The Strange Brew project has become a family affair.

The Tinker has taken it upon himself to show up after work with the oddest 6 pack he can find, with the explanation that he’s just helping me research my blog.

Uh huh. Right, honey.

While I applaud his enthusiasm, not everything he brings home is a winner. Okay, let’s be candid, not everything I bring home is a winner either, but I’ll lay this one on him.

Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale is, well, ordinary. To its credit, it’s not hoppy (and if

Move along, nothing to see here.

you’ve been reading my other Strange Brew blogs, you know I’m not a big hops fan). It’s rather flavorless with a faint smoky backnote, and an annoyingly thick, tongue-coating aftereffect.

Magic Hat bills it as “a sort of dry, crisp, refreshing not quite pale ale”. I don’t think it lives up to its hype. Or its price.

It’s effective as a beer in that it has alcohol. But as a good beer? It’s not quite.