Van Dammit
Jailbreak Brewing Company

Van DammitVan Dammit
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From:
Jailbreak Brewing Company
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
9.1%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 10.82%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
62
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 02, 2020
Added:
Aug 02, 2014
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  17
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mlalford:
Photo of mlalford
Rated by mlalford from Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jan 27, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
April 12th, 2016 - A dark and stolid brew, this appearance contrasts noticeably with the label, filled with comic book art and interrobangs. On the nose are large, identifiable Belgian yeast notes, complemented by hazelnut, soy sauce, and cotton candies. The flavor is milder than the aroma, and better for it too. And here I catch more unique notes of candied apple, and Cherry flavored lollipops, which expresses as very sweet at first, but settles on the tongue with a toothsome elegance.
Sep 02, 2020
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.61/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a pretty, dark amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of dark fruits, bubble gum. Taste is malts, dark fruits, alcohol is present throughout, considerable sweetness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer, but it is on the sweet side.
Jul 10, 2020
Photo of NotAlcoholicJustAHobby
Reviewed by NotAlcoholicJustAHobby from Vermont

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
canned 11/20/18

L- the beer pours a clear dark brown with purple highlighting the edges when the light passes through. The head is a modest half finger of tan bubbles which quickly recede to a thin ring. No lacing is present.
S-The nose is a mix of dark fruit leaning toward sweet grapes/raisins. Behind this is some yeastiness in that musty barnyard fashion.
T-The taste upfront is candi sugar mixed with raisin. Yeastiness from the nose mixes with maybe a touch more alcohol presence than I would like. Both linger into the aftertaste of the sip.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light but prickly.
O- A solid representation of the style, but nothing you need to seek out.
Mar 03, 2019
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours pitch black with a tiny light brown head. Smells of nice grain with slight grape. Tastes of grapes and slight banana, and nice light grain. Beer is medium/full bodied and dangerously easy drinking, very smooth finish and good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Sep 20, 2018
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.36/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Arrives cola brown with tawny highlights; the beige head stacks to one finger but fades rather quickly, leaving multiple strands behind

Smell: Fig, date, bubblegum and candi sugar with spicy yeast tones underlying

Taste: Bubblegum and candi sugar forward with the dried dark fruit elements of date and fig building; spicy, through the middle, with a somewhat boozy finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate to high carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: I have not had a domestic craft brewed BSDA in a while but Jailbreak has nailed it; I am surprised by some of the low scores in prior reviews; either previous batches didn’t hit the nail on the head or some folks don’t know what a BSDA should taste like
Aug 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.33 by IMZep from Maryland

Aug 09, 2017
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Review from BA Mag Issue #119 ( Dec 2016 )

Warming, Treacle, Raisins, Peppery
Not all brewers have a firm grasp on Belgian styles, but clearly Jailbreak did its homework as Van Dammit hits all of the benchmarks to be a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. First and foremost this beer is drinkable; always no matter the strength, Belgians are very drinkable by nature. Dark and inviting, Van Dammit oozes with brown sugar, plums, raisins, boozy warmth, and mild phenols. It’s a real treat to sip away at this one—an ale that wants to transport you to Belgium. [Jason]

Look 3.75 | Smell 4.00 | Taste 3.75 | Feel 4.25 | Overall 4.00
Jun 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.88 by 6thstreetbrewpub from District of Columbia

Mar 25, 2017
Photo of Josholson666
Reviewed by Josholson666 from Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Decent strong ale, but incredibly sweet. Look is very nice, thick fluffy off-white head, dark amber color. Nose is sweet sugar, bubblegum, cotton candy. Taste is super duper sweet, straight cotton candy. Mouthfeel is nice, but the taste is off putting for me.
Feb 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.33 by Hopfenpeter from Maryland

Oct 09, 2016
Photo of BigC88
Reviewed by BigC88 from District of Columbia

2.67/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
From a can bought in DC. Poured into a Piraat tulip glass.

A: Dark brown, two finger head that subsided quickly to a collar around the rim of the glass. Little to no lacing.

S: Boozy, burnt sugar, cotton candy, some bubblegum.

T: Bubblegum, cloying, sweet. Finishes with a burnt flavor.

M: Medium to full-bodied mouthfeel. Syrupy, with a warm, alcohol feel. Could use slightly more carbonation, but an otherwise decent mouthfeel for the style.

O: A poor representation of the style. Off estery flavors - the bubblegum comes through strong. Lacks dark stone fruit flavors. The sugar flavor is there, but it's more of a cloying sweet rather than molasses/brown sugar. Did not enjoy this.
Sep 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.47 by kevintaraross from Maryland

Sep 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by terpdog from Maryland

Jun 03, 2016
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is hazy very dark reddish amber in color (close to being black when viewed from afar). It poured with a quarter finger high dense tan head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface, a narrow collar around the edge, and lots of thick lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate to strong aromas of candi sugar are present in the nose along with hints of dark fruits.
T: The taste follows the smell and is rather sweet with lots of flavors of candi sugar along with notes of dark fruits—cherries seem to stand out in particular.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer definitely tastes like it is strong given all of the candi sugars but it does a remarkable job at hiding any traces of alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: can
Jun 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by smithj4 from New York

May 30, 2016
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours an opaque though very lightly hazy deep mahogany in color with light to moderate amounts of active visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and some moderate crimson red and amber highlights. The beer has a two finger tall foamy light tan head that quickly reduces to a medium to large sized patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of dark fruits (plum, fig, date, and prune) over the top of moderate aromas of molasses + dark candi sugar and dark malts.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of dark and bready malts with a moderate amount of molasses + dark candi sugar sweetness. That is followed by strong flavors of dark fruits (plum, fig, date, and prune) with light flavors of bubblegum + banana. Light amounts of bitterness in the finish which fades away quickly leaving a light to moderate amount of cloying sweetness. Hints of booziness.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light hints of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: A pretty decent BSDA that comes in a can - nice complexity of flavors and aromas though a touch more boozy than I prefer them. Definitely interesting packaging and worth grabbing to give a try.
May 26, 2016
Photo of JamieDuncan
Reviewed by JamieDuncan from Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
One of my favorite styles, but in a can, I was skeptical. Good looking beer with excellent aroma, strong dark fruit. Excellent taste also, dark fruit, nice and sweet. Medium mouthfeel, a little cloying with just a touch of lingering bitterness. Overall this is a damn good dark Belgian at a very nice cost. Not world class but outstanding beer, excellent value and opportunity to try out a great style. Kudos to Jailbreak.
May 13, 2016
Photo of bubseymour
Reviewed by bubseymour from Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Can given to me as a gift from my eager young beer apprentice whom is now much more guru status than I these days. Nice looking dark brown beer in the glass. Smell is very sweet, caramel, dark fruit and malt. Tasty is pretty solid. Nice sweetness, caramel as described in the aroma. Heavy but not boozy at all. Mouthfeel is a little thin a fizzy. Not the best for the style. Overall this is a solid attempt at a Belgian strong beer.
May 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by Chackman151 from Arizona

May 08, 2016
Van Dammit from Jailbreak Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 62 ratings