Magic Hat is the brewer from Vermont that has brought us several fine beers, such as the #9 and the Hocus Pocus, or the wonderfully named Heart of Darkness.

The Pistil is a one-of-a-kind beer that goes well in the St. Arnold’s Weedwacker glass that I drank it in. This beer is the most effervescent beer I have ever tried, more like a ginger ale or 7-Up than a beer. Just look at the glass, and you can get a sense of it. The head is not like a normal beer head; more like a tonic water.

Even the taste is distinct: it tastes like grass. Or weeds. Or flower petals. The carbonation hits first and then leaves a lingering fruity bread taste that stays with you. The Pistil is distinct in that it doesn’t actually taste like beer. There is no sour note, no hoppiness, just a flowery sweetness with hints of lemon and mint.

Like a good cocktail, in fact. As far as seasonals go, the Magic Hat Pistil is one of the best. Never had a beer like it. Great for a summer afternoon, or, in Houston, a March one.