Brewery Location: South Burlington, Vermont, United States
ABV: 6.7%
History & Availability: hI.P.A. is Magic Hat's fall "On Tour" seasonal, so I'm not really sure how I ran across this one. Availability of any of their "On Tour" beers is in general significantly lower than the more ubiquitous year-round brews, so finding this beer in particular is spotty even in-season.
Appearance: A cloudy but exceptionally light-colored beer, hI.P.A. is a pure yellow with lots of carbonation. The head is pure white but frothy and thick like marshmallow fluff. Retention is great due to the carbonation content and the head clings to the glass all the way down. I only had one bottle of this beer that I bummed off a friend, so excuse the half-mug.
Smell: The smell is very strong and herbal; very hoppy with almost no sweetness to speak of. It's not actually as strong as the Harpoon Winter Warmer but damn it, it's trying. The Magic Hat website lists pine but I'm getting much more of a fir scent (which are definitely totally distinct, don't even start with that).
Taste: Super bitter and lots of hops as advertised. As IPAs go this is clearly high on the hops and low on the spice. It feels like there's little hints of citrus trying to poke through but the hops are browbeating everything back to the ground indiscriminately. The aftertaste is toasty like roasted almonds.
Mouthfeel: A little rough, to be honest. The toasty aftertaste translates into an odd smoky feel while it's in the mouth, which isn't really represented in the taste itself but makes it tough to hold for any extended period of time.
Drinkability: A little too heavy on the hops to be drinkable in extreme proportions. I was feeling it take its toll even after the single bottle, and I'm actually glad I didn't have a second because it might have brought the rating down almost by necessity.
Overall verdict: B-, I'll have one from time to time, but I certainly won't seek it out.
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