Bride Maker
Jack's Abby Brewing

Bride MakerBride Maker
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From:
Jack's Abby Brewing
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
13%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.34 | pDev: 8.06%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
298
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 13, 2020
Added:
Oct 01, 2014
Wants:
  50
Gots:
  47
This is our 2nd take on a barrel aged lager wine. This 13% abv beer was brewed last winter and has been aged in bourbon barrels. While Bride Maker is the same style of beer as Baby Maker, the recipe was reworked. The main difference is the use of Special B malt to give it more color and body as well as notes of caramel, toffee and dark fruits. We feel that Bride Maker is a sweeter, more well rounded take on the style.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Johncnh:
Photo of Johncnh
Rated by Johncnh from New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Feb 22, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by Ben1313 from New Hampshire

Apr 13, 2020
Photo of LeRose
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This bottle is dated 2012, so full disclosure that it has been "aged".

Pours a murky mahogany with a few big bubbles on top that fall to a bit of wispy microbubbles. Looks fairly flat, not lively on the carbonation. Like it should be for the style, I reckon.

Smells pretty boozy, but notes of oak, toffee and caramel are quite pronounced. Roasted malts, and I get a note of sweetness like candi sugar. Then the dark fruits take over, sweet Medjool dates specifically.

The taste is huge...a beer this long in the tooth still laying down the goodness? It is sweet without hitting the annoyingly sweet level. Sweet is balanced by oak, roast, and a bit of vanilla. The dark fruit is not as strong in the flavor, and that is a good thing to keep the sweetness down. Very subtle bourbon. Bready notes ride underneath it all. A bit of a peppery phenolic sting on the finish that builds nicely and cleanses the palate a little.

It is on the heavy side, but not the thickest beer I have ever had. Ample sweetness lingers, a little bit of a tongue coater. The alcohol is pleasingly warming and there's some phenolic and oak in the finish that helps keep this big beer from getting obnoxious. Big, flavor bomb, sweet as I would want, yet restrained and subtle.
Jan 07, 2020
 
Rated: 2.64 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 07, 2019
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Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.62/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
I got to say, "lager wine" are two words I normally love hearing that just sound horrible placed next to one another. Let's see how this shakes out.

Pour is nearly flat, very dark reddish brown. The tepidity is fine, considering the style and intense ABV.

Smells boozy, okay, and malty, with big caramel and toffee nodes. None of the sharp chemical nodes you might encounter in a less well-brewed, high-abv lager.

Tastes shockingly smooth. I think age has treated this one well. Sweet biscuits and toffee up front--perhaps the most genuinely toffee-tasting toffee nodes I've ever come across in a beer. While very heavy, this sweetness never becomes unenjoyable. Somewhat sharp fruit comes in near the middle, and finish is pleasantly burny without every becoming too intense.

To be honest, it's rare that age does anything great for a beer. But in this case, I think 4.5 years on is the right time to crack this one open.
May 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.45 by acurtis from New Jersey

Mar 31, 2018
 
Rated: 4.24 by paresis from Massachusetts

Nov 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by fosters9 from New York

Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Aug 10, 2017
 
Rated: 4.47 by BergBeer from Hawaii

Aug 02, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Aisha from Massachusetts

Jul 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.87 by macesq from California

Mar 14, 2017
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This is a nice one on a cold wintery night

Pours a mild fizzy bubbly 1/2 finger head that fades at a fair pace, little lacing but long legs, somehow very clear but a dark mahogany color.

Nose big sweet candy malts, a little toasty biscuity, reddish toasted malts, a little toffee and caramel, candi sugar, a hint of booze with some dark fruity esters, touch date, some soft lagering like notes, and faint bourbon.

Taste brings sweet candy out front again, pretty sweet beer in general, but mixed with a very soft smooth lagering effect s really nice, some booze warmth and fusel notes but fairly smooth, a little bourbon but not much, faint chocolatey note too maybe from the Framinghammer, rich malts, toasted reddish, candy malts, candi sugar, caramel toffee, smooth caramel creams, mild plum and date like fruits, chewy nougat, etc. Finish is sticky sweet but not too sticky, a touch of booze warmth, lingering sweet candy flavors.

Mouth is med to fuller bod but lush creamy rich caramely smooth almost velvety like, decent carb, but some warming tingly booze, not a ton.

Overall a pretty interesting beer, I wonder if fresh it was more boozy but also probably had more bourbon, the Framinghammer notes come through a bit too which is nice.
Dec 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by t2grogan from Arizona

Nov 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.28 by JakerLou from New Hampshire

Oct 30, 2016
 
Rated: 2.98 by Keananmichael5 from California

Jul 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.47 by kmoen from California

Jun 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.19 by polopaul20 from Maryland

Jun 01, 2016
Photo of hopley
Rated by hopley from Massachusetts

4.91/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is about one of the sweetest, tastiest, most balanced barleywine I've ever had.
Apr 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.6 by 7Sport from Massachusetts

Mar 26, 2016
Bride Maker from Jack's Abby Brewing
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 298 ratings