While en route to a concert in the park, I took the chance to stop into the newly reopened Magnolia.  The changes have lead to some consternation regarding the new look.  The old, Grateful Dead style murals have been painted over with gold leaf, and the look has been tightened and modernized.  Overall, I like the new feel of the place – they have coasters and other details that evoke the history of the place, without overpowering updated style. 

I was joined there by Paul and Alison – two people who confessed when we were getting seated that they “don’t like bitter beers.”  But being adventurous eaters, they tried everything I ordered, and acted as a great sounding board for some of Magnolia’s more creative brews.  

 

  

 

Since I was headed into a big day, I kept it simple with a few beers, and a burger. Paul and Alison split the Cubano.  The burger was good – not great – but serviceable. The review on the Cubano was pretty much the same. We still cleaned out plates. The burger It came with caramelized onions, and good fries.  Seeing as how this is now officially a “Gastropub” I thought it was important to have blue cheese one top to notch up the class factor of the meal ever so slightly.  Looking over the menu for next time, the “Duck Wings” are calling to me.  But for this trip, it was all about the beers. 

 

    

 

Cask Aged Spud Boy’s IPA: The cask aging is a nice touch, and something I was excited to see on the menu.  Served at cask temperatures (read: warmer than you might be expecting) it delivered a smooth malty brew that delivered a great british style ale.  It went down easy, so next I went looking for something a bit more challenging. 

Saison De Lily: Clocking in at 8.2 percent, I was expecting this Imperial Saison to be a mouthful of cloves and banana.  However, upon the first sip, I was very surprised to find it be much smoother and less aggressive than expected.   The saison yeast was present to be sure, but you would never guess how much alcohol was hiding beneath the surface.  Light malt tones showed through, with a nice clove aroma – a real winner. 

X-Belgium Abbey Single: Lastly, I went after their barrel aged sour Single. The aging only added a slight hint of sourness in the finish.  Very mild, but very enjoyable.  I think I’d get this with the duck wings appetizer next time.  It was pased around the table Paul and Alison to test.

 

  

 

They both liked it and were intrigued by the sour finish- although Alison didn’t like it as much as the Saison.  She was really smitten with the clove aroma in that Saison.

All in all, I like the new Magnolia, the beers continue to be top notch, and think it bears further investigation.  Sure I miss the mural, but according the fancy new Magnolia website  it’s preserved underneath the gold leaf if it needs to come back someday.  For the moment, the new look feels more inline with the food, beer and image they are serving. 

Tags: Belgium, burger, Magnolia, Saison

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