Wacko

Beer Name: Wacko
Brewery: Magic Hat
ABV: 4.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 7/31/11

Wacko is Magic Hat's summer beer, and has the distinction of being my new summer beer of choice. I realize that this is blasphemy coming from the person responsible for 3 consecutive Summer Ale Challenges, but it's true. I think the 800+ Summer Ales I drank in the past 3 years might have been just a few too many.

Wacko is a pinkish beer that is slightly opaque. Yup, that's right. Pinkish. That's due to the beet coloring and beet sugar used in its production. It pours with only a light head that fades practically instantly and doesn't leave much lacing behind. There is a sweet aroma here, possibly from the beet sugar. It smells a little bit like fruit.

There's nothing amazing about this beer, but it's easy to drink and has a low ABV, which is just perfect for a summer brew. No one wants to deal with some jerk who gets wasted at a cookout and knocks the grill over. There is a sweetness to the beer's flavor that tastes a little bit like cherries. This beer is not very carbonated and doesn't have much of an aftertaste. All in all, it's an enjoyable beer that doesn't try to do to much.

Final thought - Is this beer super flavorful? Not really. Does it have an especially memorable taste? Probably not. So what gives it the right to take the summer crown from Sam? I don't really know. What I do know is that I can drink a bunch of these without a problem, and the flavor never gets overwhelming. When I'm laying out in the hammock this summer with a couple of goofy looking pugs, that's all I'm looking for.

-Jon