Magic Hat Brewery tour
Take heart, homebrewers.
Even the pros have embarrassing stories of beers gone bad.
At Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, Vermont, where I went on a tour last weekend, the guide told us of a beer they once brewed that just might be the most disgusting concoction ever — garlic beer.
It was so bad, our guide said, that employees who lost bets were forced to drink it. And once they did, it rarely stayed down.
Luckily for us beer lovers, this microbrewery makes some great brews, including Magic Hat’s famed “#9,” with its unique apricot flavor. (We at FuzzyBrew will be attempting to brew a clone of the #9 very soon.)
Even better, as I found out on the tour, is Magic Hat’s super hoppy HI.P.A., an India Pale Ale hopped and dry-hopped with Columbus hops.
It smells amazing, and it tastes crisp and bitter.
Magic Hat, which was founded in 1994 and employs about 65, cranks out 400 bottles of beer a minute. Unfortunately, I went on a Saturday and they weren’t brewing or bottling.
Still, the brewery tour is free and definitely worth checking out if you’re in the Burlington area. I tried every single beer on tap at the brewery’s “growler” bar, and then a few extra samples of the HI.P.A., of course.
Find them at:
Magic Hat Brewing Company
5 Bartlett Bay Road
South Burlington, VT 05403
