Barrel-Aged Framinghammer - Bourbon | Jack's Abby Brewing

4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look - Pours a pitch black color with a thin ring of tan head that quickly dissolves, no lacing.
Aroma - Sweet vanilla, burnt toast, licorice, clean alcohol.
Taste - Tangy and dry up front, mild bitterness, brown sugar towards the middle, brown bread and roasted malt towards the end, the finish has a bit of bourbon, alcohol and a lingering charred note. Dry aftertaste.
Feel - Medium-Full bodied, low carbonation, a little slick, faint alcohol warmth, dry.

Overall - Delicious beer.

 485 characters

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.19/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The appearance is a dark brown/black colored body with a finger’s worth of head that quickly dies and leaves a film of lacing sticking to the glass. The smell has chocolate malts, light coffee, dark fruits (plum, raisins and figs - more or less...??). The taste is sweet and bitter at different times through the previously mentioned flavors with added vanilla and bourbon, dry sweet aftertaste and finish. On the palate its about a medium and smooth, wow, how smooth, probably one of the smoothest Baltic Porters I’ve ever had. Alcohol is hidden well. Carbonation is right on the mark. Overall, wow, well balanced Baltic Porter that impressed me with some nice complexities that make it superior in its style.

 714 characters

4.19/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.05/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

**
05/24/17

LOOK: dark black, thin looking. Small off white head.

AROMA: malt, brown sugar. Touch of bourbon later, but very subdued.

TASTE: more whiskey here, brown sugar, some cocoa. Malt. Classic dry baltic porter with some extra flavor.

FEEL: mostly flat, medium thick. Still a whiskey-like astringent bite in the finish.

Pretty tasty.
**

 360 characters

4.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black as night with a thin quickly dissipating lightly tanned head and a slick oily look to it. Smells of bourbon and oak followed by tons of roasted sweet malt and bakers chocolate. Taste is a smooth blend extra toasted bread, roasted coffee and chocolate, and boozy barrel goodness. A slick coating of the mouth and a rich feel comes from this slightly alcoholic feeling concoction. Overall, this is an outstanding BA beer, and I am very much looking forward to the other variations. Thanks Tim! Cheers!

 517 characters

4.26/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.03/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.36/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.05/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.31/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.18/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a three finger tan head that fades slowly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Burnt malt and chocolate nose and flavor is sugary malt but nearly balanced with hop bitterness, nice Baltic porter. $9.95 for a 500ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.

 324 characters

4.16/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

3.88/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2017 Vintage served fresh and at cellar temps

Appearance is a bit thin but thats Framinghammer for ya. The Nose is very roasty and cocoa forward. Very clean and only a whiff of barrel. Char and some astringency meet the tongue first followed by a lot of chocolate, coffee and some vanilla. It tastes like Framinghammer, nothing more really. I get a very very slight oaky astringency but not the classic bourbon barrel caramel, vanilla, marshmallow, coconut and the like. The barrel character that is there is very much like the kind I get from KBS (that could be a compliment depending on who you ask). The alcohol is very understated and well hidden; I could probably drink this whole bottle in 20 minutes and be wasted after. Overall, a very good beer but I'm missing that classic barrel character.

 801 characters

4.09/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

4.52/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2017 release

L -- Same as regular Framinghammer, but with a much smaller and shorter lasting head
S -- Bourbon, smokey malts, a little bit if chocolate. Mostly bourbon, though
T -- Damn this is good. Lots of woody bourbon flavors that are perfectly balanced with the chocolate and coffee goodness of Framinghammer. The brown sugar sweetness gives all the flavors a nice backbone to offset the intense flavors.
F -- Big and potent. Very drinkable and very balanced
O -- It's a little pricey, but I'd buy a bottle a year if I can get it. I imagine that as this beer ages, the bourbon aromas and flavors lessen, allowing for a more nuanced palate. I definitely like it as is, though, and from reading prior reviews it seems like this release was much more barrel-forward, which is good news.

91/100

 798 characters

4.16/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.31/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from 4/2014 and won by me in auction. Assume proper care was kept. Poured into teku glass.

L: 1F minimal head with no lacing and only a thin off-white ring. Beer is a perfect black.

S: Bourbon barrel is up front, but not overwhelmingly so. Cocoa, caramel, vanilla, and finally roasted malts come next. No hint of alcohol. Quite nice.

T: Follows nose to a large extent. Bourbon barrel up front, cocoa, caramel, vanilla next and as is usual the cocoa and vanilla qualities carry through the finish. Roasted and maybe slightly burnt malts on the finish and there is a little bit of bitterness and maybe even a touch of the Four Roses that was in the barrel. Very little hint of alcohol. Quite solid and tasty.

F: Definitely retains the quality of a porter as it is on the light side of medium with some carbonation extant, so you do get a bit of drying. Very solid construction and balance is quite good. No idea what this was like newly bottled, but flavors do seem to have rounded and mellowed nicely.

O: Excellent barrel-aged porter. Since I will be in the area in April, I will check to see if this years vintage is available and see what I can cellar.

 1,166 characters

3.84/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.36/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.23/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25