Modern Hell
Jack's Abby Brewing

Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Jack's Abby Brewing
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.17 | pDev: 7.91%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
35
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 09, 2021
Added:
Dec 18, 2017
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  10
Modern Hell is a traditional edelstoff style lager that is part of our Kellerbier Series. Brewed with noble hops and specialty grain, golden in color, unfiltered, and full-bodied, this 5.9% ABV special lager is malt forward and limited in availability
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Slatetank
Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
enjoyed chilled from the can in a willybecker
The color is slightly hazed golden with thick white foam with fine bead and lasting retention, lace sticks
The smell has a malt forward aroma with light yeast ester with bready scent mild hop aroma
The feel is very good with a moderately carbonated texture with mild bitterness and subtle sweetness with mostly dry finish

The taste of malt is fresh with semi-dry taste yet slight hop flavor is mildly herbal with faint peppery taste. The yeast is flavorful yet not overdone in the flavor with a subtle bready quality throughout
This is a great keller style lager because it is drinkable with a slightly higher abv yet drinks like a sub 5% beer, well made with smooth lager character and a nice hop taste for complexity to give a spice-like dry finish, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys unfiltered lager
Jun 09, 2021
Photo of LeRose
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Aged brass color like most of my old trombones. Enormous rocky foamy white head. The head eventually falls to a persistent layer of bubble islands that like sticking to the glass.

Sweet and some yeasty bread hit the nose first followed by light lemon, some slightly funky yeast notes, noble hops.

The taste is slightly sweet followed by a decent bitterness, kinda just right playing off each other. In between there is a sourdough bread taste. Funky bite from the yeast, and bread dough backing that up. Slightly lemony, grassy/herbal.

The feel is pretty soft, yet nicely carbonated, maybe even a tad bit creamy.

This is a light, enjoyable lager that has plenty of flavor, satisfying, and fun. Well made beer.
Mar 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.37 by j37geogaddi from Massachusetts

Feb 23, 2021
Photo of hopsputin
Reviewed by hopsputin from New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
a: clear, dark amber color. pours a 3 finger solid, rocky white head. that fades quickly to about 1/2 finger frothy

s: huge note of sweet grains, lemongrass, and sweet grass. biscuits and sourdough bread. a touch of caramel. more grains and sweet biscuits. it's not too complex, but the malts are intense in the aroma

t: follows the nose pretty close. loads of sweet grains, hay, and grass. lemongrass, and a kiss of herbal bitterness at the back of the tongue. some rich caramel malts, and crunchy country bread that's had honey drizzled over it

m: medium mouthfeel with low-moderate carbonation

o: very nice example of the style. sweet, earthy, with a hint of bitterness. delicious and absolutely worthy of the rank
Feb 06, 2021
Photo of brureview
Reviewed by brureview from Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Golden color with a 4+F head in a. Rooklyn Oktoberfest glass.
Aroma: fruit and malt.
MF: excellent, very malty.
Taste: fruit esters, which become more prominent with warming.
Overall: traditional approach and excellent.
Feb 06, 2021
 
Rated: 4.04 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Jan 22, 2021
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Pours clear, gold in color with 3/4 inch head. Taste is big toasty bread, white sugar, and earthy hops. Medium bodied, low carbonation, slightly sweet. Makes for a really good, clean lager. Super easy to drink. Should have gotten more. One of my favorites in the keller series.
Dec 25, 2020
Photo of officerbill
Reviewed by officerbill from New York

4.17/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
clouded, dark wheat (like looking through frosted glass) with an off-white, tall foamy head that slowly dissolves into a thick film
Bread, hay, some Grape Nuts cereal with a hint of lemon
Buttermilk biscuits with a very, very subdued sulfured molasses nip at the end
Soft and lush, the mild carbonation fills your mouth and and leaves a dry tingle on your tongue.
Excellent! This is a refreshing, satisfying beer. You are not going to want to down one after another, you are going to savor each swallow, regret that your glass is empty, and then smile because you have more Modern Hel waiting for you in the fridge.
Dec 13, 2020
Photo of BubbleBobble
Reviewed by BubbleBobble from New York

