Wookey Jack
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

I've never had this style so I was a little apprehensive when I poured the jet black liquid out of the bomber into a pint, pub glass. Oh well, it was only $7.50 at TW.; dated 5/17/2014.

Appearance: black as night with a khaki, bulbous head. Nice lacing.

Smell: I honestly can't say. One whiff brings sweet; the next, piney citrus. I get everything from chocolate and brown sugar, to tropical fruit and bitterness.

Taste: Wow! Do I have to type more than that? This is going to sound antithetical, but as complicated as this beer is, it's one of the smoothest I've had in a long time. Bitter, pine, citrus, sweet; everything marries perfectly. How did they do that?

Mouthfeel: not heavy at all--even though it looks like 5W30.

Overall: Fantastic! This beer not only tasted excellent, but it made me think I could pilot the Millennium Falcon. Wookies unite!

at last i can have an IPA and a dark ale at the same time. the taste is fairly bitter and rich at once. the look is like a stout and the feel is like a hazy IPA. this is a very happy marriage of two different beer styles.

On tap at the Blue Dog in Lansdale, PA into a 10oz snifter.

Pours opaque black with a half finger of tan head. Meh retention and lacing.

Dark chocolate, coffee, roast and rye aromas.

Bitter coffee and spicy rye taste. Dark fruits on warming.

Medium to full bodied with medium carbonation. Bitter/spicy aftertaste.

This is great. Well-executed and tasty.

Black with a creamy tan head. Lots of orange peel and pine in the smell and taste. Peppery rye and pine bitterness in the finish’s. Soft feel and carbonations. Delicious.

Look: Jet black with a vigorous brown head that breaches and slowly settles to a pillow, coating the glass with lacing as it does

Aroma: Bakers cocoa, rye, pine and fir needles, freshly baked bread, white grapefruit, navel orange, and toasted bread

Taste: Opens up with a hit of grapefruit that is quickly followed by resinous pine and fir. Spicy rye comes next and holds, while more orange and grapefruit-led citrus develops. Closes with more rye and a healthy bite

Mouthfeel: Full, clean, medium-high carbonation, and dry on the finish

Overall: This is some delicious stuff. One of not only the O.G. Black IPAs but a standard-setter at that, plus one I haven’t had in a few years since it became a sporadic release. Still super tasty and well-made and the rye addition really works well and sets it apart from others in the style. Highly recommended

I treat this as a seasonal offering from Firestone Walker, as I almost never see it for sale in my neck of the woods.

Poured from a fresh 12oz can into a FW pint glass, the color is the deepest, darkest reddish brown that you can almost not see through. The aroma is hoppy and malty. There is a smaller 1/2 finger head which dissipates quickly, followed by some impressive active lacing which will keep you company for the duration of the drink.

> The front end is Rye, Hops, SPICES, Goodness, Bitterness, Roastedness and surprisingly, Smoothness! This is a Med/Heavy mouth feel with a whole lot of complex flavors going on (to me). I don't know what hops are being used, but I taste fruit sweetness? There is a very bitter back end which sticks around for a while, so it is a sipper that packs some ABV to boot.

There is so much going on here. You really should drink this warm. The one I'm having now is warm and I am getting all kinds of spices (like peppers?) that I didn't catch from the first couple of cans I sampled.

This is a real winner.

FW is capable of some unbelievable beers, you just need to be able to find them (or visit their brewery in El Paso de Robles, CA). I just wish that it was something that they made a bit more of so that it would stick around longer on the shelves for me too. Too bad because I only have two left...

Pours jet black with nice thick off white foam. Aromas of toasted malt with hops in the background. Taste is very unique. Roasty and malty with nice hop presence. Has IPA and stout characteristics. Feels sharp yet smooth. A really good beer I would buy again.

A very dark look with a modest IPA aroma and taste. Much less flavor than figured although quite a deep color like a Guinness but far from the same smoothness Enjoyable brew.

 

For whatever reason, for years and years this has been one of my favorite beers. I used to get growlers of it along with the original recipe Union Jack and take it to friends in San Diego. Both very different than the San Diego IPA. Wookey is like a thin bodied Rasputin... can't really explain it any other way. Great to sip, great to chug the first one after a run, and delicious on tap. Great original toasty dark ale with a thinner body and high alcohol content.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a New Belgium Globe glass

The beer is a nearly black, with mahogany highlights, and about 2 fingers of khaki head. Good head retention with a decent amount of lacing

The aroma is Rye and orange peel. There are also some roasted malts, chocolate & caramel notes. The hop aroma is citrusy and piney.

The taste follows the aroma with Rye and a nice citrusy hop presence. The chocolate and caramel are less prevalent than in the aroma. Citrusy hops pop against the spiciness of the Rye. Medium bodied and moderately carbonated

Overall this is a great example of the style

Rye spice, nice depth, and creamy delicate feel lead the way. Roasted malt character gets pushed aside fairly quickly as rye punches through giving this a complex expression. Citrus, piney, and herbal hop waves rest atop the proceedings making this a complete and righteous Black IPA which borders on legendary status.

Wookey Jack has a very thick, beige head, a nearly-black appearance, and heavy lacing. The aroma is of pineapple and brown bread crust. The flavor is of pumpernickel bread and strong bitterness. There is low sweetness. Wookey Jack has a high-medium body and a dry finish.

RJT

Appearance: Dark brown, huge head.

Smell: Rye spiciness mixed with citrus hops.

Taste: Starts right away with rye and moves quickly to fill out the palate with moderate citrus bitterness. Very nice mix of flavors, the rye gives a solid base and the hops are there but keep the rye featured. Medium bodied, finishes with the rye and mild bitterness.

Overall: This is a really good rye IPA, not super hoppy but so tasty. Really lets the rye take the lead. I might have to get another 6 pack of this as the weather gets colder.

 

 

Black with a big khaki head, superb retention, rings of lace
A bit of pine, then a bunch of mango and citrus, a touch of roasted malt aroma
Sweet citrus and mango, a little pine, a bit of spice, light caramel, pumpernickel flavors
Medium bodied, clean, appropriately carbonation
Another beer I could've sworn I'd reviewed years ago. So good.