Magic Hat Roxy Rolles

Allow us to introduce Roxy Rolles, She’s our beautiful new Seasonale. A delicious bottle of bold for the cold. A free-wheeling spin on the classic American Amber is filled with caramelized malts and spicy hops that fire your inner cylinders.

3.4

504 reviews

South Burlington, United States

Community reviews

3.3 Amber color, tan head with nice lacing. Hoppy aroma with maybe a hint of vanilla or caramel underneath. An otherwise bland beer covered with spices. Lemon peel, dash of honey. Almost medium bodied. Well carbonated. Instead of the hops balancing or complimenting the beer, the beer is hops.

4.6 I’d like to think I’m a beer connoisseur at this point, and while I may have high standards I’m definitely not that discriminating of a drinker that I can detect all the intricate details of a beer on taste alone. Magic Hat Roxy Rolles Amber Ale is a good example as this, since it’s an absolutely delicious beer, although I think I may like it for a reason that is untrue. POUR, COLOR AND AROMA Roxy Rolles pours quite smoothly and forms a very thick, off-white, foamy head which dissipates extremely slowly and coats the entire glass in lacing. The body is a beautiful shade of medium red and amber. In fact, it’s actually difficult to distinguish whether this beer is more of a red or orange color. It’s crystal clear and carbonation is definitely noticeable. Special mention should be made to the aroma as it is quite possibly the best-smelling beer I have ever encountered. Roxy Rolles has a strong scent of flowers and fruit even when the glass is held at a distance. I attributed the floral notes to the hops, but the fruitiness alone is something I rarely notice in a beer’s scent. TASTE I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there’s just nothing quite as pleasing as taking the first swig of a beer and knowing it will be a 5-star brew on the first tasting. Roxy Rolles is the kind of beer that only Magic Hat could pull off. The bottle describes it as “a hoppy amber ale” which I initially took to mean a strong Irish Red but this is much more reminiscent of an India Pale Ale. Much like the aroma, the taste here is bursting with hops and a strong fruit component. It wasn’t tart enough to be citrus and not tangy like cranberry, could it possibly be strawberry? Having scoured the internet and read other critic’s reviews I noticed none mentioned strawberry as a taste component but I swear I can detect it here. Grapefruit is a very likely ingredient, as this beer has a strong, delicious, lip-smacking taste that is a joy to drink. This is not a gimmicky beer, either, as its strong hoppy characteristics are quite notable. In fact, the beer has almost a slightly salty taste not unlike an IPA (and could be the only aspect of this beer that requires appreciation to enjoy). FINISH I’ve yet to find a Magic Hat brew that is NOT drinker-friendly. Most of their beers tend to have a juicy quality to them and a soft mouthfeel. This is true of Roxy Rolles and it also finishes very smooth despite its hoppy component. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be an “IPA Lite”. BODY Considering its light, fruity taste and its fairly light body at only 5.1% ABV Roxy Rolles is probably more of a summer than a winter brew and yet it’s Magic Hat’s winter “seasonale.” After three bottles I felt perfectly content and not overwhelmed. I wish more winter beers were this light. FINAL THOUGHTS I’m still amazed at the high quality of Magic Hat’s Roxy Rolles Amber Ale, especially considering it’s intended to be a winter brew. It’s nice to have such a tasty, easy-to-drink, light-on-your system winter beer that anyone can enjoy. NOTE: watch the video versions of this review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGOBvprKi7M (original) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Ejgrv5Lhs (re-review)

2.9 I sampled a 12 oz. bottle. This is a bit of a "one trick pony," "hop bomb." The beer itself is a clear and deep amber with a wonderful, large, rocky light tan head that left fantastic lacing. The aroma is nearly all hops. It’s fairly light-bodied (Pale, Crystal, Caramunich malt bill), with a touch of nutty character behind the copious and lingering hop flavor (40 IBP).

3.3 Drank from the bottle out of a 6 pack. Aroma is earthy and fruity. Taste is of malts, slight citrus and a dry finish. Would like this beer more if the aftertaste had a little more flavor.

