Magic Hat Brewing Company, Dream Machine Indian Pale Lager

From a brewery out of Burlington Vermont, Magic Hat has released a new year round  beer for the first time in 10 years entitled Dream Machine IPL. Combining the elements of an IPA and the yeasts and brewing techniques of a lager, Magic Hat has beautifully crafted this new creation that promises to satisfy the hop-head IPA drinkers out there and spark the curiosity of the smooth drinking, lager folks.

The Dream Machine pours with an amber color and a nice fluffy head also giving off a citrusy, piney aroma due to the dry-hopping method where Amarillo & Sterling hops were used. Without a doubt, the idea behind this off-shoot style brew is to combine two great beer experiences into one, and certainly Magic Hat has easily accomplished this. The concept of providing a unique drinking experience was their tactic and indeed.

Magic Hat delivers as promised. The Dream Machine is a beer that was specifically designed for my palate. Being a lager drinker for years and years, this IPL really provides the best of both worlds into one smooth drinking, mildly bitter beer. I find the idea behind the recipe of cross-pollinating an IPA with an amber lager as intriguing as the taste of the beer itself! On the front end, a crisp grapefruit, yet mild citrusy taste gives way to a smooth, lager finish on the back end with little to no bite. The Dream Machine is highly aromatic, but not quite as bitter as one might expect from the amount of hops used to produce it.

Magic Hat has hit this one out of the park with their Dream Machine IPL! If you’re an IPA lover, give it a whirl. It may not have the ultimate bitterly hop flavor you’d expect from a standard IPA, but it certainly meshes 2 very popular styles of beer into 1 that has, in my opinion, captured the best elements of both styles. If you’re a lager drinker much like myself, this would be a great beer to help crossover into the world of craft beer drinking. The Dream Machine IPL is a great session beer and an enjoyable change-up from the standard routine. Whether you’re and IPA advocate or a lager drinker, this beer appeals to either and will not disappoint. Cheers & enjoy!

India Pale Lager

ABV 5.7%

Availability Year Round: 6 packs, 12 packs, 22oz bottles, draft

Personal Rating: 9.1/10

Style Rating: 9.6/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at whitehorsewine.com

Great Lakes Brewing, Silver and Gold IPL

India Pale Lager, is this a new trend? I had never heard of any brewers doing a IPA in a lager style instead of the traditional ale style but recently Sam Adams released their Double Agent IPL and now Great Lakes is doing one for their 25th anniversary. This does seem like a good combo for Great Lakes because the beer that made them popular and started to win awards and accolades was their Dortmunder Gold Lager. Today, with IPAs being the hot beer category and Great Lakes producing a number of good IPAs, they have combined the past and present with an IPA brewed with their Dortmunder Gold Lager yeast. This makes for a very interesting combination with the hoppy aromatics but crisp lager finish.

When you pop open this beer the IPA lover in me is rewarded by a nice west coast style aroma. Citrus, pine and grapefruit waft from the glass giving this a good mark in my book for the IPA style aroma. This brew is clocking in at 7.5% ABV which seems to be a magic number with some of my favorite beers being right near this number (Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin, Uinta Hop Notch and Troegs Perpetual IPA). When you take your first sip their is a slight hoppy bitterness up front but it is quickly replaced by light, crisp lager finish. This beer reminds me of Lagunitas Fractional IPA or Founders All Day IPA (both of which are below 5% ABV and taste like a hoppy Bud Light). I have to say that while I was not a fan of the two "daytime" IPA I just mentioned, it was more because the price point was too high. The beers were easy to drink but if your going to buy a case for a party it would set you back $40 or more. This IPL is very easy to drink and with the 7.5% ABV it at least gives you a bang for the $9.99 buck that you will shill out for this 4 pack.

Overall, I would recommend this beer for a nice warm Summer night where you want to session a few IPLs. Its refreshing enough that is will cool you down while a few brews will do the trick. Keep your eyes open as I have a good feeling you will be seeing more and more beers in this style.

Personal Rating: 9 /10
Style Rating: ??? for a new style

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=704361440245

Sam Adams Double Agent IPL

INDIA PALE LAGER!?!? Ok, so we can't really talk about Sam Adams in a craft beer blog without dealing with the hot debate over whether or not Sam Adams is really a craft brewer. It is obvious that due to the large amount of beer pumping out of Sam Adams everyday that their semi-large size puts them in about the same category of brewers as Sierra Nevada and the likes. These are brewers who are massive in size compared to most of the micro breweries out there, but still dwarf in comparison to brewers like Bud, Miller and Coors. However you feel about Sam Adams as a craft brewer, it is hard to argue with the fact that they consistently come out with new, often very creative beers. Here is a new very creative beer that splits the IPA and Lager style of beers.

As most of you know by know, we here at White Horse Wine & Spirits are solid Hop Heads. As such, I had to try this interesting Double Agent IPL experiment that is as Sam Adams puts it "What if we gave an IPA a second identity and used some of our favorite West Coast hops, with their grapefruit, piney, and tropical fruit character, in a lager?". 

I have to say that I did not go into this tasting with much hope for a hoppy beer. Most of the new "IPAs" coming out of the larger breweries just don't pack the necessary hop punch to satisfy. I was pleasantly surprised when the aromas of fresh West Coast style hops hit my nose. It is filled fresh grapefruit, citrus and pine notes that do an IPA proud. The taste is actually pretty hoppy and bitter when you take a sip which is really enjoyable. The finish is really the difference in this beer, because the hops fade away and it ends with a smooth lager like silkiness. Overall, I would definitely say I was impressed by this beer especially at under $10 a six pack. At 5% ABV, it is a nice session beer that is good for the new style Sam has created.


Personal Rating: 8.5/10
Style Rating: 10/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=087692000495