Cousin Maker
Jack's Abby Brewing

 

 

 

 

A somewhat rare style on the American beer scene this hits all the highs if you can find one. Malty, grainy, a nice whiskey aftertaste thanks to the bourbon barrels.

 

 

 

Pours murky, copper in color with minimal head. Taste is big barrel, butterscotch and caramel. Heavy bodied, low carbonation, sweet. Really good and sweet English barleywine. Like Eis Maker a lot better but still really good.

Poured from a 16oz bottle into a Jack’s Abby tulip glass. Purchased at Yankee Spirits Attleboro.

Pours a muddy light brown body with a fizzy off white one finger head that reduces quickly to leave no lacing and little retention.

Aromas are sweet, candy-like, molasses, brown sugar, sugar cookies, bourbon, a little boozy, toffee, smells like a boozy candy shop.

On the tongue it’s sweet but not as sweet as the aroma would suggest. Candied fruit, raisins, molasses, leather, whiskey soaked sugar cookies, a bit boozy but not off putting, finish is lightly roasty. Mouthfeel is medium body with medium carbonation.

This is straight candy! A truly underrated style that Jack’s Abby has mastered.

 

 

Pours a mild fizzy head with no real retention, good glass coating and legs, hazy iced-tea brown color

Nose brings sweet malts, lots of sweet malts with toasted grain and reddish candy malt, caramel, a bit of toffee, candied pome fruit, and some dark fruits with a little candied plum, raisin, etc, nosing deep I finally get some vanilla and toasted oak barrel with light bourbon notes, bit of baking spice

Taste brings more sweet malt, lots of candy flavors again with fair sweetness but not overly cloying or sticky, toasted reddish malts with loads of caramel, biscuity toffee, grainy malt, into more fruity esters, candied pome fruits, dried plum, sugar coated raisin, etc, some mild vanilla in the background, with light bourbon and sweet barrel juice, flash of perfumey alcohol but not fusel, smooth alcohol with a smooth lager-like complexion, fair sticky finish but not cloying, bit more alcohol, candy lingering with more caramel, a little bourbon, toffee, and some mild earthy spicy hops late

Mouth is fuller bod but smooth and soft lager-like, med-lighter fizzy carb, some alcohol warmth but smooth for 13.5%

Overall a solid barleywine-lager, great barleywine like characters, nice lager smoothness and softness to it, nice malt profile, just enough hops without over-doing it, although my only complaint is that the barrel didn't come through as much as I would have liked.

 

 

 

 

 

From the 500 ml bottle. I did not note a date. Sampled on Jan 11, 2020.

The color is a cocoa or chocolate brown with a quick lasting tan head.

The aroma has a pungent roasted malt character with vanilla and alcohol. I do pick up feint fruity hop sensation too.

The body is full.

It is the vanilla that plays up big in this sweet malty taste. And there is booze up front. It has a warming ending. Wow, this is a nice one.

Look: brown soda color with no head. Barleywine aren’t generally lookers,
Oak and fruit aroma.
The MF Is surprisingly silky for the style.
Great taste. Fruit, oak. A little sweetness.
Moderate bitterness. The beer opens up with warming.
Excellent approach to the style- it’s an American Barleywine. Smoother MF than most beers in the style.