Magic Hat Brewing Company

An in-the-works brewery goes off the grid

The first time brothers Jesse Edwin Evans and Samuel Evans show me the empty, echoing rooms that will house their in-the-works brewery, New Chicago Brewing Company, they keep getting lost. Wandering through an underground concrete labyrinth, Jesse says, "Let's see if this goes through to the other section." It doesn't. "I took a wrong turn," he admits. "Now we're below the—we're above the—OK, we'll just go back. Somehow we just missed the tilapia farm."

The 15,000 square feet of space the Evanses are turning into a brewery is part of the Plant, a former meatpacking facility in Back of the Yards that industrial designer John Edel is refashioning into a vertical farm (it was the subject of a story in the Reader last year ). In addition to the brewery, the 93,500-square-foot building houses 312 Aquaponics (which pairs a tilapia farm with hydroponic growing beds for edible plants including greens and herbs), the Living Well Brewery (which makes kombucha tea), and Green Submarine Pickles. Greenhouses, a living wall, and a shared kitchen are in the works.

The idea is to turn the whole compound into a zero-waste facility. The heat for brewing New Chicago's beer will come from an anaerobic digester, which uses bacteria to convert organic waste—produced in the building and by neighboring food businesses—to biogas (and sludge, which becomes fertilizer). The gas is then cleaned, compressed, and run through a high-pressure turbine (repurposed from a military fighter jet engine) to create electricity and 850-degree steam. The brewery, in turn, will produce spent grains—which can be used to feed the tilapia, grow mushrooms, and feed the digester—and carbon dioxide—which will be piped to the plants in the building to make them grow faster.

"The project is about closing loops," Edel says. For that reason, he's looking carefully at the energy needs and waste outputs of each potential occupant. He wants to demonstrate that even the most energy-intensive businesses can operate at net zero in a sustainable way. That's part of the reason brewing is important to the Plant: "It's an energy-intensive activity, it's a waste-intensive activity, and it's a food activity. There are no toxins; it's pure, clean stuff, and 100 percent of the waste from brewing is useful." Once the digester's up and running, he says, they'll be selling some power back to ComEd—but "they don't let you sell them much, because you get classed as a power plant pretty quickly.

Whosisbrew » #136: Blind Faith – Magic Hat Brewing Company ...

And, why have I gone this long without featuring Magic Hat on Whosisbrew? I’m running out of good answers, as if any existed to begin with. I’ve been late on a lot of breweries thus far (Stone, Samuel Adams, etc.) but this is simply unacceptable. Magic Hat is easily one of the most popular brewers in the Northeast and it’s taken 136 posts to get them on here. I’m blowing it.

Magic Hat Brewing Company opened in the college town of Burlington, VT in 1994 before relocating to South Burlington three years later. The small company developed a considerable reputation in New England and beyond through its clever theme, packaging, and of course the quality of its beer. Magic Hat was acquired by Rochester-based North American Breweries in 2010, which also manages Genesee Brewing Company, Dundee Brewing Company, MacTarnahan’s and Pyramid. Magic Hat’s year-round lineup includes #9, Circus Boy and Single Chair. I believe Lucky Kat, a favorite of mine, was also available year-round at one point. Sadly, this isn’t the case anymore. But luckily, Magic Hat is always keeping things interesting with their seasonal beers, which includes today’s beer of interest, an India pale ale called “Blind Faith.” Magic Hat describes it as “an ale of enlightenment created to aid in deciphering the puzzles along life’s road, and to interpret signs in the voyages of the spirit.” Sweet. Let’s do this.

The beer poured with a large, fluffy off-white head, which receded at a gradual rate and displayed superb retention. The bridge of my nostril was often covered with foam after putting the glass down between sips. The color was a gorgeous blend of crimson red near the head, burnt orange/red in the middle, and gold highlights on the base and sides, with just a touch of haze throughout the body. The aroma consisted of toasty, caramelly malt, with a touch of pine and citrus to give it a fragrant edge.

For me, the key to any solid IPA is a sturdy malt backbone, and this beer scores major points in that category. A delicious bready, biscuity, toasty malt sweetness provides a firm base of flavor to the beer, bringing flavors of caramel along with it. This sweetness is accented well by bright pine and grapefruit flavors, which gives the beer a blend of bitter and floral tastes. The balance between the hop and malt flavors is absolutely spot on, as neither one overwhelms the other. The beer feels very “completed” for lack of a better word, as the body is filled with rich flavors, and the balance is so perfect that each flavor stands out appropriately while falling in line when it needs to. Hops assume control in the finish, as grapefruit and a touch of lemon linger on the throat, as well as a resiny, oily, sticky bitterness to temper the sweetness. The mouthfeel was medium, with a smooth consistency.

Social Media Directory, The Ultimate Guide to Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin Resources

Microbrewed adventures, a lupulin-filled journey to the heart and flavor of the world's great craft beers

The 2009 Internet Directory, Web 2.0 Edition

The Rough Guide to New England

The Good Beer Guide to New England