Magic Hat Blind Faith IPA
I’ve been fortunate enough recently to get a few samples from Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing. Amongst those samples were more than a few IPAs. This beer, Blind Faith, isn’t one of them, but it is the product of receiving those samples.
Products from this company are not hard to come by. In fact, I can usually find them just about any where around town. And with curiosity getting the better of me (as it is apt to do in any beer shop), I wanted to see what other tasty beverages the brewery had available. Oddly enough, the first one I selected was actually a bottle of their Hex (which I received a sample of a day or two after my purchase). The second bottle I picked up was this 6.2% ABV English IPA.
Blind Faith didn’t start off with the best of impressions. The nose is a bit subdued, but luckily what the aroma lacked the taste more than made up for. This is a brew isn’t over the top in terms of its hop presence, but is an easily approachable and surprisingly drinkable beer for it’s alcohol content.
Appearance
Pouring a dark (slightly hazy) amber, the brew sits with a persistent, tawny head that fell lazily to a moderate level of lacing along the glass.
Aroma
As stated, the nose, though balanced and clean, doesn’t quite as much punch as I was expecting. Decent levels of grapefruit and pine arrive along with the right amount of malt, but nothing really wows me here.
Taste
There’s much more to be excited about within the flavor profile than the nose let on. A solid balance between a light malt sweetness, caramel and fruity hops makes for a nice drinking IPA. There isn’t much of a hop bite, but a decent level of lingering bitterness in the finish tingles the tongue for a good while. The crisp carbonation and medium body, along with barely any hint of alcohol makes Blind Faith an easy drinking beer.
Overall
I don’t believe this to be the best IPA in the company’s portfolio, but I do love its balanced character. Smooth, lightly sweet malts are balanced with an appropriate amount of fruity, piney hops and just enough bitterness to keep things interesting. I can see myself buying more of this to celebrate a warm weekend.
Rating: 3.25/5