3.0 Nice aroma, very crisp. Nice reddish color upon pour but i thought the flavor was very poor. The hop/malt mixture didnt blend well at all for me in this one

3.2 Bottle from ericandersnavy. Pours dark amber with a slight beige head. Aroma of smooth roast caramel. Medium body with foamy carbonation. Flavor is darkly smooth roast caramel, and there’s some earthy/spicey hop that turns this into something other than an average amber. A bit malty for me,but a good drink.

2.9 this is not bad, just not great.. Decent flavo and balance just not alot of depth. Probably will try again.

3.4 Thanks to my Secret Santa for this beer. Pours a muddy dark brownish with small head and good lacing. Great fresh hop nose with some malt and orange peel notes. Flavor is a malty flavor pop of hops. Crisp and clean with a somewhat bitter hop finish....I like it.

3.1 pours a dark orange/brown. pretty hazy too. very malty with some sweetness to it. nice hop bitterness. almost a cross between an amber and an IPA.

3.6 Pours an amber red with a white head. First whiff is of hops, but then you get malt which makes me think it will be a nice balanced beer. This is definitely a hoppier amber ale, with a nice hop flavor (maybe grapefruits) but also enough malt to make it balanced. I know that American Amber/Red Ale is somewhat of a catch-all term, but this is what I want when I drink a beer of this style. This beer is very drinkable and goes down smooth. Great beer.

3.6 This really is a pleasant enough experience, it really fits in to the mood of autumn

2.7 FOGGY AMBER ALE WITH PLEASANT SPICY APRICOT AROMA. BITTER RUSTY FLAVOR AND NOT MUCH ELSE, NOT WHAT I WOULD EXPECT AFTER THE AROMA, NOT BAD AT ALL, BUT A LITTLE TOO CRISP FOR A WINTER ALE IN MY OPINION.

3.5 What an ingestful amber this is! Solid, defined and brilliant all at once. This brew slides in some smooth malts diverged with some lovely mild hops that brings forth ann evening of delight. Enjoy

3.7 Pours amber color with 1/2 inch head, smell of floral hops. Taste is floral hops with slight sweet malt. Good bitterness and fruity yeast flavor. Very good hoppy amber ale.

4.2 Pous a fogy amber color with a white head. smell and taste is of hops. Great overall autumn/winter beer. Warms the spirit.

3.7 Possibly my favorite from Magic Hat. Reminiscent of a light version of Lagunitas Imperial Red. A strong hop aroma with near IPA levels of hopping. Is quite balanced by fruity and caramel malt flavors. A strong yet balanced brew.

4.2 Situation: Hoping for a Phillies win in game six of the WS--and thankful for Teacher’s Convention in NJ... Glassware: Rare Vos shaker... Appearance: Velvet rown body; brown, cobwebbing lace atop a slightly opaque, effervescent body... Aroma: rich, malty sweet aroma; a pleasant hop sensibility intermingles,,, Palate: medium-bodied, creamy mouthfeel that tickles and mellows with an evening balance.... Taste: grapelike pucker adorns a warming malt base--hints of caramel too... Overall: A part of the Halloween sampler, the R.R. balances malts and hops in a rare fest feat--any member of stem ware would have fairly fit this beer... a bit identifinable, a bit more substantial than the norm, which seems to fit Magic Hat’s mantra... thick and resilient.

3.5 This ale poured a dark orange colour with a nice, smooth, tan coloured head. To the nose there are scents of juniper, grass, citrus and a little vanilla. First swig was smooth and a little watery with falvours of slightly roasted malts, hopps and grapefruit citrus. Finish was a nice mellow hopp fflavour with a little maltyness lingering.

2.9 A Mes rate. Bottle at Duff’s. Clean amber with a thin off white head. Fairly hoppy snout with a hint of petrol and rubber. Fairly bitter flavour with a hint of nuts and a fair bit of grass. Rather thin in the mouth. Nothing special.

3.5 Very light aroma with sweet malts and hints of toffee. Sweet and very easy in the mouth with candy yet some slightly green hopping. Apricot and caramel. Lovely long finish with the skunky hops developing more and more late on.

