Anyone Else Love Jacks Abby As Much As Me?

Discussion in 'New England' started by Ilovelampandbeer, Jul 31, 2014.

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  1. Dicers

    Dicers Grand Pooh-Bah (3,412) Sep 2, 2012 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm a big fan of JA they were my favorite go to 6/4pack when I was living in MA they're stuff is just delightful
     
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  2. NAPO

    NAPO Zealot (703) Jan 7, 2014 Massachusetts


    Right...Fermenting in warm temperatures is as hard as fermenting in low temperatures. I do agree with you that their beers are not 100% Lagers, but it's definitely a different style of Lager/Ale that alot of breweries across the country can't execute properly. These guys seems to have it figured out.

    Also, I'm not originally from MA and I have tasted many beers across the country. New England has something special going on with their beers (Especially IPA/DIPA). I have only been to Vermont twice to grab beers. Why? because Vermonters or out of State themselves have been ISO Tree House and Trillium beers, Making my trips to search for beers in Vt alot less.

    Do you actually believe FPPA is not as good or better than Edward? Do you actually believe Julius is not as good or better than Focal Banger or Susan?

    It's your opinion and you definitely don't have to like what the locals like. But, there is a reason why people all over the Country are ISO this beers with little to no hype compared to the super hyped VT beers.
     
  3. Rekrule

    Rekrule Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    Trillium and treehouse are hyped to shit from the locals. Just like most things that's how people else where start thinking they want them. I think treehouse has better IPAs than Julius. I don't think Julius is all that special. Focal beats treehouse every time as does crusher and heady. FFPA is on level with Edward. When you measure consistency across all beers Trillium falls short in consistently putting out amazing beers. When they hit they hit big. When they miss they miss pretty big too.
     
  4. KevTurnersBootburn

    KevTurnersBootburn Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2014 Massachusetts

    They make some of the best and worst beers (Fire in the Ham, yuck) I have ever tasted. I was huge into them when they first started out but kind of got burnt out on the brewery because there is no denying a similarity between alot of their beers. Same could be said about a lot of breweries I guess. That Cherry Barrel Aged Berliner they had out recently was great and I will always pick up the BA Framinghammers in any variety. Lots of their other IPL or whatever big bottles tend to sit on shelves around me so I rarely pick them up anymore.

    I think Trillium is a way more interesting brewery but that is probably just a matter of taste.
     
  5. pbrian

    pbrian Pooh-Bah (2,056) Feb 8, 2001 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society

    BBC Maibock and Oct are hardly traditional representations to their styles, and consistency varies widely from year to year. But I generally agree with the rest of your post. But I do love JA HU when fresh.
     
  6. jujigatame

    jujigatame Initiate (0) Apr 10, 2009 Massachusetts

    I would have to say that Jack’s Abby is my favorite brewery and the reason is that I’m so much more willing to try beers from them in styles that I wouldn’t normally go for. I like to tell myself that I’m open minded to trying a lot of different things but the reality is that a good deal of it falls within a handful of categories and even then it’s not like I give the same consideration to every IPA or saison or coffee porter. But with JA I feel the beer is so well crafted that I’m not uncomfortable going outside my usual confines.

    The Sour Cherry Berliner and Leisure Time lager are the two most recent examples where I ventured out on something new. From other breweries I may see those beers on the shelf, think to myself “sour cherries?” or “lemongrass and chamomile?” and move on to something more familiar. Smoked beers are another style I’m not really in on but Smoke & Dagger and Smoked Marzen both appealed to me. It’s worth noting that I had the chance to sample all of these when visiting the brewery but I’ve tried many things at breweries or tastings and not been swayed enough to take some home because it was still too far outside the bounds of what I usually drink. Jack’s Abby is different. I’ll take the leap with them.

    The lager only component is an interesting talking point but I’m not knowledgeable enough about brewing processes to make technical judgments on any larger significance it may or may not have. I think it is worth something that they are expanding what folks think a lager should be or can be, even within the craft drinking community.
     
  7. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    if you've had a lot of stuff from HF and lawson (and probably alchemist; i don't actually know), it's pretty clear that the quantity and variety of world class from VT blows the MA upstarts out of the water. the best trillium is right up there with HF, but overall it's no contest.

