Jaywalker Imperial Stout
Walking Man Brewing Co.

 

 

 

On tap at the Beer Junction.

This is a new version of a beer first brewed in 2013. This time it's up to 14% ABV! It's spent a full year in whiskey barrels, according to the Walking Man Brewer on hand. And that year in the barrels shows, in the big bourbon aroma, in the taste, and of course in the ABV. It's doesn't have the dark roasted character that I'd expect in a stout; the underlying beer seems pleasant but a little too sweet. But if you want a bourbon bomb, this is your baby.

Outstanding. Can't be responsible for my crosswalk behavior afterwards.

 

A: Poured jet black with a tan head, great carbonation, sluggish and robust pour. A good deal of head retention provides some moderate lacing

S: A zing of booze, roastiness, leather and bitter chocolate and coffee blend. Smells promising but it smells like a heater too!

T: Immediate and copious amounts of char and dark chocolate with some anise. A pungent booze sting lets you know this beer is no laughming matter. The chocolate gives may to more char, coffee, leather and anise while the finish is heat, dry, char, anise and leather

M: Medium-Full and well carbonated. Not really creamy per se but definitely a full flavored and robust RIS.

O: This beer will have you Jaywalking after a few. It was extremely tasty and potent. Overall, i really liked the anise/leather additions. It seemed complex.

 

 

 

First had: on tap at their brewpub

2010 vintage had in Dec. '11.

Poured an unexpected dark reddish brown with a small layer of rusty head. Pretty standard aroma of dark malts, coffee, cocoa, some subdued hops detectable. Taste was bready with dark malts, notes of coffee, cocoa, hints of dark fruit, mildly hopped, and I could swear I picked up some bourbon in there, even though I'm not sure if this beer ever spent time in a barrel. It was a year old, so I suppose it's possible, though the beer list didn't specify. Very, very smooth, boozy, heavy-medium mouthfeel, and quite a nice drink overall.

 

enjoyed at the beer stein in Eugene Oregon:

A: dark black. Half finger of head that dissipates really quick

S: lots of booze more than hops among a dark roared smell. If there is a burnt smell it's lost in the stron alcohol presence

T: for an RIS I expected a little more hop presence. Strong alcohol presence but it's fitting for this one.

M: at first it tastes a little thin but this may be the mirage of the alcohol burn that follows and tingled my tongue. I love my strong stouts.

O: a great sipper on a cold night in Oregon. Be warned this one is a strong bold stout that wan to kick your butt.

Handbottle from my man Buckeyeboy!!! Pours thick like chocolate syrup, almost black with a small tan head..aroma is hersheys cocoa, slight metal, vanilla, heat, plenty of burnt charcoal bitterness...flavour follows pretty closely, very smooth in the mouth, bitter baking chocolate, vanilla, coffee and charcoal...some dk fruit maltiness hiding in there, dry dark malt and bitterness on the finish...definitely worth the trip, thanks Jeremy!

2010 version poured into a tulip

Appearance- Black with a dark, espresso crema colored head that ends in a light film and ring. Little lacing.

Smell- Alcohol, dark chocolate are right up front. Afterward is a little coffee, leather and a hint of anise.
Taste- Lots of dark, bitter chocolate accompanied with alcohol. The chocolate levels out to a creamy milk shake taste as it hits the middle of your tounge. Then hits you at the last minute with a bit of a hop bitterness. The alcohol really starts to come out as it warms. There is also a chalkyness to it later on.

Mouthfeel - Very good mouthfeel. Heavy and thick, but not at all over the top.

Drinkability- For a 13% beer it tastes more like 9% until it warms. Then the alcohol comes out and it becomes a sipper. Still very good though.

Hopsbreath literally dropped this growler off on my door step without me knowing it. He really needs to work on his kindness.

This is the first time I have had this and if I can help it, it won't be my last. Thanks Jason! I will get you back.

Have had this on tap a few times now. Overall, I think it's always had a great mouthfeel, especially for the 11%+ alcohol. Pours black with a thick brown head. Strong, roasted malt and chalky characters on the nose. Really thick palate that had a nice sting to it from the alcohol burn. Chocolate syrup flavors with thick, robust, roasted malt, grains played like rice that you may find in milk chocolate. A coffee liquor tone towards the finish. If you like your stouts big, roasty, boozy with coffee and cocoa flavors, this is the one for you.

Chilled growler into a glass. Had the '10 courtesy of ramnuts and the '08 thanks to Bird.