3.2 A pleasant surprise. Very interesting as well. There is a lot I can’t quite put my finger on. Aroma is mellow hops, a little sourness and some ripe fruit? Taste is nicely hoppy with something I cant describe. I tried to name it with every taste and could not come up with anything that worked. The hops are very well balanced in a style that often gets it quite wrong. I’d have another for sure.

3.4 Pours into the glass a clear, dark reddish colour which is slightly muddy with an off white head. Aroma is slightly sour, and rasiny. Maybe a bit prunish. Taste is sour as well. Interesting taste, not a typical amber. Not too biscuity, very smooth and creamy. Kind of sweet apple notes, very fruity. Overall another pleasent brew from Magic Hat.

3.4 THOUGHTS: I avoided this for a long time and now they moved it from a winter to autumn ale. Fairly nice. The balance is a little off to me. I guess it is really more the transition from sweet to bitter that seems of. Nice, but I’ve had way better and worse amber ales. This was really only slightly better than average. The aroma was very nice, but it didn’t translate to the flavor. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, dark, reddish amber with a small, off-white head that mostly diminished and left fair lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy molasses, caramel and nutty malts; light to moderate floral and herbal hops; light sour cherries; and caramel apples. The initial flavor was sweet, acidic, sour and slightly bitter; while the finish was lightly sweet, rather sour and bitter (the sour and bitter blend). There was caramel apple, metallic, herbal and floral hops, cherry, sour malt and sour cherry. The medium body was a little syrupy and then fairly dry with very fizzy carbonation and a dry and rather metallic finish.

3.8 bottle. pours a thick cloudy copper color with a thin tan head. has a hoppy, carmel aroma. has a caramel flavor at first, then turns warm and bitter with a bit of a nutty finish.

3.3 12 oz bottle. Pours a hazy dark mahogany with small, bubbly beige head. The aroma is a little bit tinny at first, then fades to a mellow caramel sweetness with a touch of earthy hops and distant campfire smoke. The flavor is caramel with a bit of toasted malt. Again I get a distant campfire smoke note that’s actually kind of pleasing. It finishes with earthy hops, a bit of tobacco, and an interesting spicy note. Not too bad.

3.3 Bottle with a different label than shown here, 5.1% alc. not 5.8%, has a hazy red-amber-brown pour with a two finger or more high head made of off-white and light tan bubbles, head quickly fades to a thin cover, left some lacing on the glass, aromas of caramel, dark bread, faint chocolate, toasted malt, brown sugar sweetness, faint peach and orange citrus with some spices, lots of hop dryness after the finish, flavors of caramel, toasted malt, faint chocolate, and hop citrus and bitterness, has a good bit of hop dryness at the finish and thereafter, I think this would be better with a bit malt flavor to balance and more mouthfeel, otherwise a pretty nice Amber Ale.

3.3 12 oz. bottle. Pours a clear mahogany color with a decent, frothy light brown head, hints of lacing. Aroma is dark roasted malts, caramel, earthy, resin, and citrus hops. Flavor is roasted malts, coffee, grass, and resin hops. Mouthfeel is oily, fairly carbonated with a dry, bitter finish. Very drinkable, kind of has a bite at the end.

2.9 12 oz bottle. Poured amber in color with a small off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma is faint with caramel malt, and light hops. Tastes of toast, caramel, lightly spicy hops to finish it out. In the seasonal pack. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get a bottle again.

3.1 Hoppy fruit aroma like apricots and tangerines. Cloudy and deep amber like an unfiltered red. Yellow-brown head with some staying power. Acrid hoppy flavour mellowing out with a bittered autumn caramel finish. the hoppiness stays on the tongue a while. great with seasonal fall local foods.

3.3 Bottle, part of the seasonal pack. No cups available, so drank out of the bottle. 4/5 will be the appearance, based on the ratings here. Taste was strange, but in a good way. Had a bit of hops up front, finishing with roasty caramel/bready taste. Yeasty finish. I’d buy a 6-pack of this if it wasn’t part of the seasonal package.