Magic Hat Odd Notion Summer 2010 - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 9-3-2010
This week's Friday Beer O'Clock Selection comes once again from Magic Hat Brewing Company, more specifically, their Odd Notion Series, delivering an interesting, flavored, wild ginger Belgian Wheat Ale.
ABV: 5.5%
Appearance:
The beer poured with a nice light golden color that seemed to darken a couple shades with a lots of haze once in the glass. The pour provided a slight head, about one finger, that fizzed a bit, similar to pouring a soda, before fading into a thin, dense ring around the edge of the glass leaving fair lacing.
Aroma:
At first from the bottle it smelled a bit unpleasant and skunky. But after letting it breath a bit, you can pick out aromatic hints of bready/wheaty yeast, oak, banana, ginger, and light spices.
TIP: Remember to let your beer "breath" a bit to get the full benefit after popping the top or pouring into your favorite mug.
Taste:
I get a sweet malty flavor up front that transitions into a nice spicy ginger, still with some sweetness before trailing off to smoky oak and ginger flavors on the back. The finish lingers with mostly that smokey oak and ginger, but with subtle hints of sweet malts. The flavors play off each other pretty well, but it wouldn't hurt to drop the sweets down a notch.
Feel:
Medium-light body, sharp, crisp and refreshing. Smooth with a subtle carbonated tooth.
Drinkability:
5.5% ABV this just tips the session scale, so pace yourself, but over all it is a nice brew that is easy to enjoy.
Conclusion:
I've tried a handful of ginger laced brews and found that most were a little too heavy on the ginger accents. The Magic Hat Odd Notion 2010 Summer Ale is a nice exception in my experience. A lot of Magic Hat's brews are hit or miss for the most part in my opinion, but I keep coming back to them because I love that they are always bringing new ideas to the tap. Some are real good, others not so much. I think they did a good job with this one.
What do you think?
Have any thoughts on this one or have you tried other ginger laced brews that you would suggest?
We'd love to hear from you. Comments are open.
