Jumping The Shark
Moon Dog Craft Brewery

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From:
Moon Dog Craft Brewery
 
Australia
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
15.4%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.17 | pDev: 11.75%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
19
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 01, 2017
Added:
Oct 04, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by lacqueredmouse:
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A huge beer to have on a sunny afternoon, this is what we did anyway. From a 375 (? I think) ml bottle shared amongst a few of us at the Vic on the Park during Sydney Craft Beer Week.

Pours extremely dark: languid and thick with a huge head of brown that is mostly filled with air, so it collapses after the initial agitation of the pour. Carbonation is fine, working through the thick body. Overall, it's a dangerous-looking beer.

Nose is sharp with dark, spicy and astringent characters right from the start. There's earthiness, and sweetness. I get caramel cinnamon buns, along with a solvent-like sharpness. There's perhaps a hint of the truffles to it, but not much: bigger is the booziness which seems to overwhelm everything.

Taste is little different: huge booziness permeates from front to back, leaving an inky solvent character that tastes to me exactly the way permanent markers smell. Aside from this, there's a hint of banana and a sharp shock of roast to remind you. The booziness perhaps settles a little as it's aerated and warmed, moving to a kinder kirsch character.

For the most part, the feel is burning with that boozy heat: almost feeling acidic in its intensity.

I don't get a lot from the truffles which seems like a bit of a shame, but it's huge and intense, there's no doubting that. I feel that it almost veers into territory where it's also stupid, unbalanced and deranged. And that's probably just what those nutjobs at Moon Dog wanted it to do.
Oct 20, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of philipwalter
Reviewed by philipwalter from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

4.57/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
That packs some heat from the alcohol. The aroma is deep rich fruity, not quite smokey. Taste is immense burst of things that are rich and sumptuous. Divine.
Oct 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.05 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Feb 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by DamienI from Washington

Aug 29, 2015
Photo of pagriley
Reviewed by pagriley from Illinois

3.84/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Deep murky reddish brown with a good 1 finger head that hung around a few minutes. Thick legs that show the syrupy sweetness to come
Depth of malt sweetness with hints of caramel and the saffron is very apparent - a nice rich earthy tone
Sweet up front with rich earthy saffron muskiness all throughout. Not getting a lot of the barrel to be honest, but plenty of caramel malt underlying the spice.
Good mouth feel, thick malts and the right level of carbonation to balance.

A very interesting and unique beer. I happen to quite like the aroma and flavor of saffron, so the earthy spice additions to this beer worked for me. My buddy didn't care for it at all, so it will really depend on personal taste
Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.88 by Refloosh from Australia

Aug 10, 2014
Photo of Jeffo
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

3.72/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Another cool brew from BobbyHeenan. Cheers!

From a 37,5cl bottle into a snifter
Vintage: 2013
A cognac barrel aged truffled imperial stout

APPEARANCE: Black, almost opaque pour produces a two finger, medium looking, foamy, tan head with decent retention. Black body with higher levels of carbonation evident. Quite a lot of carbonation for the style actually. Fades to a good creamy cap. A wisp remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Definite chocolate from the truffles. Cognac, sweet cream, oak, caramel and lightly roasted or burnt malts round out the nose. Black malts for sure. This is quite bold and interesting.

TASTE: Truffles and cognac barrels up front, then a big and boozy finish with more chocolate truffles, oak, sweet cream and caramel, some light roasted flavors, and lots of cognac and alcohol. Quite flavorful and interesting. Truffles are always there, and the cognac, caramel and vanilla sweetness adds to the show. Good flavor and very well balanced. Too bad the feel is so lousy, as that hurts the overall experience.

PALATE: Thinner body and high levels of carbonation. Very light for the style and prickly on the palate, goes down prickly with a harsh scratch at the swallow and finishes mouth-coating. A bit of heat lingers on the palate.

