Magic Hat #9 (not so pale ale)

Put me on cloud nine, oooooh baby! What a magical beer indeed!


The Magic Hat Brewing Company's # 9 (not so pale ale) is brewed up in South Burlington, VT (not to be confused with the shit-hole that is North Burlington, VT), the home of the University of Vermont. My good friend Bert works at UV, and he really likes beer. I bet he likes this beer. In Vermont, they call themselves "Vermonters" - I like it. I also like that Vermont is the home of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. Magic Hat refers to their beers as "elixirs" and not as beers. I like that too. Vermont seems like a cool place to be, until you remember what winters are like there.

Magic Hat claims that their #9 brew is a mysterious beer, and they might be right. They say on their FAQ page that #9 is way better than the numbers 1-8, and for some reason it works. They gave the not so pale ale the #9, but aren't sure why. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the mountains of pot and thousands of Phish concerts attended by the brewers. Wait, am I stereotyping? Yes, why yes I am.


The significance of the #9 doesn't really matter, as this ale is going to score close to a perfect 10 on this review. Even though its called a not so pale ale, it is a really tasty one, with fruity bitter tones and a lovely aftertaste. The smell is delicious too. It's not too bitter, so for those of you that don't like bitter beers, this might be a match made in heaven. I love uber-bitter IPAs, but I enjoyed this lighter fare all the same. It's light on the tummy and boasts a 5.1% ABV, so you can drink PLENTY of them and not feel too full / drunk, unless you want to feel full and drunk, then keep 'em coming. Its a tad on the costly side, maybe $10-11 a sixpack (I got a single 12oz bottle at TJs for $2), but totally worth it. As the humidity and heat are cranking up here in the S-th, the magical #9 elixir will sure be stocked in my fridge for continued enjoyment all summer long. And probably in the winter too.

Drinkability: 9/10

Taste: 10/10

Value: 4/10
Curb Appeal: 9/10

Overall: 8.0/10