Baby Hammer
Jack's Abby Brewing

 

 

On-tap 5/15/2016 at Natty Greene’s Tavern in North Attleboro, MA, served in a US tumbler glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains coffee, chocolate, lager yeast, roasted malts, smoke and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of lager yeast and a hearty malt character. Then some mild flavors of coffee, chocolate and licorice come in. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly smoky.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, even considering the lower ABV compared to the regular versions it seems very different from the normal Framinghammer, however it is still a good beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beer poured from the growler with the look of strong coffee - dark brown, almost black with a thin foam reminiscent of crema. Surprising cling to the glass, but a very thin head.

The aroma is malt-forward with a hint of coffee and a bit of chocolate emerging as the beer warmed up. Pleasant enough, not overpowering by any means.

The taste is like a "stout lite" - it has the depth of malt flavor without the stronger notes of the roasted malts. There are no acrid/charred notes to speak of - just a touch. There's a bit of coffee, a mild almost milk chocolate taste, a decided bitter "punch" that quickly falls off.

The beer is light in body, moderately carbonated, and leaves a very slight chalky feeling.

Overall, it is a nice drinking beer with enough flavor to be interesting. The name is misleading as a Jack's Abby fan I was expecting something more in line with the Framinghammer family, but this beer is it's own "thing". If you are looking for flavor reminiscent of a stout that is less intense and more drinkable, Baby Hammer is a decent choice. I enjoyed the flavor and the drinkability of this beer.

 

 

 

The beer offers milk chocolate, medium roast, cocoa, nuttiness, onto coffee bitterness and a bit more roast and char, some lactose sweetness, balanced earthy bitterness on the finish.