well you’re in luck thanks to MAGIC HAT BREWING COMPANY unseen until now, at least by me, this secretive brewery was shrouded in darkness. i knew not of its existence until recently when i tasted their #9 ALE. it was all it should have been with a numerological value of number nine: friendly, happy, substantial, round, sweet, good. but better than my description is the one on the website: “A beer cloaked in secrecy. An ale whose mysterious and unusual palate will swirl across your tongue and ask more questions than it answers.” the peeps at MAGIC HAT BREWING have a way with words!

HOWL is the name of their BLACK WINTER LAGER, which is a bit too strong and bitter for my taste. die hard beer fans of the male persuasion will love it. so named HOWL because in the dead of winter only the howling of wind can be heard. unless you live in colorado, in which case the howls of wolves will drown out that of the wind. this winter is predicted by the farmer’s almanac to be one of the coldest ever in new york. the farmer’s almanac has a 70% rate of accuracy. better stock up on some HOWL now because i have a feeling none of us are going to enjoy running out to get some in the dead of this winter.

what other tricks does MAGIC HAT BREWING have up its sleeve? they have a magical FEAST OF FOOLS VARIETY 12-pack, just in the nick of time for thanksgiving and christmas. it contains the above mentioned selections and also a LUCKY KAT and WINTER ODD NOTION 09. they recco “creative holiday cookery and enlightend seasonal eating” by pairing their brews with culinary beer recipes. find the recipes online at MAGIC HAT.NET and bon appetit.