72%
Reviews: 43
Hads: 89

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Brewed by:
Magic Hat Brewing Company

Vermont, United States

Style | ABV
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB) | 4.50% ABV

Availability: Fall. bottle (43).

Notes:
A Coniferous Concoction Pine for this Extra Special Bitter whose medium body and spicy hoppiness harmonize with flavorful, aromatic spruce tips.

40 IBU

View: Beers (30) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by the Alström Bros:

Jason

Massachusetts

3.21/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Nearly clear amber, thick two fingers of head

SMELL: Biscuity malt, mild spruce resin, ripe fruit, faint diacetyl

TASTE: Moderate sized body, wet, grainy, grassy, twang of spruce, light hopping, slightly biscuity, dried grass, watery, very dry

Not as complex as I though it would have been, a little out of balance but since the spruce is not that agressive the dryness actually helps in the area ... sadly it leaves the beer a in a lackluster state. A good stepping stone for anyone that has not had a spruced beer before and perhaps even an extreme beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 02:50:22 | More by Jason

More User Reviews:

irs

New Jersey

3.5/5 rDev +10.8%

06-01-2013 22:07:17 | More by irs

h4ger

Connecticut

3/5 rDev -5.1%

05-30-2013 01:31:32 | More by h4ger

ClayO

Arizona

3.25/5 rDev +2.8%

05-19-2013 22:08:05 | More by ClayO

lucasj82

Indiana

3/5 rDev -5.1%

05-15-2013 01:15:40 | More by lucasj82

ToddHolder

Illinois

2.75/5 rDev -13%

05-14-2013 02:54:04 | More by ToddHolder

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

3.5/5 rDev +10.8%

05-09-2013 02:20:52 | More by pcsnyder

mcdsports

Texas

1/5 rDev -68.4%

05-05-2013 00:47:48 | More by mcdsports

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3.75/5 rDev +18.7%

05-01-2013 15:39:50 | More by JohnK17

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.1/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy light copper color with a tight, white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells light fruit notes and some bready malt.

Tastes of the bready malt with some light sweetness. Malts lead off with bread and a little grainy sweetness. The sweetness blends into a little fruitiness. This is in turn ends with a bit of lemon zest.

Mouthfeel is medium-light with a slightly smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is nothing worth mentioning. An overall light profile leaves me bored.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 02:29:37 | More by ocelot2500

civicm87

New York

2.75/5 rDev -13%

04-21-2013 02:55:22 | More by civicm87

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was disappointed with this beer, nothing seems to work.
The color is a hazy amber with a lingering little foamy cap. Almost no carbonation bubbles.
The aroma was biscuit malts, raw grain grassy hay. No spruce aroma that I can find.
Taste was bland. Some malts. Towards the end I think I taste is spruce. Maybe a herbal medicinal taste I don't know.
A dry bitter finish.
Boorrriing.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 11:06:58 | More by micromaniac129

imperialking

Illinois

3.25/5 rDev +2.8%

04-11-2013 19:16:18 | More by imperialking

y2jrock60

Pennsylvania

3.3/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Light orange with a thin head that dissipates quickly only leaving behind a slight amount of lace.

S- Very sweet up front with a hint of toffee. The spruce makes an appearance, but it's not overwhelming.

T- Very malt forward and grainy like a traditional ESB. There is a slight sweetness and caramel flavor in the middle of the profile. That then fades away into a slightly tart and dry bitter finish. The spruce is definitely present at the finish giving it the bitterness you don't normally find in an ESB.

M- Medium-light bodied with moderate carbonation. It starts out sweet then finishes tart and dry.

O- A unique seasonal twist on a traditional English beer. The first time I tried this beer I didn't care very much for it. I thought the spruce and bitterness were too overpowering for the style. A friend said it tasted like dish soap, which I agreed with at the time. However, after giving this beer another chance I actually came to appreciate it for what it is. The base of this beers is a traditional ESB, which you pick up at the beginning, but it fades away into a seasonal twist. It has a tart and dry bitter finish from the spruce. It's not overpowering, I think an ESB is a perfect showcase for spruce, if you added it to a pale all I think it would be dominated by the hops.

If you have the opportunity, give it a try. I wouldn't run out to the store specifically looking for it, but it's a nice seasonal beer with a unique twist.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 05:18:24 | More by y2jrock60

emerge077

Illinois

3.18/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Spotted this in the singles section, hoping it's relatively fresh. Fall seasonal... neck has a string of random numbers: K1826 1 1325 556K. According to Freshbeeronly, that's October 18, 2012, with an extra 6 at the end. Huh.

Hazy orange color, one finger of foam, lasting skim that remains unbroken for quite awhile. Spotty lace around the edges of the glass, some visible rising carbonation.

There is a little dry herbal spruce spice in the aftertaste, but it's masked by a general watery soggy grain flavor. As it warms there's some low level crackery malt, but it's pretty mild overall. Light bodied, a little thin. Nothing special, but if you love spruce beers give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 00:33:29 | More by emerge077