BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Unfortunately, Magic Hat got bought out ’round 2020, but its legacy lives on. Now brewed in Rochester, many of its offbeat recipes have disappeared while some, like #9 Not Quite Pale Ale, remain – for now as of 2023.
For a cool ghoulishly bewitched tour, check out South Burlington’s renowned MAGIC HAT BREWERY, where Halloween and Mardis Gras are celebrated daily. February ’04, bought limited edition Braggot Honey Ale and newly introduced Mother Lager. November ’06, caught up with marketing director Shawn Rice and brought home seven growlers of familiar bottled fare for High Times crew.
On tap at site, sampled Magic Hat Blind Nine Ale. Blending #9 Not Quite Pale Ale with Blind Faith IPA, its candied peach-berry frontage, tropical pineapple-kiwi-papaya backup, and lacquered paste-like viscosity secured phenol-medicinal quilt harboring bread-y yeast thicket to extremely bitter hop-roasted finish.
Though not a brewpub per se, this proudly successful, overly generous South Burlington microbrewery added a permanent right side bar some time before my fourth visit, January ’09. It served at least six of Magic Hat’s brews – a few that are not bottled and quite original. Worth the trip, especially considering stiff Burlington competition by Three Needs, American Flatbread, and Vermont Pub. Check out Beer Index for full Magic Hat reviews.