Jaago
Azadi Brewing Company

On tap at Fat Cat - Chicago, IL
L: deep red body, thin beige head
S: grain, caramel, stone fruit, and what must be chicory
T: sweet up front: caramelized grain, caramel candy, nectarine/peach, chicory, faint coffee
F: medium body, adequate carbonation, balanced finish
O: flavorful beer, but I found the chicory to be a bit off-putting in a way, even though I think they did a fine job using it in a red ale

16 oz can into a pint glass. Crystal clear deep reddish amber color with a foamy tan head that had some staying power. Chicory and coffee aromas and flavors are there but so is some nutty sweetness like pistachio. Minimal hop bitterness. Medium-bodied. Lots of flavor but refreshing and easy to drink.

 

Bought this can from Beermiscuous, where I get many singles from Chicagoland micros.
I somehow remember having chicory in beers before, but can't remember their names. Jaago I will remember.
First of all, there is something more authentic to Jaago's taste than, say, Chock Full of Nuts. (For you kids, that was a coffee popular in the 1950s in New York, then the only really cosmopolitan city in the U.S.) Using chicory still happens in the U.S.; but the micros trying it seemed to lack a genuine touch. Not so with Jaago.

Intuition tells my buds that the exceptional balance here is not an experiment -- or luck --but from learned skills, passed on by generations. Maybe I read too much into this, but that also is Azadi's goal; to take bits of the Indian kitchen/culture and use it in beer. This is my sixth from them, and I've enjoyed all. Jaago I will repeat (before I forget!)

While I give high marks for Looks, that is for the beer and its artistic can. Smells are a muted chicory/coffee, but that is OK because that probably allows the Tastes to be so balanced and have a nice dry finish. Medium-mouthed and refreshing.

3/26/24 I am glad Azadi released this again. I bought a 4 pack at Pilot Project. I will drink this through the Spring.