4.46/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow, strong 2-3" head that leaves impressive lacing throughout the drink. Nose is grain, dough, straw, slight bit of lemon; malted sugars less pronounced than others in the style. Taste is balanced, but certainly tilting towards the more bitter, bready side - Augustiner Edelstoff is significantly sweeter to me, with more green apple notes as well. That said, the bitterness here is a slight bite, and the malt sweeter builds as it warms up. Mouthfeel is full, slightly slick, but the carbonation cuts through nicely. An extremely enjoyable beer.
Dec 10, 2020
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Medium body with light carbonation.
Aroma is wheat, grain, floral, earthy hop, mild citrus
Taste is a slick,thick,grainy bread that coats the tongue. Has about an equal amount of mild hop bitterness with some malt sweetness. Leaves a slight sugary doughy aftertaste.
Overall I thought it was an excellent beer that I would seek out again
Jul 28, 2020
Photo of HorseheadsHophead
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

4.88/5  rDev +17%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Rich honey sweetness, white bread, undertones of hay, grass, and white pepper; clean and crisp on the finish with a slight lingering stickiness.

Essentially the perfect Helles Lager in my mind. Beautiful.
Feb 19, 2020
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Canned 10/28/19
Pours a light fizzy moderate sized head with medium lower retention, light lacing, little clear fair hazy blond golden color

Nose light doughy malt, straw, wheat like, cereal, light yeast and touch of DMS corn, fair fruity esters, green apple acetaldehyde

Taste brings doughy malt, light creamy soft malt, creamy suspended proteins and yeast, straw, wheat, fair fruity esters and more mild acetaldehyde green apple, and light corn dms or possibly diacetyl, light bitterness

Mouth is med to lighter bod, soft creamy lager and suspended yeast, med carb, touch of slick diacetyl

Overall ok but a bit too much of the young yeast leftovers, a little is ok but I got acetaldehyde, some fruity esters, little DMS or diacetyl, but ok
Dec 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Nov 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4.17 by lic217 from Connecticut

Apr 04, 2019
Photo of Bluecrow
Reviewed by Bluecrow from New York

4.16/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A hazy amber can pour is topped by a thin foam cap. The aroma is of hay and yeast esters, mostly banana. The flavor is bready, somewhat sweet and full. The finish is less dry than I expected. This is a very tasty brew.
Mar 24, 2019
Photo of edward_boumil
Reviewed by edward_boumil from New York

3.72/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This is a pretty good representation of a keller, though not my favorite from these guys. Despite trying to avoid sediement has a really strong yeast presence.
Beer itself is very good overall, strong raw malt, sweet and pretty smooth/easy drinking. The yeast however lends good notes but detracts a bit from the drinkability and adds that sort of doughy flavor notes too much. Not that this is bad by any means but just nitpicking
Mar 06, 2019
Photo of Jacobier10
Reviewed by Jacobier10 from New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can, canned on 11/7/18.

Deep gold to light amber in color with a creamy white head and great clarity. As is the case with all of Jack's Abby's Kellerbiers that I have had, I find it better to leave about an ounce or so in the can when pouring them out, as to not disturb the yeast at the bottom. The result is a clearer pour with less turbidity and - in my opinion - better flavor. But to each their own.

The aromas and flavors are really on point here. Sweet grainy malt and herbal noble hops. Very clean but with a little more heft and a fuller palate than a Helles or German Pils. Medium bodied like a Dortmunder or export bier. Proper carbonation.

The brewery bills this as a "traditional edelstoff style lager" which is kind of an odd description. The only Edelstoff I know of is made by Augustiner, it's not really a standalone style. Whatever you want to call it, this is a really well-made lager. One of my favorites of Jack's Abby's Kellerbier series.
Feb 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.31 by BillBabbitt from Ohio

Feb 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by M4CDO from Massachusetts

Jan 26, 2019
Photo of Jwale73
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island

3.97/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can served in a willibecker. Canned 11/07/18. Pours a dull, hazy orange with a half inch, loose, off-white head that sizzles and pops as it slowly recedes. Nose expresses hints of lemon and grassy/herbal notes. Taste follows with nose; however, there's a nice bready sweetness that comes out. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a pleasant, even carbonation shy of lively. Overall, flavorful and easy drinking. Nice job - would love to sample this fresh form the source.
Jan 15, 2019
Modern Hell from Jack's Abby Brewing
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 35 ratings