Magic Hat: Fat Angel

Magic Hat is a small brewery out of South Burlington in Vermont, U.S.A. While we were living in New York we found that there were very few palatable beers on tap, Magic Hat and Blue Moon being the two staples that we turned to. Many an evening was rescued by the appearance of the 'Magic Hat' above the bar tap and so this a homage to that upstanding brewery that made the bars of New York bearable.

Fat Angel is no longer produced by Magic Hat, however, it was the standard beer on tap so I have a fair idea how it should turn out. It's an American Pale Ale which takes crystal and Munich malts for the colour and flavour, and Styrian Goldings for the flavour and aroma. This beer is also dry-hopped, so I'm expecting a very tasty and citrusy beer by the end of it.

Gravity: 1.054 (Target 1.050). FG 1.016 (target 1.012) ABV 5.5% (target 4.8%)

Yield: 23 litres (target 23 litres)

Brew method: Extract with US batch sparging for the specialty grain.

Notes: I've upped the quantities so that I may get a full 23 litre batch out of the brew. So far, the recipe appears to have scaled well.

Wicked Elf Pale Ale

Wicked Elf Pale Ale is made in the American Style whose main point of distinction is the use of American hops for bittering and flavouring.

This is a nice ale, but nothing really stands out as remarkable. There is a subtle hint of caramel from the malt covered by the bitter pine flavours of the Cascade hops that lingers in the mouth. It pours with a lovely amber colour and a clear bright head.

It's nice, but not something I'll be revisiting anytime soon. For a better example of an American Pale Ale try the Matilda Bay Alpha Pale Ale.