OVERALL: This one had a lot of potential. The nose and flavors were very nice and well put together, but like many in this ultra-high ABV category, the harsh and rather abrasive feel made it less enjoyable than it could have been I would love to try future batches of this in hopes that the feel can be smoothened out. Thanks again Bobby! These Moon Dog guys were lots of fun.
Jul 08, 2014
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

4.17/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Well it's another milestone, review #350, and another special brew - Moon Dog Jumping The Shark. A bit of background as to why I picked this 15.4% ABV Cognac Barrel-Aged Truffled Imperial Stout - for my #250 review I did Mikkeller's Black Buffalo and to be honest (we're good friends now you and I) I quite enjoyed that silly brew with its face-dancing flavour and its tar-like consistency and I wanted to try something else that might wow the socks off my feet, fingers crossed then.

Poured from a 375ml bottle into a Chimay chalice.

A: Presents with a dark, almost oil black, red body and khaki ring of lace around the glass. Looks quite insidious actually, like some sort of Satan Stout homebrew.

S: Heavy roasted chicory, Cognac, prune (cherry and plum as well), vanilla and sweet molasses all mingle rather well. This brew will tap dance all over my face and I am well prepared for that to occur (in fact I'm wearing a square of walnut parquet as a hat for just such an occasion).

T: Ok - this brew certainly doesn't beat around the bush, my tongue feels like it has been body slammed by flavour. Roasted chicory, coffee grinds led to a sweet vanilla/molasses middle, followed by Cognac and dark chocolate and finished dry but with a hint of orange rind bitter. The taste is balanced up to a point then surrenders to the 15.4% ABV and becomes a solid sugar bomb with brandy thrown in.

M: Heavy bodied with sticky, cloying sweetness and an almost flat carbonation.

D: Good but not Black Buffalo great. This one is let down by the overabundance of sugar, as you would expect from a high ABV ale, however Mikkeller managed to finesse their brew into hiding the booze a bit better. If Moon Dog could have balanced the flavours more they would have had a winner on their hands, however as it is - I hate to say "too much of a good thing" but this is exactly that.

Food match: This is purely an after dinner cigars drink, but if you must have food with it get a char-grilled scotch fillet steak or anything char-grilled for that matter.
Jul 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Rwalford74 from Australia

Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by JohnShepherd from Australia

Jun 28, 2014
Photo of heygeebee
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
First cold night of winter...

From Leura. No BB.

A - black n tan. One finger head falls quickly to a rim of lace. Minimal lacing.

S - barrel? Yes, vanilla.... Cognac? Hmmm.. Less so. Add port notes, alcohol vapours(!) and cherry ripe.

T - big and unashamed. However, almost too big as the alcohol warmth kicks in from first sip. Lots of choc and vanilla sweetness. Roasts are present but in the background, and there is little hop bite at all. Smooth, tho, and never becomes overbearing despite ABV.

M - light carbonation, velvety, but heavy weight and the alcohol definitely there, but does not take over.

O - almost too big for its boots really initially, and leaves you wondering how you could finish the bottle. However, all in all, a really welcome experience in the Aus market. Well done!
Jun 06, 2014
Photo of Gasc0igne
Reviewed by Gasc0igne from Australia

3.68/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
375mL Bottle

According to the label: A 'Cognac Barrel-Aged Truffled Imperial Stout' what a mouthful, I wonder what'll pull through flavour-wise?

An aggressive pour yields a large but immediately receding tanned head that settles to a very small layer atop a blackness with cola hues at the very edge. Decent lacing from what remains along with some impressive alcohol legs.

Cognac, the spirit really pushes forward on the nose. Vanilla (lending to the cognac aroma again). Roasted Walnuts. Smoky coffee. A heavy sweetness that lends itself towards a caramel but I can't be sure. Nice forward and rich dark fruits are also present (Prunes. Plums. Cherries). The alcohol interferes a bit too much in the nose, eager to sample with a good amount of age on it as there's some potential here.

Immediate fruity sweetness along with a solid burst of tart dark cherry (generally very port-like front). Followed shortly after with a bit of boring coffee and bitter chocolate; it brings along some acidity that may be related or just...there. Very tannic finish. Don't enjoy the alcohol either in the mouth or as it goes down; there's even a slight burn in the throat.

