A Midwinter Night’s Jacket
Revolution Brewing

 

Looks like typical Revolution barleywine, pouring a deep, dark ruby brown with off white head. Aromas of rich leathery caramel, oaky coconut, and freshly oiled baseball mitt. I can sort of pick up the port sweetness, but it really starts to shine in the flavor.

Initially, the flavor is all oaky, toffee heavy barleywine, with a good kick of whiskey, but then the port barrel emerges with tannic, vinous notes, booze soaked black cherries and a dry as a bone finish. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s been in a crowler for over 3 weeks, but it’s a tad watery, and sort of loses its balls at the end. If this had a tad more carb and a longer finish, it could have been something special. Regardless, a beer I tried very hard to get, and only mildly let me down. Glad I tried it, though.

Tasted in a snifter from draft at Consume on August 27, 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

Had this on draft 11/16/19 @ Revolution's taproom.

A nice take on Straight Jacket, but the base beer and the barrel both seemed a bit muted; this was very balanced but didn't "pop" in a way that improves, or makes an interesting comment on, the original version. Worth a quaff.

 

Yep, it's Straight Jacket in a port barrel. Delightful, nicely port-heavy on the nose, tannins throughout that cut into the normal sweetness of the base variant. Hard to imagine this is 13.5%. Very smooth on the palate but a touch thinner than the usual Jacket.