Jack's Brown Ale
Jack Russell Brewing Company

 

 

Pours a light chestnut color with a foamy tan head.
Smells of roasted malt and cocoa.
Taste is roasted sweet malt, bittersweet chocolate and a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Thin body and a light spritzy mouthfeel.
Didn't do a lot for me but was pretty flavorful for a low alcohol beer.

It's kind of refreshing to see a beer from a small brewer that doesn't have loads of information, stories, news releases, histories, profiles, etc all over the bottle. Just a 12 oz long-neck bottle with a Jack Russell Terrier on the label. It pours a deep brown with a hint of red. The head is big, foamy, and tan but fades to leave small bubbles shooting up. The smell is a nice mix of nuts, toased bread, and some toffee. Although the taste is nice, the complexity of the smell doesn't quite seem to carry over intact. It's just a bit on the light side in the taste department. It has a nice mouthfeel for a beer at the low end of the abv scale and goes down like water. This would certainly make a nice session beer.

Part of a mixed 12-pack that I recently bought from the Jack Russell Brewing Co. I ordered it directly from their Website, the service was excellent, both packing & delivery was spot-on.

Jack’s Brown Ale comes in a 12oz tall, thin neck bottle. It has just the one main obverse label, which has a dark red background with an inverted golden horseshoe, atop which the words “Jack’s - Brewed in the British Tradition” whilst a small Union Jack sits on the lower part of the horseshoe – both proudly & prominently displayed. Inside the horseshoe is a picture of a Jack Russell dog, a British favorite. No Freshness Date or Strength listed.

A fantastic looking, lucid, deep brown chestnut body. The light brown head is voluminous in its appearance, formed almost instantly as the beer was poured. A massive rocky surface, with high peaks & deep troughs, it creates some impressive looking lacing.

The aroma is of toasted malts & bitter chocolate, mixed with a very slightly acidic sour hint, but the latter aspect did not come through in the tastes. I am curious where this sourness come from – but it does not really detract from the beer at all.

Smooth flavor profile, which is delayed for a short while. A nutty caramel entrance leads way into toasted malts. Very clean lines in the middle that move towards a lovely lingering bitter-malt ending that has a strong dark chocolate & coffee trait. Some rum & raisin feel on the tongue in the dying seconds. A very smooth tasting beer that really does belie it strength.

Smooth, clean & very refreshing. This beer is wholesome, yet it retains a light body, but considering that this beer is only 4.25% ABV (see W/Site), it is quite impressive.

Sadly the 12 ounce bottle I had, was gone almost as soon as I had opened it. The lovely rich malty & chocolate flavors, the light – but wholesome – body, all mixed with a rich creamy mouthfeel make for a very drinkable offering.

Overall: I know some US drinkers may find it hard to believe that a beer that is only 4.25% ABV, can be so packed full of flavor – but this really is! As such, I would say that this offering from Jack Russell really IS “Brewed in the British Tradition”. All the flavor without the alcohol, which makes this a great beer to have around when you need to keep a level head.

This is the first of 11 beers that I have from Jack Russell, & I have to say that if the rest are of the quality of this offering, I am in for a real treat.

"I say, this really is a ‘Jolly’ Good Brown Ale"