Magic Hat Mother Lager

If you have been reading my blog long for awhile now, you probably know I do not like beer from Magic Hat. Back in my early days of craft beer drinking I enjoyed many of their offerings. Either my palate evolved and their beer was terrible the whole time or their beer has just gone dramatically downhill over the years. The more I talk to fellow beer drinkers, the more I find the latter to be true.

I frequently wonder what happened to Magic Hat's beer from 2005 to now. They were purchased in 2010 and perhaps scaling up distribution did not translate well for their recipes. However, since being acquired, I do remember enjoying their Schwarzbier(Black Lager), Howl. The sad thing about that beer was just when I thought I had finally found something good from them, it was retired. The one good takeaway from Howl is the potential is still there to make a good beer. So, I have started a quest to find a beer that brings back the respect I had in the past for Magic Hat. I do not know how long it is going to take. Maybe the beer I am going to discuss today will bring that respect back. My hopes are not high that this is going to happen but I find myself trying to be optimistic. Perhaps, by picking their limited run Mother Lager, a Euro-Style Lager, I am being too easy on them. If anything, it is a style of beer they could water down to a point that barely any flavor exists. If this turns out to be the case it would still be better than most of the beers I have had from them.

Mother Lager is not a bad beer. So I feel I can start this out on a more positive note than usual. That being said, it is not that good either. It hits the aroma and flavor notes you would expect from a Euro Style Lager. The aroma is bready, grassy, herbal with a light hint of citrus. When I took my first sip I laughed because just as I joked earlier, this is a bit watered-down. However, the flavors that are here work. The notes of bread, grass, pepper and lemon come through. The finish is crisp, clean and everything you would expect from the style. This is a fairly safe beer from Magic Hat. It is by no means good enough to change the negative feelings I have about them. I would equate this to an old friend reaching out to you whom you have had differences with recently. I am trepidatious but hopeful, as well as happy that Mother Lager is proof that they can still make something I won't pour down the sink. I admit, I am looking forward to trying and writing about another offering of theirs in the near future to see if I can continue to build on this optimism. However, at the moment we are talking about Mother Lager. As much as I feel happy I was able to finish an entire 12 ounces of Magic Hat beer, I must tell you that at its price point I can't think of any reason you would buy this over any other classic, readily available European Style Lager. That is with the exception of Stella Artois, that stuff is garbage.

Overall I would rate Mother Lager a 2.75/5. It was drinkable, I finished the entire 12 ounces, so that was good enough for me.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Prairie Pe-Kan Imperial Stout

When I saw Prairie Pe-Kan on the shelf the first time, I walked right past it. I felt I could not drop another 10 dollars on a 12 ounce bottle that may or may not be worth it. I thought if I ignored it that day, it would be gone and I would not feel the temptation to buy it again. Then I saw it again in another place, and then another, and then I finally caved and bought a bottle. I faced the hard truth that I am a sucker for stouts from Prairie Artisan Ales. I realize this is mainly because I absolutely love Bomb! It's ridiculously overpriced but ridiculously good. I can only justify buying it once in a great while but it delivers every single time. Now when I came across Pe-Kan I did not expect it to come close to the greatness of Bomb. The label even stated that it was a “malt beverage with natural flavors”. Anytime a beer has “natural flavors” in it, my expectations are immediately lowered. Still, I purchased a Pe-Kan, chilled it, hoped for the best and made it the subject of this blog.

Things did not start out as well as I'd hoped with Pe-Kan. As I poured it, the first thing I thought was, “this looks a little on the thin side.” At the price point and ABV level, I was not looking for thin. I was looking for motor oil-like thickness. I thought the aroma was interesting. It was boozy, smokey, roasty, with vanilla, chocolate and caramelized sugar. I did not get much pecan in the aroma but I did get that in the flavor. It really gave the impression that this beer was trying to pull off pecan pie and I think it worked. Pe-Kan is sweet, like really sweet but for some reason I really liked it here. The vanilla, chocolate, pecans, caramelized sugar blended nicely with a nice roasty and smokey malt flavor. Did the beer taste a little artificial? Yes it did, but surprisingly I did not mind it. This is a fun dessert beer, plain and simple. It is not something I could drink more than one of but it is something I am glad I tried. I do not think this beer would work for everyone but if you like pecan pie, I would give it a shot.