Medium-full body. I'm leaning towards calling the mouthfeel 'creamy' but the alcohol sort of cuts it straight out, I imagine Moon Dog were hoping the 'Truffled' portion of the beer would add creaminess? I don't see anywhere else it has impacted. Very dry, tannic finish. I'd like to describe the feeling as Red Wine with a bit of a fizz, but that might be way off.

I think there were good intentions initially for this beer to be a big, rich, smooth, and deep brew with spirit/fortified wine qualities. It turned out to be a big mess (at least young). Age this brew but avoid young.

Share with another; finishing this alone was...challenging.
Mar 26, 2014
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.27/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
375ml bottle poured into chalice 9/3/14 from notes

A black liquid with a deep cola edge, noisy finger of foam sizzles out like pop but at over 15% that's about par for the course, lace just slides down the glass, some wide legs look neat, the second pour has a little retention but lace still just slides down to the liquid

S lots of cognac, some charred wood, faint smoke, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate syrup with a hint of fruity chocolate liqueur and just a hint of cinnamon, a little booze but all things considered I'd say its very well concealed

T some espresso and a little licorice, chocolate covered truffles, still heaps of charred cognac barrels, very intense stuff, plums and sugar coated raisins, so rich, you know its a big stout but I'd guess 11% tops

M not as thick as I'd guess, not quite creamy but stops short of foam, a little sticky on the lips but leaves the palate feeling oily, some heat and my lips feel it but my chest and head take the biggest hit

O well crafted monster, smells great and tastes awesome, quite intense with the cognac barrel working well for it

This one sparked a little interest on Moon Dog a brewery I'd never heard of up until now. It's a solid mega stout and although it would benefit from some age she's drinking well young
Mar 17, 2014
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Inky black. This beer just absorbs light with oblivion seeming closer than anything else. Nice creamy, tan head. Great dark colour.

Hello alcohol. Big higher alcohol aromas with some chocolate underneath it. Maybe some cherry? Regrettably boozy.

This is better. Big sweet alcoholic stout. Creamy chocolate. Touches of roast. Good alcohol but it is very strong. Truffle? I'm not so sure.

Full body with moderately-low carbonation. Fine.

A decent beer but they have suffered from going so big that the alcohol kills the beer.
Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by danieelol from Australia

Jan 23, 2014
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Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

3.61/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark brown colour with fantastic reverse cascading head. Settles to decently thick crown. Pleasant looking.

Smells like permanent marker. Big methyl notes, inky and black, but enough softness on the end to make a sip not seem like suicide. I feel the Moon Dog guys would appreciate being labelled as 'just outside the realm of suicide' so I'll leave it at that.

Taste is similar, huge boozey flavour. More complexity, with bourbon vanilla notes and a touch of banana ester and benedictine. But yeah, that big inky flavour as well. Strong boozey notes, touch of raspberry and peach. Mostly big booze character. Interesting, slightly off-putting. I expect nothing less from Moon Dog.

Full, gets hugely boozey on the back, almost mouth tearing. Gets more intense as it goes on.

Odd, more than a bit off-putting but there's enough there to keep you interested at least. One certainly couldn't call this beer boring, or unimpressive.
Dec 29, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by Caramere from Australia

Oct 19, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by Mendicant from Australia

Oct 16, 2013
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Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

4.29/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Thus is the 2013 edition and is a cognac barrel aged truffled imperial stout and $4000 worth of truffles were used in the beer too and pours a pitch black dark as night hue with a beautiful mocha laced two finger head and some tight lacing,the smell has alot going on in a good way It's a nice mix of all three elements with cognac,earthy truffles and a big dark chocolatey stout too it just smells tasty,mouthfeel is full bodied and just moderately carbonated almost perfect feel with tastes of dark chocolate firstly folowed by those earthy truffles,dark fruits and finished with a warm cognac booziness and overall such a unique beer where the truffles actually are a nice noticeable addition and all three elements shine and will age nicely cheers.
Oct 04, 2013
Jumping The Shark from Moon Dog Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 19 ratings