Country of Origin: United States
Price comparison: Priced about the same as the average national domestics.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 5.1%
Cute bottle/label? Standard six-pack or single 1.375 pint brown glass bottle; label art is very funky/retro/cosmic-by-design. If you order this stuff in a bar, make sure the bartender or server gives you the cap, inside of which you will find such words of wisdom as (on this particular cap) "Don't tease - aim to please."
Appearance: The clever hippie retro label proclaims #9 to be a "not-quite-pale ale", which is pretty accurate labeling, since this really qualifies as a fruit brew (apricot). I'm not sure whether the color owes to natural coloring or if it's enhanced in some way, but it definitely pours a golden apricot color, giving you a hint of what to expect. Light natural carbonation; thin head but decent lacing.
Scent: Although the first inhalation is unmistakably apricot, with hints of honeysuckle or some other sweet blossom, #9 is not pretending at wine-cooler status and overall the perfumes balance well with a pronounced maltiness overall.
Flavor: Again, the apricot flavor is prevalent and yet manages to be neither overpowering nor sweet. Hints of raisin and citrus in the background, with a dry finish not unlike chablis.
Impressions: Magic Hat #9 is not a new beer to me. I had it first at an old-fashioned pub that had dozens of beers on tap and over a hundred bottled, from imports to local microbrews. The servers were very knowledgeable about their products and remembered their customers' tastes from visit to visit, so that I was able, after a few visits, to say to a server I'd had before, "Surprise me," and she would bring a new beer for me to try, and almost always, she'd be right. Magic Hat #9 was one of those pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, it raised my expectations a bit. I've gotten to a point where I expect all fruit beers to be like the #9: unmistakably beer, but a beer where the end judgment is inevitably that, without the fruit, it would be something else entirely. In other words, Magic Hat #9 is what I had wanted Éphémère to be: refreshing, light, definitely beer and definitely bringing an essence of fruit to the party at the same time - likewise, the girliness factor of the fruit and perfume is balanced by the cool graphics and quip under the cap.
Will I buy this beer again? I buy this beer all the time. No reason to stop now. It's versatile and thirst-quenching. Pairs well with seafood or with salty snacks. Its low alcohol content makes it a wise choice if you have to work in the morning, but if you're drinking to get drunk, you need quite a lot of this stuff to get a buzz, so pick a table or barstool with a clear path to the restrooms.
Rating:
3½ out of 5 cute beer glasses
Reviewed: October 23, 2003
