SPON - 3 Year Blend (2020)
Jester King Brewery
- From:
- Jester King Brewery
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 5.6%
- Score:
- +3 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.22 | pDev: 9.95%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jun 01, 2025
- Added:
- Jan 11, 2021
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
NO SCORE
-
-
SPON Three Year Blend is 100% spontaneously fermented beer inspired by authentic Belgian Gueuze. It's a blend of three different "vintages" of beer -- in this case beer from 2019, 2018, and 2017 coolship seasons. 2020 is our 5th three-year blend following our 2016 to 2019 releases.
To create SPON, we combine unfiltered well water from the Trinity Aquifer and Texas-grown malted barley and raw wheat in a turbid mash. We boil the wort for four hours with aged hops from the attic of our barn. We then chill the wort overnight in our coolship to collect native yeast from the air. The next morning we fill oak barrels and allow the beer to spontaneously ferment without pitching any yeast. After one to three years of maturation, we finally create our three-year blend and naturally condition it through fermentation in bottles and kegs. We follow a very traditional recipe and process, but ultimately create a beer uniquely tied to the terroir of the Texas Hill Country.
To create SPON, we combine unfiltered well water from the Trinity Aquifer and Texas-grown malted barley and raw wheat in a turbid mash. We boil the wort for four hours with aged hops from the attic of our barn. We then chill the wort overnight in our coolship to collect native yeast from the air. The next morning we fill oak barrels and allow the beer to spontaneously ferment without pitching any yeast. After one to three years of maturation, we finally create our three-year blend and naturally condition it through fermentation in bottles and kegs. We follow a very traditional recipe and process, but ultimately create a beer uniquely tied to the terroir of the Texas Hill Country.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho
4.6/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Review: 2416
Name: Spon 2020
Brewery: Jester King
Location: Austin, TX
Style: Wild Ale
ABV: 5.6
Canned: 29 September 2020
Date: 31 May 2025
A favorite brewery of mine, I will try to go back next winter to enjoy barbeque and brews. I am using a Jester King Tulip glass, which seems fitting for this occasion, at 46 degrees. The beer was capped and corked, when I pulled the cork out a lop pop follow by some vapors. The pour created a frothy, creamy one-fingered white head with excellent retention. The somewhat slow dissipation left bits of lacing on the glass. The color is orange with a golden hue, charting at SRM 10, transparent with carbonation bubbles.
Nosing the glass, I smell floral, earthy, crackers, light toasted malts, subtle funkiness, light acidic acid, and stone fruit. It has a simple, straightforward aroma, with the funkiness and tart aromas kept in check.
Sipping the beer, I taste floral, light earthiness, crackers, lightly toasted malts, funky barnyard, apple cider vinegar, lemons, stone fruit, and light wine notes.
The mouthfeel is tart, finishing dry. The body is medium-light and medium carbonation.
Final Thought: Delicious beer to finish out this hot day in Idaho. I enjoyed sipping to the last drop, which was well-made and blended.
Jun 01, 2025Name: Spon 2020
Brewery: Jester King
Location: Austin, TX
Style: Wild Ale
ABV: 5.6
Canned: 29 September 2020
Date: 31 May 2025
A favorite brewery of mine, I will try to go back next winter to enjoy barbeque and brews. I am using a Jester King Tulip glass, which seems fitting for this occasion, at 46 degrees. The beer was capped and corked, when I pulled the cork out a lop pop follow by some vapors. The pour created a frothy, creamy one-fingered white head with excellent retention. The somewhat slow dissipation left bits of lacing on the glass. The color is orange with a golden hue, charting at SRM 10, transparent with carbonation bubbles.
Nosing the glass, I smell floral, earthy, crackers, light toasted malts, subtle funkiness, light acidic acid, and stone fruit. It has a simple, straightforward aroma, with the funkiness and tart aromas kept in check.
Sipping the beer, I taste floral, light earthiness, crackers, lightly toasted malts, funky barnyard, apple cider vinegar, lemons, stone fruit, and light wine notes.
