Jester King Sherry Barrel Atrial Rubicite

I don't think I complain about JK?

Maybe I complain too much about the people complaining about JK too much...?

 

I know, I missed the release but I was hoping someone would have posted on how it was, the beer, not everything leading up to it. Welcome to the southwest forum.

 

I wonder how often the JK people come in this thread after a long night of drinking their own good beer and just laugh at some of these stupid posts.

 

My bet is that there is just one to two people on here who have actually opened a bottle of it at this point.

 

Drank one last night. Was outstanding. End review.

 

A good friend shared a bottle with me. It was really good. I guess I'm no sherry expert, and the sherry notes were difficult to find for me. I thought I did pick them out after some nitpicking, but maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. If I hadn't known the beer was sherry aged, I wouldn't have guessed it. This does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the beer. It was still very raspberry forward and nicely tart/sour. Having Atrial be the base is not so bad, I guess, even if the barrel is not so pronounced. To the more cognisant drinkers, maybe the subtle notes of the barrel will make this an exemplary and complex beer. To me it was just as good as regular Atrial (which is A+ in my book), but not markedly different from it.

 

That was my initial wondering when this beer was announced. AR is a pretty strong flavor forward beer so I wondered if the sherry would even be detectable. I guess I'll find out today.

 

Missed the bottles, but sniffed my iPhone.

 

Haven't written up a review of the bottle I got, but I shared it with two friends-one a big dark beer fan, and the other a big, bold, sour lover- and we all thought it was pretty damn swell. Better than "regular" Atrial Rubicite? Yeah. Much better? Like, worth the insane line, sunburns, smaller yet pricier bottle, and just craziness? Honestly, no. It was tarter than the original, and I could pick up some more... deep, wine-esque notes. Much more red than the OG as well, if you can imagine that. Wish I had taken a picture of it in a glass...

I love Jester King's fruit ales, and this ranks amongst the top. But if you missed out (like sooooooo many people) and have still had Atrial Rubicite, you're not missing a whole lot. Just a classy twist on classic.

 

In terms of your comment on color difference - Sherry Atrial on the top, Batch 5 Atrial on the bottom



I agree that the difference is not massive, but I do think its significant. The sherry Atrial is more balanced, the tartness of the berries come through even more, and the barrel tames the funkiness a little. If Atrial is a 5 (which in my book, it is) then the sherry version is a 5+

You can't go wrong with either, but the sherry version is definitely something I'm glad I got to try.

 

So, I was fortunate to have my wife to accompany me to this release and we were able to acquire 2 bottles. I cracked a bottle tonight, and I have to say this might be the best beer I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. I don't want it to end. It's amazing!!! It's Jester King's funky fruit goodness with a barrel aged balance. @jesterkingbeer I'm lucky to live in Buda and I believe that what you guys are doing is something special and I will gladly wait in line for whatever you release.