Overall I would rate Prairie Pe-Kan a 4/5. It's not as good as Bomb! Not even close actually, but it is a really fun beer, that's worth a try.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Bells Mars Double IPA

The Bells Planet Series was something I found enjoyable and underwhelming all at the same time. In most cases, I remember something about each of the beers I tried. I remember sitting with my wife drinking Venus, while she cringed through each sip. I looked at her confused because somehow the bizarre blend of ingredients in a blonde ale worked for me. I remember being excited at the price of Saturn for being Bourbon Barrel Aged and then disappointed the more I drank of it. I remember sitting quietly after a long day of work drinking a Uranus and thinking it was a really great Black IPA. Then I remember reading the list of ingredients for Neptune and wondering what the brewing process for that was like. I imagined the brewers were looking at a list of every adjunct they had on hand and saying 'dump it in”. With the laundry list of adjuncts in the beer, barely any of them stood out in the flavor. Still, I thought Neptune was a good stout. I never got around to trying Mars: The Bringer of War because it was sold out every time I tried to buy a bottle. As you can imagine, I am thrilled Bells decided to brew it again and give me a second chance to try it.

Right off the bat, I loved the beautiful reddish-orange color of Bells Mars Double IPA. In beer form, it seemed to perfectly match a photo of the “Red Planet”. The aroma was nice, but from it I knew  I was in for a big beer. Huge notes of grapefruit, resinous pine, caramel malt, pineapple and candied orange stood out with a nicely. The first sip started out with a nice caramel malt sweetness before a massive rush of citrus and pine. Notes of pineapple, orange, and mango complimented those flavors before giving way to a sticky pine, grapefruit rind, slightly spicy, dry, boozy finish. When I say boozy finish, I mean it. The 10.1% is not even remotely hidden. I like a little heat on the finish but this was a bit too much. Still I thought Mars was a fairly good Double IPA, it's just nothing memorable. By the end of my glass, I was happy I only purchased one bottle. It's definitely on the syrupy side and that began to wear me down the further I got into the beer. I am happy I was able to try Mars, but I can't say it is something I could or would want to drink another bottle of.

Overall I would rate Mars a 3/5. I'm glad I got to try it and I hope to see other reissues in the future from this series.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Collective Arts Saint of Circumstance

The first time I had a beer from Collective Arts Brewing was in May of 2016 at Irish Embassy in Toronto, ON. It was after my second Pearl Jam concert in three nights. That particular show was special because I finally heard my “Holy Grail” Pearl Jam song, Alone. Up to that point, I had waited 26 shows to hear Alone. Before that night, the best chance I had to hear it was in Philadelphia in 2013. Pearl Jam sound checked the song before the first show of their two-night stand. The song did not end up making the set list either of those two nights. It made the set list at the next show, in the next city they were in. I was bummed out by this because I thought that was my best chance to hear it. With an ever-growing catalog of songs, I thought the chances I would ever hear it were becoming slim to none. Then on May 12th, 2016, after a spectacular performance of Present Tense, Alone just started. When I realized what I happening, I was so excited, I practically tackled my unsuspecting cousin next to me. I yelled “This is it! This is my holy grail song!” and he just smiled. I stood there rocking out for the next few minutes with a gigantic smile on my face. That was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. Anything that happened that night after hearing that song was icing on the cake. I honestly believe Pearl Jam could have taken turns farting into the microphone for the next two hours and I would not have minded. That moment made my night. Later, at the Irish Embassy, I could talk about little else while surveying the beer menu. I ordered something I had never heard of, which turned out to be Collective Arts Brewing Rhyme & Reason Pale Ale. I thought it tasted fantastic, so good in fact that I ordered a few. Usually I like to mix it up a bit but that beer was hitting all the right flavor notes. Fast forward to April 2017, Collective Arts Brewing is now being distributed in Upstate New York. I immediately bought cans of Rhyme & Reason. I was hoping the beer was not enhanced by the moment last May. I am happy to report it was not. Rhyme & Reason is a fantastic pale ale. It's malty with just the right amount of hop bite. I absolutely love that beer, and the fact that it is tied to a great memory makes it even better.

Rhyme & Reason was not the only beer to arrive in Upstate NY from Collective Arts Brewing and that got me excited. When I picked up some Rhyme & Reason, I also picked up their Blonde Ale, Saint of Circumstance. I think blonde ale is a criminally underrated style of beer. With warm weather coming I was hoping the brewery that made such an excellent pale ale would make a blonde ale that could be a regular summer staple in my refrigerator.

I can safely say I enjoyed drinking Saint of Circumstance. It delivered on being a light, easy-drinking, refreshing beer. I just thought I would enjoy it a bit more, especially from the pleasant cracker, spicy, grassy and citrus aroma. I enjoyed that the flavor lemon in particular shined here, especially in the finish. The other big flavor flavor is the malt which brings a nice amount of cracker and graininess to the beer. What I was not crazy about was the finish, which was a muddled mixture of lemon, grass, grapefruit and pepper spice. It was not by any means a dealbreaker though. This is a solid choice for a summer beer. If you have to decide between this or Rhyme or Reason, I would go with Rhyme or Reason. I say that not just because I had it for the first time after one of the greatest concert moments of my life. I say that because it is a damn fine pale ale.

Overall I would rate Saint of Circumstance a 3/5. A solid beer from a solid catalog of beers. Oh, and the can art is amazing.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!