    ...and of course. they're new, what do you expect? unpopular reality check coming:

    the exact same situation is true of VT vs california. yeah, the best stuff from *3 breweries* and a few other awesome breweries is great, in the same "top tier" as top tier west coast stuff. but if you look at the total package, variety, just the sheer amount of quality, california destroys VT.

    if you want to get silly and divide the # of world class into the # of total beers VT probably "wins," but that's wrongheaded for more reasons than just taking itself too seriously; part of why cali wins is that craft has been embedded there for a long time, and flourished a lot more. sure, VT has been up top for a long time too, but it's just not big enough to have produced the thriving scene of california brewing.

    ...so it's laughable to talk about HF in the same breath as some cali brewery? of course not. we just have to keep where the boundary lines are in mind if we're trying to argue about comparisons (as opposed to just say "i like so and so.").
     
  8. audioserf

    audioserf Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2010 Connecticut

    I've had a gang of Jack's Abby beers and they've all been good. I really enjoyed Hopstitution, which I had recently. Glad these guys are moving into CT.
     
  9. BeerMaverick

    BeerMaverick Zealot (694) Dec 14, 2010 Connecticut

    I agree, I think Tree House and Jack's Abby are the top 2 in MA. BA Framminghammer is my favorite porter ever.
     
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  10. Stormfield

    Stormfield Pundit (921) Feb 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    Looking forward to trying BA Maibock and Hopstitution #4. Any word on when these will drop?

    And I gotta get over there and grab a BA Saxonator and the Sour Cherry while they still have them.
     
  11. HuskyHawk

    HuskyHawk Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2014 Massachusetts

    Hopstitution #4 is out now. Tasted and picked one up yesterday.
     
  12. Stormfield

    Stormfield Pundit (921) Feb 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    Nice. So it's different from the Calyptra that they've been pouring all summer? I'm interested to learn what hops are in this batch (?)
     
  13. Stormfield

    Stormfield Pundit (921) Feb 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    The whole "this/that/beer/brewery/state is better/worse than" stuff isn't worth thinking about. And everyone develops their own criteria anyway, so people will always disagree. None of that stuff really matters. Not trying to offend. :slight_smile:

    The whole thing reminds me of the debate people have about the Godfather movies. Some people insist that part I is the best, while others think it's part II. In the end, they are both great films, and both are great in similar and different ways. But please, can we pretend that part III never happened?
     
  14. rknrll

    rknrll Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2009 Massachusetts

    Aussie Rules - topaz, ella and galaxy.
     
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  15. Stormfield

    Stormfield Pundit (921) Feb 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    Shit. I gotta get over there. Bottles? Or growlers only?
     
  16. jbertsch

    jbertsch Pooh-Bah (2,710) Dec 14, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Available on draft/growlers. Not sure if it's in bottles...I don't think it is but I'm not 100% sure.
     
  17. jbertsch

    jbertsch Pooh-Bah (2,710) Dec 14, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Also just noticed Ginger & Juice is suddenly back on at Jack's. Strange - don't think I ever saw it listed in the "upcoming" list.
     
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  18. HuskyHawk

    HuskyHawk Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2014 Massachusetts

    Bottles. Took one home. Ginger and Juice was interesting, very light, but refreshing.
     
  19. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    As usual, spot on post. I would say their Jabby Brau is my favorite. They've really started to dial this one in, as it used to be quite inconsistent. It's almost an American take on a Helles, but not hopped to the high heavens.

    You're right with the traditional beers they do (Sunny Ridge, Pro-Am...etc.). They're brewed well enough, and I respect that, especially considering they don't HAVE to brew anything traditional. Hoponius Union alone I imagine pays the bills (I have no numbers for this), not to mention the wildly popular baltic porters. But for American versions of pilsners, I'll still take a Sunshine Pils over Sunny Ridge, and if I can find them fresh, an import over either of them.

    They brew hoppy beers well like you said, but if I want something hoppy I'm still likely to grab my favorite IPA/double IPA over Hoponius or Mass Rising. Personally, Union Jack is simply a better tasting beer than Hoponius Union when I need my hop fix.
     
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  20. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,848) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    The 500ml bottles are $4.99 in NY, too, so I'm going to be a lot more selective with those. The Maibock was the last traditional one I got, and while it was enjoyable, I could also get a better German version for less.

    I'd gladly spend it on Kiwi Rising, though. I'll also get some Jabby Brau the next time I'm there; I've been meaning to try that one.
     
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