Brewery Maker Lager Wine
Jack's Abby Brewing

 

 

 

Bottle date smudged so all I know is this beer is more than a couple years old.

Pours a muddy but not unattractive brown and sports a tan head that tried valiantly to hold on but ultimately failed. Nothing left once it fell, but rolling the beer in the glass it has a nice cling to the glass.

The smell is dominated by dark fruits followed by caramel sweetness. It is also pretty bready, so heavy malt is expected. The bourbon is pretty faint and there is an even more minute remnant of vanilla. So I am expecting sweetness in the taste. I swear as it warms a bit I am getting a decent hit of cherry pipe tobacco...Middleton that my Dad smoked once in a while way back when.

Oh yeah...this one is sweet. Lots of caramel, dark/sweet fruit medley, all dragging with it a dark bread flavor. There is a bit of bitterness, and the ample alcohol is still...well...ample, and almost harsh versus pleasantly warming.

It is heavy and sticky, yet still not unpleasant. I can't quite decide if it is port, sherry, or brandy-like. This might have been too hot in the alcohol department when it was younger. Even now, it is a sipper...

 

 

Thanks goes out to MastaaaGrillaaa for this brew, from NBS BIF#6

16.9 oz. Bottle
Bottled On: 011216
ABV: 10%

Close to a year on this bottle.

Poured into a goblet a pretty nice brownish color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice one-finger light tan head, which leaves a pretty nice medium size oil slick, and some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some dark fruits (cherries, figs, raisins, plums), vanilla, oak, bourbon. The taste is pretty nice, malty, with some dark fruits (cherries, figs, raisins, plums), vanilla, nice bourbon note, oaky, nice sweetness. Full Body, ABV hidden pretty well, a pretty nice complex brew. Overall, this is a big beer, pretty tasty. Glad to have gotten a chance to try it.

Can't find the bottling date, ah well.

A: Pours a very dark brown with a good sized frothy tan head. So-so head retention and barely any lacing at all.

S: Dark fruits abound, it smells like a good brandy actually. Lots of candy sweetness too, primarily caramel. Dark bready goodness too. Great malty aroma all around.

T: I think it's even sweeter than the aroma. Pure sugar immediately. Huge caramel and dark fruit sweetness. Raisins and figs and cherries. Big dark bread malt and then finally some bitterness, oak and dark chocolate. A grain alcohol sharpness cuts the sweetness in the finish. More pure alcohol in the aftertaste, lingering forever.

M: Heavy, syrupy and harsh.

O: One hell of an interesting lager wine. The initial sweetness and fruitiness and everything is fantastic. That back end is alllllllllll pure alcohol however. It's not even necessarily super harsh, it just tastes like moonshine and nothing else. I'm not even sure if this is a plus or a minus, it's just an interesting contrast.

 

 

 

On tap.

 

L - Glowing copper with a transparent body. One finger of eggshell-colored head

S - bourbon, raisins, figs, tons of malts

T - Bourbon, oak, char, tobacco, toffee, figs, caramel, raisins, red wine, red grapes, dates, cherries

F - Perfect body (like mine), tons of carbonation to move everything along. No alcohol.

O - Stellar combo of a world-class doppelbock and a great barleywine. I give it six swims.

I was not sure of the defined style for this so I apologize if I didn't add it correctly. This was acquired at the brewery by a friend. It's kind of a cross between a lager and barleywine style. Incredibly rich - barrel aged flavors. Seeet. Strong. Brown to amber colored. It was a nice treat to sip.