The story behind the news that Magic Hat Brewing, South Burlington, VT. , is buying Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries for $25 to $30 million is that us West Coasties may some day soon see Magic Hat beers out here. They would be brewed at Pyramid’s big brewery in Berkeley.

In interviews last week, both Pyramid’s CEO Scott Barnum and Magic Hatt CEO Martin Kelly said that though nothing has been decided (The deal is expected to close in August), the possibility exists.cTo find out a little bit about Magic Hat beers, I asked a number of people who are familiar with them. Read on:

Hi William.
I cover the Vermont beat for Yankee Brew News. I’ve known about Magic Hat, and their beers and their people since they first came out.
Their marketing has always been superlative. Founder Alan Newman possesses an extraordinary ability to define a market, determine its needs and meet them. They were fortunate to be one of the first breweries to debut an apricot-influenced beer, and #9 did for craft beer what the Mustang did for muscle cars: it caught women’s attention and drew them into the category, benefiting all craft brewers and Magic Hat in particular.

The company is very socially responsive, and besides supporting causes, it throws events that draw their home market of Burlington, Vermont together. Their Mardi Gras parade is family friendly and has got to be one of the top winter events in New England. With something like 34 floats on parade in the middle of Vermont winter, it’s an amazing event with over 20,000 onlookers.

They may have added other yeast strains over the years, but I believe Magic Hat used the Ringwood yeast strain in its early days. Their Lucky Kat IPA is year-round and is a pleasantly assertive, but not extreme, IPA. Magic Hat has enjoyed strong success in seasonal mixed 12-packs, and has used the opportunity to test new products through that package. Magic Hat’s seasonal and special releases have usually been quite good. Their Thumbsucker Imperial Stout was always enjoyable, and two or three vintages of Chaotic Chemistry barleywine still take space in my cellar.
Orlio Organic Beers are a subsidiary of Magic Hat. Like the label artwork, the beers connote simplicity and wholeness.

Full disclosure: Over the course of eleven years of beer journalism, they have bestowed honors on this writer including two amazing and memorable weekends in Burlington, Vermont! That little city rocks! Paul Kowalski

William: Yes, I get their beers regularly. They’ve made some quirky brews, as befits their brand. Some of the best, like Thumbsucker Imperial Stout, Feast of Fools Stout, St. Gootz Dunkelweizen- have unfortunately been dropped (maybe they’ll come back).

I think the #9 Not-so Pale Ale is their flagship now, and Both are just OK, not outstanding, But I like their Orlio Organics. The Common Ale is a very clean, well balanced brew, although low in hops, and the Black Lager is a very good, smooth schwarzbier. A.

Bill –They have a pretty wide range including some small batch stuff which is very good. No. 9 may be their best seller, pale ale with a hint of apricot. They do seem to go after the younger demographic with some of their regular brands.

They did a great series in black 750 bottles — humdinger I believe barleywine, imperial stout and others. Tony Forder, Editor, Ale Street News

Bill, I’d describe Magic Hat’s beers as quirky but not to the extreme extent
of Delaware’s Dogfish Head. Like a liquid version of Vermont’s other
best-known food product, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, it’s a deliberate quirkiness that I think has a lot to do with marketing.. Usually if I’m in a bar with Magic Hat on tap or in bottles, that bar has a wide enough selection that I find myself drinking something else. It’s not that I dislike them, it’s that there’s a bunch of stuff I like better.

The beer I personally like most from their lineup is Circus Boy, a hefeweizen. What happens to it when the company merges with Pyramid would be a good question.

And, if you want an odd bit of trivia for the baseball fans of the Bay Area, one of Magic Hat’s employees is former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee. G.

Hi William. I have mixed feelings about Magic Hat. At least two of the beers I’ve tried have natural flavorings in them (including their big favorite, #9), and I personally have a big problem with that (from a nutritional POV first, as a beer drinker second). I’m sure you’ll hear from someone in New England who can give you a more full review. Mike.

Bill: I haven’t been all that impressed, although I’ve also had limited experience with them. I can tell you that #9 (Not Quite a Pale Ale) sells well in this market, but the rest lag a bit (at least at the retail shop with which I am most familiar). #9 is, in effect, its “Fat Tire,” a popular beer which is what it is, a crossover beer but hardly a mind-blower. Clever imaging and wild tap handles are part of the appeal. XC

Bill: Magic Hat is just in the Atlanta market and No. 9 is doing well. Oddly enough, distributed by the A-B company here. Truth be I’m not a huge fan of the Magic Hat beers myself, but they have a huge following in the Northeast. I would highly recommend Magic Hat’s Fat Angel (a pale ale), and the Circus Boy - I think that one is a wheat. Their Number 9 I could do without (apricot beer). I didn’t realize they had grown big enough to begin acquiring other breweries. The Fat Angel is wonderful on a hot day, really a very drinkable beer.. Just don’t drink it looking for the strong hoppiness that comes with an IPA. Bob .

William, Had many of the Magic Hat beers while on vacation 2 years ago in New Hampshire and found all to be of excellent quality. #9 is a great session beer and some of their seasonal’s are excellent. One thing I did notice though, was that while we traveled the 3 state region, some of their beers I had a pubs did not have the same quality as those near the brewery. I’m not sure if this was because the locals were drinking something else, or that maybe they were using inferior caps. But other than having some minimal carbonated beers and a couple of stickers; their beers were very good. Kevin Smith

Bill,While I can’t speak for all of their selections, I have tried their #9 , which is presumably their flagship beer and a bit of a cult favorite on the East Coast. I found it to be a decent beer that was hard to place stylistically–fruity and crisp, with a sweet finish. If I were guessing I would say it is made with a good portion of wheat. Probably a popular summer beer should they release it out here. Tim Clifford

So what do you think? Have you ever tried Magic Hat beers?  What do you think about the merger. Personally, I think the merger will help Pyramid. It will remove the responsibilities of public ownership; it will give them some freedom to innovate and however good or bad Magic Hat beers are, they’re certainly innovators. That has to help Pyramid shed its too-staid image.  Post a comment here or e-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net.