Bourbon Barrel-Aged Framinghammer
Jack's Abby Brewing

Pours a darkest brown with a finger of dark tan lather atop. Lather lasts long. Lace languishes lovingly. Beautiful.

Caramel, vanilla, and bourbon notes, lighter oaky fragrance, with even lighter yeasty tart, chocolate, and coffee joining the party in my nose. Not strong, but very seductive aroma.

Thankfully much more full flavored than the aroma suggested. Doubly thankfully all the flavors of the aroma are here in bright, clean, stronger presentation. To put this in scientific terms, this beer is fucking delicious. Some righteous herbal bitter comes to rescue the end of sip from being too sweet, and alcohol spice adds just the right touch to turn this into the most delicious Baltic Porter imaginable. Stupid delicious.

Med. carb., med. bodied, med. viscosity and killer finish. Pretty much just right to frame the flavors excellently.

A homerun from Jack's Abby. Barrel notes add a perfect touch to a base beer that is magnificent in its own right. Highest recommendation.

 

On draught.
A very dark pour with a thin khaki head and no lacing.
Dark roasted caramelized malt infused with bourbon flavors, vanilla, supple charcoal, caramelized dark brown sugar, hints of blackstrap molasses.
Full bodied mouthfeel, pleasant bitterness that can’t compete with the booziness.

A very tasty Baltic Porter!

BK128 02/25/25. Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Very dark brown with a short cap of brown head which surprisingly leaves a couple of stripes of lacing.

S: Strong bourbon nose with vanilla and milk chocolate

T: Flavor is dynamite with a great balance of bourbon sweetness with vanilla and some brown sugar along with the big Baltic porter base with milk and dark chocolate, light roast, and a kiss of alcohol in the aftertaste.

M: Incredible drinkability for a 12% ABV beer. The balance of the flavor is matched by the balance in the feel which is full bodied but high carbonation helps with feel as there are some residual sugars there.

O: BBA Framinghammer is a stellar beer that I will be going back for even if the date is Feb 2025. Delicious and first-class treatment of an excellent base Baltic porter. Easily the best beer I have had since I set off some Christmas BOMBs. And the price is right too like most JA beers. Amazing beer.

From 2023
The pour is strong coffee black with a very short beige head that left no lacing. For a 3 year old beer, not bad.
The taste is chocolate and coffee, figs and a little bourbon. Plenty of flavor.
The feel is thinner than I expected, but for a lager, about right I think.
OA, wish I had drank this much sooner, not sure I got the whole experience.

Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance - The beer pours a black color with a one finger height head of tan colored foam. The head fades over a moderate amount of time, leaving a light level of foamy and bubbly lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is huge of a brown sugar and molasses smell mixed with tons of dark roasted and toasted malts and a rather sizable showing of chocolate. Along with these aromas comes a showing of raisin and prune as well as notes of earthiness and a bit of dankness. with it being a bourbon barrel aged brew, also comes the notes of bourbon and wood, adding a touch of heat to the smell overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a deep and dark roasted and toasted malt flavor mixed with the molasses and brown sugar that were in the nose. Other flavors of coffee and a bit of cocoa are there as well, with the former being a bit stronger then the later. There is a light level of bourbon and wood upfront, with both gaining in intensity as the taste moves forward. At the same time the roastiness gets a touch lighter, while more sweetness of molasses and some prune join in. at the end comes even more wood, combined with some nut and earthiness, in the end, leaving one with a very dark and roasty, moderately sweet and robust taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is quite heavy and slick with a low and fine carbonation level.
Overall – It’s a rather big, not overly sweet (for a 12 % abv. brew), Baltic porter with a nice warming taste and feel. Well done.

 

 

 

Dark brown color. Very thin , beige head. Roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, and some bread in the aroma. Moderately sweet and surprisingly easy to drink.

 

Pours a clear, dark, mahogany brown color, opaque in the glass; one-finger + thick head, dense and creamy, light tan color, long-lasting. Nice blend of scents in the aroma; light cocoa, delicate bourbon tones, light all-around spiciness. The flavors bring cocoa, cardoman, and bourbon to the palate; subtle overall sweetness. Full bodied, soft, velvety, spongy; a beautiful touch of boozy heat and warmth.

This gorgeous beer is balanced and complex, easy to drink even with its high ABV, and very satisfying.

Pouring temperature: 48 °F; bottling info: 2021 (November release, Chai variety)

Canned 11/2/23. Poured at 58°. Creamy light tan head with a few rocks; poor cap retention leaves an island of micro dots and a thin ring; a few spots of lace on swirl, no legs; dark brown with ruby edges. Nose is bourbon and chocolate malt. Taste follows with a little bitterness from the Centennial hops; oaky bourbon/vanilla on backend. Light plus body; silky feel; moderate minus carbonation; some warmth in mouth from 12% abv; dryish barrel finish. Overall, barrel and base flavors are nicely balanced; tasty oaky bourbon linger; drinks thin, but hey, it’s a porter.

2023 vintage from 12oz can

Pours black with dark ruby edges and almost still. A transient tan head dissipates into a ring within a minute. He slight head may be due to a cautious pour into a snifter.

Immediately off the pour there are big sweet, boozy notes: molasses and brown sugar, bourbon and oak, alcohol. As it warms, additional aromas reveal themselves, including baker's chocolate, dark roast coffee, and charred oak. It gives the impression of stickiness before you even take a sip.

And that sip doesn't disappoint. There's a huge hit of flavors that linger and develop throughout. First, I get molasses and brown sugar sweetness with a hint of vanilla, but that is quickly supplanted by a bolder sweet/roast blend of dark chocolate and dark roast coffee. Then the barrel comes to the fore with bourbon and charred oak adding to the mélange. After all this, this finish is bitter with extra dark chocolate and char that lingers through the aftertaste.

Light and fine carb with a medium-full body results in a frothy feel that coats the mouth a bit.

Overall, this is a fantastic BA baltic porter. I don't have a single complaint. One of the highlights is how JA has used barrel aging to elevate and complement the flavors of the base beer to make something that is more than, yet clearly still, a Framinghammer. And part of that heritage is bild, bold flavors while remaining easy to drink. They've hit that mark here.

Pours a dark brown with a 1/2F tan head and moderate lacing.

Smells of roasted malt, coffee and bourbon.

Tastes of roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, bourbon, oak and vanilla with a lightly bitter and very boozy warm finish.

Medium heavy body with light carbonation. Lush, syrupy and smooth mouthfeel.

This a complex, flavorful, boozy monster of a sipper!

 

 

%00 ml bottle poured into a nonic pint glass.

Dark brown and clear with a 2 finger light brown head. Foam recedes to a 1/4" cap in a coupe of minutes. Chocolatey malt nose to open followed with bourbon barrel aromas with a sweet impression. Roast and chocolate malt flavor, as with the nose, followed by bourbon barrel character. Medium-light sweetness is cut by a mildly bitter roasted finish that has hints of woody/earthy hops. Some alcohol flavor. Medium body with moderate carbonation, after a straight-in pour, for a mostly soft feel. Finishes clean with surprisingly little warmth for 12% ABV. Great flavor. Enjoyable sipper. Very good bottle of beer!

Undated bottle; drank 7/27/23 @ Gloria Trillo's.

Black/brown appearance.

HUGE dark tan head; strong, frothy lacing remained.

Dark chocolate, medium roast coffee bean & rich vanilla notes in the nose. Smells great!

Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.

Dark chocolate & rich vanilla flavors up front; medium roast coffee bean & mild charred barrel notes on the finish.

An easy-to-drink BBA Baltic Porter? Yep, they did it. A stunner.