Thursday, December 04, 2008

30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack: Odd Notion '07

(30 lbs. Short of a Six Pack is a recurring feature which reviews a beer from the point of view of a guy who knows nothing about beer except for that he loves it. And it loves him. So go quench your thirst my friends.)

Time. Time is an enemy of many things. Life, clocks, homework. Beer. Time is most definitely against beer. Good beer lasts for awhile, but not forever. Certainly not a year correct? Well lets find out.

My beer this week is another winter specialty... from 2007. Ah yes, the winter of '07. I moved here to Baltimore and celebrated with a mix pack from Magic Hat. In it was this dandy lil beer I somehow never got around to drinking and let slide until tonight, when it shall meet its fate. Meet the Magic Hat "Odd Notion" of winter 2007.

This beer is my kind of beer, 7.5% alc/vol and dark. It is a very light and viscous beer. Almost no head, and that has nothing to do with the time here. Time has treated this beer well. I would have to say I would enjoy it more last year, things would not be floating in it as they are now. Beyond that however, this is a tasty winter classic. Carrying a tart first bite, she finishes with a bit of ginger, maybe caramel. Who the hell knows, I am drinking over a year old beer. Lets turn to Beer Advocate for some expert advice on this retro sud.

Dark and cloudy with a thin head and faintly spicy aroma. It's got a smooth taste that reminded me favorably of good fruitcake --roasted malts and flavors of spice, molasses, toffee and nuts. At 7.5% alcohol, it packs a bit of a punch, but it doesn't taste too strong.

That one comes from brentk56 in North Carolina. Thanks Brent, and thanks BA.

So the moral of the story is drink your beer. Do not let the beer sit there, it is a sin. If you do, someday you will have to face the skunky truth, even if it is still pretty darn tasty.

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