#9 is OK. I've never been a huge fan of Magic Hat brews, but they have a couple that I'd go to in a pinch, and #9 is one of them. The other is their Single Chair Ale. That's probably my favorite MH brew. I visited their brewery in Burlington, VT last year for their tour. I was there for work, so a group of us went. The "tour" was that we were pointed up a long ramp which ended on a catwalk above the production area. There I watched the dramatic production of bottles on a conveyor belt being capped, and then placed into cases. Riveting... The post-"tour" was the best part, though. Most breweries will give you 1 sample cup of each beer and then throw you out. These guys had 7 or 8 taps, and two staff behind the counter. We stood there for over an hour, handing cups back and forth, drinking our fill of all their beers. One of the guys in our group finally asked "how long can we stand here drinking your beers?", and the young lady answered back "Well, we close at 7." So, while their tour sucked, and I give their beers a firm "OK" rating, their hospitality was off the charts!

Did the Smuttynose tour in Portsmouth in August with the wife. The tour was actually quite good compared to the MH one. Got a detailed description of the process, toured the equipment for brewing, bottling and kegging. And just like MH the tour ended with UNLIMITED samples of the 5 beers they had on tap. My wife and in laws did our fair share to sample each and every beer.

As someone who grew up in VT, I do like the Magic Hat #9, it is my standard "go-to" when I'm at a bit of a loss or the options are limited -- hey, it was my first beer, my high school beer. A girl doesn't get over that kind of thing easily.