Jagged Shard
Boise Brewing

 

Tasted on tap at the brewery taproom. This was an attractive beer that looked like an Irish Red with a deeper than usual color. It has strong citrus hops flavors and moderate aromas, with some bready malt to balance it. I tend to prefer strong, full-flavor beers, but in this case, I found I slightly preferred Boise's standard Irish Red (Fair Dig) over this monster version.

been wanting to try this one for awhile now so i was pumped it was on on tap during my recent visit. this seems like it had to be a little bit ahead of its time when it came out, a big beefy red is pretty old school yeah, but this one is more hoppy than most, and i was surprised by its overall boldness, an awesome recipe. brick red in color, frothy tan headed, looks creamy, a bit dense, and autumnal, surprising choice for high summer, but im not complaining. big warming kilned malt richness to this right away in both aroma and flavor, sudsy feeling and fuller too, but not as heavy as anticipated, the alcohol is well hidden and its not got all that much residual sugar for the style, i think the hops help balance that out some. the grain hits on toasted almond, honey, toffee, and even cedar notes to me, with a little brown sugar to it, a baked heartiness, and some roasted depth too. the hops are mostly bitter but pack a little pine character in, makes me think late fall both in terms of flavors and textures. its nice and smooth, lingers only a little while after each sip, and is tidy on the ferment. the quality of this is excellent and the drinkability is a lot higher than i thought it would be, a hint of orange on the tongue at the end, bran muffin from the malt, and minerals coming through as well. really solid, sturdy, and well made beer. ill be back for more of this when the weather cools down!

 

 

Growler fill from the brewery. Clear, dark amber body with small tight beige head. Caramelly malts are first aroma, and it follows through to taste, velvety body makes for a nice chewy brew. This ones all about the malts, with a hint of some hoppiness at the very back of the palate.

Draft tonight at the brewery.. Huge 1st Thursday crowd... Ugghhh.. Pours clear deep orange amber with a nice off-white head, decent lacing and retention.. Bigger bitterness with plenty of citrusy hops with a little floral hoppiness... malts are nice, dry toast and hints of fermented out caramel... Not sweet, but complex malt profile... Definitely a well done big-boned amber... No flaws that I could pick out.