Carrots & Sticks
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

 

 

Awesome pairing with Halloumi cheese tacos!! Totally amazing flavor. Way to go Jackie O!

12.7 ounce bottle, 2018 vintage. Jackie O's recently released some vintage bottles of this. Served in a snfiter, the beer pours a murky orange/brown color with about an inch light tan head. There's also a lot of floaties. Head retention and lacing are decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like carrots, vanilla, raisins, nuts, lemon peel and some sweet spiciness. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but with the addition of some cake, icing and bourbon flavors. Tastes like a boozy carrot cake, which is a good thing for me because I really like carrot cake! Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a tasty and unique strong ale, worth a try for sure!

 

 

A: Murky brown with barely a ring of tan head, and large clumps of floaties.

S: Something sharp up front, but after that there are notes of bourbon, oak, and roasted carrots.

T: Rich, with notes of walnut bread, oak, vanilla, and maple. I don't get much of the carrot but there is a little in the finish. Man that's a beauty of a beer.

M: Medium thick, lower carbonation, and syrupy finish.

O: This is one hell of a sweet dessert beer. Interesting and complex.

 

Yep, it definitely tastes like carrots and walnuts. In fact, it tastes like a very sophisticated and not overly sweet dessert in a 3 star restaurant, and it looks the part too - very beautiful dark amber.

L: Decent amber color.
S: Sweet carrot notes.
T: Starts with a pepper notes, with a strong carrot notes, and ends with lemon and raisin notes.
F: Light pepper notes with lemon/raisin notes.
O: Tastes similar to carrot cake.

 

 

 

 

This is, simply put, a dope experiment. I can't imagine a carrot cake beer concept being carried out more faithfully while also working so well. It's a BBA carrot cake tripel. What more do you want?

375mL bottle poured into a snifter
A: Dark orange/light brown with a thin head that disappears quickly
S: Raisin, caramel, carrot, hints of walnut/vanilla, fairly sweet
T: A lot going on here. This deinitely tastes like carrot cake with all of the herbs, spices, nuts and cream cheese frosting one would expect in the dessert. That said underneath are the malty/warming elements of a nice quad
M: Full bodied, moderately sweet, a bit boozy but balanced overall
O: Very well conceived, a unique collaboration with perfect execution

Notes of carrot cake, some banana, carrots, walnuts, raisins, dried fruit, dates, lemon zest, some spices, vanilla beans, big bourbon, woody oak, toasted bready malts, caramel syrup, almost maple

 

 

Muddy prune juice copper-brown with a khaki blanket that fizzles out to a thin creamy ring.

Smell has me a bit cautious at first, as it exhibits an unexpected sharpness, like nearly tart red fruit, and Jackie O's has had way too much trouble with infection lately. Thankfully, my fears don't seem to pan out, as it actually does exude a touch of spiced carrot cake with caramel, bourbon and even vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Taste is boozy caramel up front, as a substantial barrel character supports and enhances the added vanilla, which is creamy and deceptively rich. There is a touch of walnutty, spiced carrot cake here too, which I can't help but be impressed by, because it seems like this would have taken quite a bit of practice to achieve. Some dark fruit barleywine-ness runs underneath all of this throughout.

The medium body has a mild, tingly carbonation that finishes with a slightly stinging, slightly sticky semi-dry swallow.