Jobu
Capital Brewery

 

 

 

L - Dark brown. Opaque. Thin off-white head. Not particularly persistent.
S - Sweet dark malt. Chocolate and prune. Brown sugar.
T - Not as rich as I expected. Quite sweet. Dark fruit and a little tart citrus. Chocolate is in the background.

Pours with weak head but nice dark reddish brown cola color. Smells like musty, rummy, and fruity, but was surprised by tartness. I was expecting something similar to Smutty's "Really Old Brown Dog". Love the sour! Reminds me of apples or sour cherries....? The rum takes a back seat to the sour after a while and I still enjoy it.

Sweet and malty while chilled and up to room temp. No notes of barrel-aging at first but was able to pick up some highlights of the rum as it warmed up. It's not bad but I find it to be a bit too sweet and light. Felt like there were no substance to it. Also not sure if this was this years or last years release.

The rum scent is up front. It's sour, so most likely you'll love or hate it on that alone. You get a lot of the barrel in the flavor. Very easy to drink at 8.5%.

 

 

22 oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. The local beer store is still holding down bottles of this, so I thought I'd give it a go. My first big bottle from Capital Brewery; this one a 'rum barrel-aged brown ale'. 8.50% abv according to the label. Aged for six months in Jamaican rum barrels.

Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.

A - It pours a hazy caramel / ruby colored body with a half finger of tan head that falls to a ring quickly. Leaves behind scattered patchy lacing. Some fine sediment visible when held to the light. Looks very nice.

S - Initial booziness gives way to a slight acetic vinegary tartness, but pleasant in my opinion. Lightly tart & musty smelling. Notes of wood, oak, vanilla, and light band-aid. I can definitely see where the tropical rum notes have taken effect here.

T - An initial light sour / tartness hits you, but it subsides to waves of caramel, vanilla, wood, green apples, & dried earthy fruitiness. The tart is very enjoyable, in my opinion, and integrates well with the rest of the flavors.

M - The feel is smooth, creamy, & tart. Lingering notes of vanilla and tart fruitiness. Lightly coarse carbonation, but very easy-drinking for the 8.50% abv.

Overall, I'd certainly say that the rum barrel-aging has done it's thing - for good or for ill. I am of the opinion that it is rather enjoyable, and I am liking this beer quite a lot. Certainly a unique and different beer experience, which is always something I am on the look out for. While perhaps not the most pristine example of a barrel aged brown ale, I'd recommend this one. Keep on with more experimentation like this, Capital Brewery.

Capital Brewery Jobu -----4/5.

 

From notes on 4/30/14

Dark body with minimal head. Very grainy bread like aroma. Some alcohol smell. Sour taste. Was not expecting that. Some alcohol taste. Minimal flavor imparted by the barrel. It's ok.