Third up on this month’s batch from Beer of the Month Club is the Wild Goose India Pale Ale from Maryland. We all know that I love a good IPA, but I traditionally prefer the northwest US varieties and shy away from strict English varieties. However, I can appreciate what the English hops have to offer, so let’s seek what we’ve got!
This one pours a very rich golden/amber with just a bit of haziness. The aroma of the Wild Goose is actually very heavy on the malt and caramel and a bit light on the hops. It’s a pleasant and rich aroma, while not what I immediately expect from an IPA. In the mouth, this is about what I expect from the aroma. There is quite a bit of malt and a substantial background of toffee flavoring. However, don’t think that there isn’t any hop here. There is quite a hop kick that hits about the middle of the mouth. These hops are of the traditional English variety - they’re bitter, metallic, and musty, as opposed to the floral hops we find more often stateside. What we end up with is an IPA that has characteristics of a UK IPA, but kicks in an extra dose of sweet malt. This leaves us with an IPA that is exceptionally rich, while not quite as refreshing or crisp as some. Honestly, this borders between a Pale Ale and an Indian Pale Ale, if you ask me. Even on the label, they downplay the “India” verbage, and the “Pale Ale” labelling is the predominant factor. So, perhaps Wild Goose brewed this, realized it wasn’t quite as “Indian” as they’d hoped, and then adjusted the labelling accordingly. Regardless, it’s a good brew once you know what you’re getting.
Holy crap. I was just doing a little research on Oktober fest beers and in the midst, I came across a post - Michael Jackson has died. If you’re not familiar with him, 
Magic Hat
This style suits Magic Hat. The beer arrived appropriately shrouded in mystery, wrapped in black tissue paper. Schwarzbier is a great way to surprise the average beer drinker: an opaque black beer that is low in alcohol and clean and crisp on the palate with little aftertaste. Most drinkers, craft enthusiasts aside, seem determined to interpret every dark beer as a fudge brownie cake. Regardless of the actual flavor the color simply throws most people off the track. Even Guinness, the classic “dark beer” as I often hear it called, is actually a light, low-alcohol beer meant to be gulped, pint after pint. But schwarzbiers one-up the dry Irish stout by using lager yeast and therefore trimming back even further on the already minimal aromas present in a dry stout.
