Barrel-Aged Framinghammer - Cocoa-Nut
Jack's Abby Brewing

Bought this is a lot of old money beers off old money trading on Facebook. I had no clue it was actually the #1 ranked Baltic porter. I was somewhat letdown with the other framing hammers I've tried and I also dislike coconut in beers so I expect to be an outlier on my rating.

Crack of the cap let out about a 2/10 intensity hiss. Sounds mostly flat. *looks for bottle date*. *finds no bottle date*.

L - mostly flat dark chocolate colored. Sitting astill or with a slight disturbance the liquid looks abnormally viscous for a porter . However once given a swirl the translucency through the darkness shows its lighter colors and awares you that it is indeed a porter and not a stout.

Smell definitely has age. It honestly reminds me of pre-2015 bcbs. The good stuff that is. But less potent. Bcbs hits you with a smack but this is MUCH less robust. But the aromas themselves are so 2014 bcbs its uncanny. Tobacco, marichino cherries less the cloying sweetness, mustiness.

Taste. Actually massively more excited to try this than I initially was when I cracked it 10 minutes ago. Hopefully I've canceled out my prior preconceptions of it given the containing coconut.

Its smokey, ashy, just the right amount of sweetness coinciding either just the right amount of bitterness. Normally with big barrel aged beers I get less of a congruent and fluent profile - that is, I may taste big sweetness up front followed by offsetting bitterness on the finish. This animal is quite put together though. From start to finish it tastes so even keel its impressive. Perhaps on the finish there is an actual bite of hops not there prior (which is crazy because I never taste hops in barrel aged stouts young or old). But through and through its unwavering.

Flavors are not heavy on the sweet/dark fruit like the bcbs I was expecting. I get no coconut. Smoke, ash, and char predominate - which is as a smoked beer lover is probably why I'm finding this so good. Oak and vanilla. Loads and loads of heat for a 10% beer. Its very, very, very well done bourbon barrel aging. Its nuanced and extremely complex.

Feel is a letdown. Likely the age. Mostly flat, not dense and [not to its credit or discredit] almost oily on the tongue.

Overall I would have LOVED to try this fresh and have ZERO regrets about getting to try this at its estimated 10y ears old of age.

 

 

 

Barrel Aged Framinghammer – Cocoa Nut from Jack’s Abby. Purchased 10/20/20 for $10.59 (Including tax) for 16.9 oz bottle ($ 0.627/oz) from Shangy’s in Emmaus, PA. Reviewed 12/10/20.
Undated. Below the left edge of the label etched into the glass in near-microscopic characters “80114E2122229”. On room temperature shelf at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Served at 53.2 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 58.6 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Large (Maximum four cm, aggressive center pour), fawn, high density, average retention, diminishing to a three to five mm jagged crown and a thin partial cap. Second pour produces a tight 1.1 cm head.
Lacing – Fair. Narrow bands of extremely tiny bubbles, connected by thin columns.
Aroma –4 – Strong cocoa, no malt no hops, no yeast. Lasts.
Flavor – 3 – Begins slightly sweet with weak chocolate and no roasted malt, no hops, no yeast. No bourbon or barrel flavor. No alcohol (10 % ABV, according to BA, NOT marked on container) taste or aroma, although a harsh oral and gastric burn does occur. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Thin, watery, lively carbonation bordering on fizzy.
Final impression and summation: 3, after deducting 0.25 points for no date and 0.25 point for no ABV – I shouldn’t need a secret coder ring to see how old and what ABV my drink is. Looks good, smells good. Could be made with vodka and powered chocolate. Seems a bit thin for a Baltic Porter. Overall, extremely disappointing, and VERY overpriced.

 

A - Dark brown pour with caramel colored lacing that clings to the glass, nice legs to.

S - Roasted cocoa, chocolate malt, light bourbon, cherry, and delicate char.

T - Bourbon, oak, cherry, vanilla, roasted cocoa, light char and finishes balanced with a lingering roasted chocolate char and bourbon oak on the back side.

M - Thick, viscous, and silky. Warming in the back of the throat is minimal for a 10% barrel aged beer.

O - This is a pretty fantastic beer. Recommended. Dark brown pour with caramel colored lacing that clings to the glass, nice legs to.

 

Pours opaque, dark brown in color with 1/4 inch head. Taste is cocoa, fudge, and light coconut. Heavy bodied, sweet, slightly roasty with moderate carbonation. Solid--good for the style--but middle of the road of the Framinghammer variants that I have had. I want the coconut to pop more like other variants.

Went down memory lane today uploading my notes for previous framinghammers had, now having this bottle feels right. Best baltic porter series out there? Coconut, chocolate, vanilla, and wood all accent the bourbon, licorice and a kiss of coffee. Taste mirrors this only the coconut steps it up, who knew licorice and coconut go great together, with earth, leather, and the chocolate is fudgy. Feel is the best of the series: warm booze, smooth malts, adjuncts percolate, and wood even shapes a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L -- Same as the other BBA Framinghammers, very deep brown body with two fingers of light tan head produced with moderate pour. Some retention and lacing
S -- Coconut, dark chocolate, dark roasty malts, ash, bourbon, oak, vanilla
T -- Mostly reminiscent of the regular BBA Framinghammer, with a slight milk chocolate/marshmallow kick. The coconut character is fairly light compared to what I've gotten to used to with Trillium's coconut-forward offerings but it is noticeable
F -- Medium+ mouthfeel, medium carb. Full bodied and drinkable

88/100