variety packs are the best packs

As I wrote before the big day, Thanksgiving at my house involves a lot of traditions. Some of them are fairly new, such as the morning breakfast of mimosas and cinnamon rolls, while some traditions are well-established, such as the boys cleaning out the gutters and doing various yard work after breakfast. I should probably point out for the sake of posterity that now this tradition is now such a time-honored boys-only tradition that I should probably never ever be involved. And my family being my family, one of the long-standing traditions is drinking.

On one night of the long weekend, my brothers and I tackled a variety pack of Magic Hat beers. Here is a previous post where George and I reviewed a variety pack of beers, but here's how this post will be totally different:
1. My brother William is involved
2. We had all new beers to try. Beers from VERMONT.

For the record, we were sampling Magic Hat's Feast of Fools. Here are our comments, in order of tasting. I will present Magic Hat's description, something that we didn't have at the time, and then our comments, as scribbled down by me. And then, because I frequently suffer from logorrhea, I will present any further thoughts that came to me while I was typing up this entry.

#9 Not Quite Pale Ale
What Magic Hat says: A beer cloaked in secrecy. An ale whose mysterious and unusual palate will swirl across your tongue and ask more questions than it answers. A sort of dry, crisp, refreshing, not-quite pale ale. #9 is really impossible to describe because there's never been anything else quite like it. Our secret ingredient introduces a most unusual aroma which is balanced with residual sweetness.

What George says: Oh, oh, it's magic.

What Molly says: Sweet like candy.

What William says: Not as good as the prequel, #8, but good enough that I'm looking forward to #10.

What Molly thought while blogging: Hmm. Magic Hat thought this beer was impossible to describe, but clearly the three of us were able to PROVE THEM WRONG.

Odd Notion Winter
What Magic Hat says: Braggot is an ancient drink from the depths of tradition and is the perfect holiday treat. A mix of mead and ale, Braggot is filled with the calming flavors of chamomile and honey and soars like a reindeer between clouds of sweet male and bitter hops.

What George says: Little odd and a little nod (this was accompanied by an actual "nod")

What Molly says: I was intrigued that I was invited to rate this beer at oddnotion.magichat.net. But what would I say? I don't know how I feel about this beer.

What William says: The Odd Notion is not my favorite winter potion.

What Molly thought while blogging: At first I typed Odd NATION, instead of NOTION, and I got nervous that William's comment would look weird. But as it turned out, I was wrong. What a relief.

Roxy Rolles
What Magic Hat says: Our wintry amber ramble of sweet carmelized malt and spicy hops is for those that make their own roads.

What George says: No comment. I wouldn't want a pint of it, but it's good for a sampler pack.

What Molly says: The label scared me, with the motorcycle rider wearing an ominous-looking outfit of a hood and goggles. But this beer was perhaps the most tasty I've had so far.

What William says: Hoppy. (reads label) Oh, hoppy. They don't lie to you. Roxy Rolles makes me want to roll to the local convenience store and buy something better.

What Molly thought while blogging: My notes say that Mom also thought this was gross. But would they have thought it was so gross if they'd read the description about making your own road? Who knows. But it's always good when a beer reinforces how you live your life. Not living in Colorado or being a male, this is really the first time that this has happened to me, and I have to say it's pretty sweet.

Circus Boy Hefeweizen
What Magic Hat says: Unfiltered and unfettered, Circus Boy is a unique and refreshing American-style Hefeweizen. Is he a who? Or a what? Or perhaps some of both?

What George says: This beer must have been named after William. They could add coffee to this and call it Buzzbeer.

What Molly says: It's kind of bland for being a beer named after a circus boy.

What William says: I didn't write down what William said! I don't even remember if he said anything! By that time I'd had four beers among other things!

What Molly thought while blogging: I wonder if William said anything. Also I wish I'd written down what my dad said. It was something about being the son of a ringmaster and a trapeze artist or something. It was really funny to me at the time, after 4 beers.