Tag Archive for Magic Hat

Magic Hat Brewing Company – Vinyl

February 20, 2012 Reviews No comments

Magic Hat Vinyl BottleVinyl Lager is Magic Hat Brewing Company’s spring seasonal that they call a “scrumptious spring lager.” When I first picked this up, I was a little surprised to see a spring seasonal available. After all, it is only February and I am still working on some winter seasonal reviews, but I was intrigued and it sounded like something different. The idea of a spring seasonal got me thinking about what flavors sum up the spring season. I couldn’t think of many flavors featured in beers that really made me think spring and I was a little worried that whatever those spring flavors were might be overdone. I think some seasonal beers tend to highlight whatever flavors they select even if it skews the style they are aiming for. I’m sure we’ve all had a winter seasonal heavy on the cinnamon or a summer ale with a little too much citrus. I was pleased to find, however, that my assumptions were wrong. Vinyl is a perfect example of a well balanced beer in both flavor and season and, from what I can tell, achieves its balance without an overdone seasonal flavoring.

Vinyl is a clean amber lager with a thick foamy head. It is full bodied with a prominent malt character and, as Magic Hat puts it, “a slight balancing hop touch.” This 5.1% ABV lager is more of a winter-into-spring transitional beer than a true spring seasonal. It is only available from January 15th through March 31st and it matches the seasonal shift perfectly. The Burlington, VT product is a flavorful lager with a clean and bright finish that is perfect for warmer spring days, but has a substantial quality that makes it just right for colder spring nights as well. Vinyl is a great seasonal not because it forces a flavor of the spring, but because it fits a traditional flavor profile that pairs perfectly with the season.

Magic Hat Spring Seasonal

Cheers!

Tim Meyers (Tim@GoodHopBadHop.com)

 

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Cajun Seafood Pasta (a.k.a. N’awlins Cream Sauce)

February 8, 2012 Food and Beer Pairings No comments

Before I even go into this, I have to say that I didn’t cook this and my wonderful girlfriend did. She’s a much better cook than I, however this recipe isn’t that difficult so don’t be afraid. It’s very loosely based on this food.com recipe, but I do stress loosely. Here’s roughly the version we used, measurements aren’t exact and are very much are to taste.

  • 12 oz medium shrimp, cooked, deveined, peeled, tail-off (51-60/lb)
  • 1 pound bay scallops
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (Weber makes a great one)
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 oz tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Boil spaghetti. While boiling, cook shrimp, scallops, Cajun seasoning, salt, basil, black pepper, and garlic in a pan on medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. At roughly 10 minutes, stir in tomato paste, cream, and spaghetti. Cook for 5 minutes. Let sit to thicken sauce.
As far as the beers go, I picked two that I’ve had and that I enjoy. I’m trying to be a little scientific, since that I know I enjoy these specific brews without the food, the food pairing experiment is a little more controlled. Science!
Since this is Cajun, seafood, and pasta there was a wealth of recommended pairings. I decided that because of the spiciness of this dish the cajun would be the focal point of pairing.  As with any spicy taste, some people swear by a hoppy beer that can stand up to the spice and others recommend a malty flavor to contrast it.  I picked two beers that are polar opposites but are both great in their respective styles: Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA and Magic Hat’s Howl (Black Lager).

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

Racer 5 is an excellent IPA and definitely one of my favorites. India Pale Ales are the more “complimentary” beer style for this meal as far as I have read. I really enjoyed how this beer’s earthy hops meshed with the Cajun seasonings. The hoppiness balances the spiciness and leaves a bitterness which invites another bite of the seafood pasta. There’s a nice bit of malt in this IPA so the hops aren’t allowed to completely take over the palate. The malt also cleanses a bit of the spiciness away which is a great attribute of the beer.

Magic Hat Howl Black Lager

Magic Hat’s Howl Black Lager is a great beer and lives up to its name. In this picture you may be able to make out the black lettering on my Ithaca pint glass but just barely. This beer has a great maltiness to it and is definitely a pretty stark contrast to Racer 5. The school of thought with this and beers like this is that the malt should cleanse away the spicy flavors. Howl doesn’t really compliment or contrast the dish as the maltiness doesn’t really cut through. I feel as if the beer just exists alongside of the pasta and doesn’t even interact.

Official Good Hop Bad Hop Recommendation – Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale

Reading this, I’m sure you guessed the conclusion. It would actually be hard to believe another beer would be quite as good with this Cajun offering. As I mentioned, pairing hoppy beers with spicy dishes is a very hotly contested subject. That pun really was not intended, I swear. With Cajun seasonings though, I have to say that the complimentary strength of an IPA is a great fit. I’m sure there are other dishes that the Howl pairs with, but I can’t say that this is it.

Cheers!

Mark

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