Hackney Hare, Magic Spells
Added: Thursday, June 1st 2017
| Style | Pale Ale | ABV 4.2% |
Magic Spells Hackney Hare (4.2%)
Magic Spells is yet one more craft brewery enlivening the drinking scene in East London. It’s based in Leytonstone, just a short hop from Hackney where I’m sure there are many hares to be spotted in Victoria Park.
It’s astonishing the way in which new breweries have sprung up to plug the gap left by such once-famous names as Charrington, Manns, Taylor Walker and Truman. Now there are more craft producers than you can wave a mashing fork at. I have a theory that part of the revival of beer-making in Cockneyland was driven by the anger created when Heineken was given the sole pouring rights at the Stratford stadium during the London Olympics.
Magic Spells is producing a range of bottled beers and I tasted both their IPA and Pale Ale and preferred the latter by a short hair (or hare).
It’s brewed with pale and cara malts and generously hopped with Cascade, Columbus and Motueka hop varieties. The bottle-conditioned beer has a hazy, deep bronze colour and has a rich spicy aroma with a fresh pine and rye bread note. Bitter hops dominate the palate but there’s a good balance of cardamom, pepper, bitter orange and ripe grain. The finish is dry and bitter, with pungent hops, mouth-puckering tart fruit, chewy grain and continuing spice notes.
It costs £2.49 for a 330ml bottle or £2.99 for 500ml.
www.magicspellsbrewery.co.uk