The mouthfeel is tart, finishing dry. The body is medium-light and medium carbonation.
Final Thought: Delicious beer to finish out this hot day in Idaho. I enjoyed sipping to the last drop, which was well-made and blended.
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.13/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.13/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured at just under fridge temp. Pours an opaque orange with a thin layer of white head.
The nose is juicy and funky! Tangerines, lemons, vanilla, old oak cabinets, some barnyard funk, vinous, and a hint of sour candy.
The taste is really interesting. Not very sour. More bitter and funky at this point. I'm honestly a bit surprised. The nose led me to think it would be a sour one. Definitely getting some lemon, leather, funk, citrus peel, grass, yeast, and a nice sweetness that balances out the funk.
Mouthfeel is fairly light and dry. Aftertaste is a mix of sweet fruits and bitter funk. Overall, a really great experience.
Aug 27, 2022The nose is juicy and funky! Tangerines, lemons, vanilla, old oak cabinets, some barnyard funk, vinous, and a hint of sour candy.
The taste is really interesting. Not very sour. More bitter and funky at this point. I'm honestly a bit surprised. The nose led me to think it would be a sour one. Definitely getting some lemon, leather, funk, citrus peel, grass, yeast, and a nice sweetness that balances out the funk.
Mouthfeel is fairly light and dry. Aftertaste is a mix of sweet fruits and bitter funk. Overall, a really great experience.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.36/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Cellared a year. Cloudy orange body, no head beyond initial pour and islands. Solid oak backs stone fruit, funk, apple and a hint of vinous notes make up the nose. Taste add sour and a kiss of acidic citrus. The peach is huge, funk has a gueuze bite to it. Feel is shaped by the barnyard funk and sour undertones, oaky backbone is pleasant. Great new world gueuze
May 02, 2022
Reviewed by metter98 from New York
4.32/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.32/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has hues of amber along with a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that gradually died down, leaving a narrow collar around the edge and some wisps of bubbles on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of hard apple cider are present in the nose along with notes of funk and hints of vinegar.
T: The taste follows the smell but has a bit stronger flavors of funky yeast along with a moderate amount of sourness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very tart on the palate with nearly a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is pleasantly tart and sour without being overly funky. It made for a nice one to sip and savor.
Serving type: bottle
Mar 10, 2021S: Moderate aromas of hard apple cider are present in the nose along with notes of funk and hints of vinegar.
T: The taste follows the smell but has a bit stronger flavors of funky yeast along with a moderate amount of sourness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very tart on the palate with nearly a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is pleasantly tart and sour without being overly funky. It made for a nice one to sip and savor.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed by Thomas_Wikman from Texas
4.77/5 rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.77/5 rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
It is a blend of three 100% spontaneously fermented beers, Spon 2017, Spon 2018 and Spon 2019. If it had been brewed in Pajottenland in would have been a Lambic - Gueuze. However, since it is brewed at Jester King outside Austin, Texas, very far away from Pajottenland, the more appropriate label is Wild Ale. Sorry about being technical. This beer can certainly compete with any Lambic - Gueuze, it is great, and it is a Gueuze in every respect except origin, but I wanted to point that technically it is not. While I am at it, there is no such thing as California Champagne.
Look: dark golden / amber, with a thin white head, a little bit of bubbles
Aroma: A nice sweet, citrus and champagne aroma
Flavor: honey, lemon, maybe green apple, not too tart, champagne, some barnyard funk and grassy bitterness towards the end.
Body/Overall: light to medium, champagne like consistency. I think it is delicious and my wife loved it too.
Mar 06, 2021Look: dark golden / amber, with a thin white head, a little bit of bubbles
Aroma: A nice sweet, citrus and champagne aroma
Flavor: honey, lemon, maybe green apple, not too tart, champagne, some barnyard funk and grassy bitterness towards the end.
Body/Overall: light to medium, champagne like consistency. I think it is delicious and my wife loved it too.
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