I can’t say I went to Syracuse for the beautiful weather, but there’s something to be said for a crisp sheet of snow covering the ground. I love the way the Quad looks when it’s covered in white, and the only way to navigate the paths is to follow others’ faint footprints.

I was hoping to experience that same childlike thrill when I cracked open Magic Hat’s Snow Roller. Instead, I faced the same letdown as when cars and people turn crisp, new snow into brown, muddled slush.

Although the beer’s label advertises “hoppy brown ale,” there were no hops to be found in this subpar brew. The most accurate part of the description is the brown color. If brown had a taste, it would be this bland brew.

Moving the beer from the bottle to a glass revealed its reddish-brown color, the red being the most invigorating part of the drink.

I was expecting a crisp, tingly sensation in my mouth when I took my first sip of the drink straight from the Jack Frost-emblazoned bottle. All I could think of when I was drinking the beer, however, was eating snow as a child despite the traces of dirt in it.

I thought a beer brewed in South Burlington, Vermont would be perfectly tailored to skiers coming back from a long day on the slopes, but that was not the case.

One redeeming quality of the beer was its malty undertones. There was a distinct, roasted quality to the beer that added a little pizazz to its aftertaste. Virtually no carbonation graced this lackluster brew, and the mouthful was flavorless and frothy.

Magic Hat has an established repertoire of beer including the famed No. 9 and refreshing Circus Boy, but this stab at a seasonal sensation fell short. I appreciated the optimistic reputation of the brew as a “unique beer to share in the rousing company of kindred spirits,” but unfortunately it didn’t live up to its hype.

Published on December 3, 2014 at 11:56 pm

Contact Hannah: hwredfie@syr.edu