A: Well carbed out of both growlers. A hard pour produces a finger of dark mocha head on its pitch black body, which slowly retreats into a thick cap on the brew. It leaves some lace as it falls, and during sips there are nice curtains.

S: Anise, chocolate, red wine, roast. The red wine was initially very strange, but as the beer warmed and hit its stride, that characteristic blended well with the rest of the bouquet. Unfortunately, warming also brings out a slight ethanol nose, though not enough to make a serious complaint about. It's also slightly fruity (banana and apricot).

T: Starts off with traditional flavors for the style: anise, chocolate, dark fruits (specifically plums). But it has a strong vinous presence mid-taste that is unusual, yet very welcome for the style. I had to check and make sure this wasn't wine- or port-chip aged a la Kate the Great, which was the natural comparison that sprung to mind. Some stone fruit presence in the finish; it adds a nice touch to the otherwise dark, heavy flavors. Bittering hops (citrus and earth) stand out when the beer is cold, but as it warms, they serve only to offset the sweeter flavors without dominating the profile.

M: Medium-full bodied. Not the most viscous beer I've had, but it's quite thick and is in the upper echelon. Carbonation pleasantly lightens the load of this big boy. A small heat is noted, but it's not a surprise for something that's almost 12%.

D: Once this warmed up and hit its stride, it was immensely drinkable and pleasant. A top-notch imperial stout. This reminded me of Kate the Great, and I'd give the nod to Jaywalker, personally.

Huge thanks to mtunnell and zimmerbloke for answering the call and inviting me up to their crib in Milwaukee to share this beer. Served in a New Belgium tulip.

A - A hard pour yields a quarter-finger of dark tan foam, which then settles to a thick ring and partial skim cap, leaving behind small splotches of lace. The body is an ominous pitch black.

S - The initial aroma that I got was heavy in vinous and tart cherry notes - I was worried this had gotten infected somehow. However, my second whiff confirmed that this is just a very fruit-heavy RIS, with a Black Albert-esque yeast profile that provided estery banana, cherry cordials, and red wine notes. As it warms a large does of anise emerges, along with some light roasted malt character.

T - The taste is a little more in line with what I expect from an American-made RIS, with heavy anise, chocolate, and some dark fruits, prunes, and light fruity oxidation notes that were reminiscent of Owd Mac's. There is some peripheral suggestion of the massive amount of bittering hops used, with a hint of citrus and floral notes. There's perhaps a hint of alcohol when it reaches room temperature, but nothing out of line for the listed 12.7%.

M - Big, thick, viscous, and chewy. There's pleasant carbonation that is sufficient to keep it from getting too syrupy, although if you got this in growler format I'd recommend not taking too long to finish your pour.

D - While this might not be my "go-to" stout out over some of the other excellent beers I've had, I appreciated the extremely unique vinous character. I could have sworn this was wine or port barrel-aged, and the fact that Walking Man coaxed this wide range of flavors out of the usual ingredients is pretty impressive. I had two pours, and would have had more if there had been any left.

Made the drive up to Milwaukee to share this with a few others, thanks again for the generosity! Poured vigorously into a New Belgium glass, color is jet black with a thin tan head that settles to a bubbly ring. Smell is licorice first and slightly fruity yeast following - definitley did not expect that. Some banana and lots of dark roasted malts. Taste is lots of toasted malts up front, very sweet, cherries, and slightly fruity, hoppy bitterness in the finish with just a touch of alcohol. It was really an excellent balance for such a big beer. Mouthfeel was very thick and coating with a light carbonation. The flavors melded together so well that this beer was very drinkable.

Had a tulip of the 2010 vintage at Walking Man last night. ABV listed on the chalkboard was 12.7%. I knew quickly that I needed to get a growler of this to better analyze. That growler was split tonight with my wife (TulipSnifter) into our matching set of Portsmouth snifters. Who needs KtG anyway!

A: Black with cherry red edges, a hard pour yields tight chocolate mousse like head that recedes to nothing, the tiniest bit of lacing is surprising for the ABV.

S: Vinous and red wine like, ETOH comes out more as it warms, there's a little dark chocolate.

T: Again the wine characteristics are there, but this time a wave of marshmallowy chocolate washes over. Some sweet cherries add richness to this complex profile that my palate cannot do justice. Lightly floral hops round this out.

M: Pretty thin for what this is. The low carbonation is just enough. Man is this dry with no gumminess noted. This just gets better and better.

D: High for what it is. I had half a growler tonight. This is an extremely unique beer and unlike any other Imperial stout I've had yet. Without trepidation I'm going to call this the best big stout within the vicinity of Portland. That's right Abyss... I'm looking right at you.