There is pale ale and then there is not-quite pale ale. The former is well-known here in Kansas City thanks to the Boulevard Brewing Company; the latter has just arrived this month in an amber-colored pint glass from the Magic Hat Brewing Company -- a craft brewer based out of Burlington, Vermont.
Magic Hat #9 is now on tap at the Record Bar, Westport Flea Market, Harry's Country Club Bar, Charlie Hooper's, Grinders, Swagger, Blue Grotto, The Well and Johnny's Tavern in the Power and Light District.
The beer is characterized by Magic Hat as "a perfect light-to-medium bodied creation. It possess a nose of malts, fruit [from amber extract] and vanilla and finishes dry, while its smooth, malty sweetness is accented by an understated hop bite."
In order to learn a bit more about the company's strategy here, Fat City talked to Alan Newman, the Magic Hat Brewing Company's co-founder (and conductor of cosmic symphonies). His answers about the not-quite pale ale are below:
Are you following me? Magic Hat #9 was on tap when I went to school in Providence and has always been where I lived. Now I move from Brooklyn to Kansas City and here you are...
Where are you headed to next? (laughter) How about someplace warm? What do you think of Italy?
A number of the taps are at places that are known for serving great burgers in Kansas City. What are some of the food pairings you recommend with a #9?
Burgers and beer. You're not the first to put the two together. People long before you have said, I'll have a burger with my beer. I love #9. It goes well with Indian food, Thai food and barbecue.
That's one of the main reasons I'm looking forward to coming out to
Kansas City in a few months.
What's it been like to introduce Magic Hat to the Midwestern market?
We
started in Chicago and Detroit, then moved on to Ann Arbor and Madison.
About six to nine months ago, we entered the St. Louis market and I
have been shocked at how well we're doing there. I haven't been to Kansas City yet, but my sense is that it's
becoming a solid craft beer market.
Boulevard has a strong local presence. Do you consider the local breweries to be competition?
We
don't see ourselves as going up against local breweries. I know the
folks at Boulevard well and we believe we're complementary. We'll never
outsell them in Kansas City. Ultimately this is about getting people to
try craft beer and growing the size of the craft category.
What are your potential plans for the Kansas City market going forward?
We're in no rush. We typically introduce #9 on draft -- we like to put our best foot forward -- and then roll out #9 six-packs to stores. If that goes well, we would offer seasonal six-packs and our variety 12-packs in Kansas City. Ultimately, local retailers will help drive the demand, so if there are people out there that really like #9, they should tell their local liquor store to ask for it.
[Images courtesy of Magic Hat]
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