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Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

 

1 PINT 0.9 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a pint glass
2018

This beer pours pale yellow and hazy. Barely any head which is surprising for a saison.

It has a nice sourness to the smell. I get green apple and pear. A little bit of funk and spicy Belgian yeast esters.

Funky green apple with a little funk. I get some sour wine flavor. Sour grapes.

Medium bodied with a slightly dry mouthfeel

Good smell and flavor. It looked and felt a little flat.

 

Clear sparkling gold with no head.

Too sour, briney, and almost pickly, there is very little carbonation. While pouring aggressively, there were only spare bubbles presenting on the surface, and there's even less detectable bubbly on the palate, to the point that it's watery even, with only a light spritz. The finish is semi-dry, bringing a white wine barrel exhale with it at least, but not enough to redeem what seems like a lame attempt at bottling something sour and labeling it saison.

There's no body, no funk, no malt or hops. It's just a generic sour with a touch of wine barrel. A little herbal complexity does develop as it warms, but too little too late.

 

Poured from 2018 a 500 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Very light straw color, almost still, very little carbonation. A few meandering spheres poking around in there.
S - White wine is the theme, grape must, a bit of cider vinegar, some green apple skin. lemon verbena. Add in oak, a kiss of vanilla, straw and touch of funk
T - Oaky tannin to start, then waves of lemongrass, green grape skin, some love chalky mineral, delicate grains here with a tilt toward wheat.
M - Semi tart start, then that tannin that has been present helps a bit of sweetness in fruit be noticed. Interest tension with these elements. Very clean and dry finish with again a chalky component that I find delightful.
O - A very nice mixed culture offering from this team, with an increase in the carbonation to assist in the texture, and you have a real winner

16.9oz bottle poured into a tulip
A: Straw colored, hazy, no head
S: Grape must, green apple, lemon
T: Quite sour, green apple, lemon, vinegar, green grape, just a bit of malt/tropical fruit
M: Light body, sour, light carbonation
O: An enjoyable sour

16.9 ounce bottle, 2018 vintage. Served in a Teku glass, the beer pours a somewhat hazy gold color with about a half inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. The brew smells like apricot, vinegar, oak, lemon, bready/grainy malt, pear, white grapes/wine and some peppery spice. It tastes like apricot, bready/grainy malt, straw, vinegar, lemon, white grapes/wine, pear, funk, green apple and a bit of vanilla. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's slick but also seems a bit thin to me. There's also a low/moderate amount of carbonation. Overall I did like this brew, although the kinda thin body and lower carbonation hurt it some. But it tasted good enough! I'd like to try this again in the future.

 

500 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2018 vintage bottling. Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a small dense white head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of lightly tart lemon, peach, pear, kiwi, mango, melon, strawberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of pepper, oaken vanilla, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with good great. Taste of lightly tart lemon, peach, pear, kiwi, mango, melon, strawberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of pepper, oaken vanilla, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tartness, wine tang, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart lemon, peach, pear, kiwi, mango, melon, strawberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/spiciness and tangy wine balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness and wine tang. Light carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately grainy/acidic, and fairly crisp/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an excellent wild saison. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish, not overly lactic. More carbonation would have been even better, but still very drinkable. Great Brett/bacteria complexity and wine barrel presence/integration; with a solid malt backbone against acidity. No residual sweetness from crisp dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected.

 

 

 

16.9 oz poured into chalice glass.

A: Almost no head whatsoever maybe just a wisp of bubbles. Body looks like white wine in a glass or an AAL.

S: Nice wine grape, oak, a little pear, and just a littlebunderlying funk.

T: Nice oak, wine flavor with some pear and a little grape and apricot coming out on the tongue. A touch sour some of that funk comes through in the taste.

M: Absolutely no carbonation. Body is medium to light with a light finish.

O: This is a tasty beer, but it doesn’t stand head and shoulders above a lot of their sour beers. I think this one has had a carbonation issue but I’m not sure being carbonated would have improved the flavor.