Jackie O's 2019

Looks like they’re staggering the bottle release announcements. So far they’ve announced Rye Barrel DA and Hive Five Reserve. I’d imagine more announcements are forthcoming.

 

Sweet Jesus Rye Barrel Dark App

 

Not sure if it was posted, but these released today.

https://www.facebook.com/JackieOsBr...2207520000../3095781960449287/?type=3&theater

 

Anyone hear any reports or have any issues with the recent Black Mask and Champion Ground release that they originally held back and then decided was okay to release anyway?

I have a friend that had to dump one of each. At first I thought he had old bottles, as he didn't know anything about the previous Making it Right campaign, but he sent a pic and they were the recent 2019 bottles that hit distro.

Seems kind of absurd, that there was concern enough to hold them back, then they were deemed okay to release, just for them to be bad anyway. Hope it's not the case overall, but I'm guessing we may hear more as more people continue opening their bottles.

 

I saw bottles of both Champion Ground and Black maple last week, and I promptly said, “nuh uh.” I don’t think either are worth the price of admission anyway, but definitely not risking it with all the recent nonsense. Aside from something that REALLY peaks my interest (like the AB brick Kiln, or if they rereleased Cellar Cuvée 11), I have no interest in really trying anything until it’s been 12-18 months since the last “outbreak.” Just not worth the frustration if something goes wrong for an “average” bottle. (-Which is why I would probably, as I view it, “risk it” if there was something that I was really interested in.)

 

The Champion Ground I had tasted fine as usual. Also they posted on Facebook that the release was delayed because of the workload in the lab and not any specific concerns about those beers.

 

Double barrel cuvée 11 is due out this year. Pretty pumped for that.

 

Seems pretty confusing to label a blend "double barrel"...Cuvee 11 is already at least 5 different BA beers. What's the description?

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There isn’t one listed yet.

 

Cinnamon coconut dark app, coffee vanilla dark app, and spirit beast are the other bottles for the anniversary party. Going to be a good time in a couple of weeks.

 

I was always underwhelmed by the previous batches of Black Mask. I had a 2019 last night and thought it was great. All the flavors were there as they should be. There are no concerns or issues to report with a bottle I drank.

 

IMO Black Mask has always way overdone the chocolate and takes the base into a pastry territory that you don't want from a Jackie O's beer.

Did your friend get off flavors in the beer? This wouldn't be in line with their previous issues as those took several months to develop in bottles.

 

Someone can put me on blast if this has been beat to death before. I'll preface this by saying I've mostly been a big fan of JO's barrel program, and have tried a lot of their stuff due to some pretty generous OH traders. Why is their stuff so freaking expensive?

 

Choice words I recall are old and oxidized, and watery garbage. Turns out he drain poured 3 bottles, not 2, including a Middle of Nowhere. All 2019. Not sure how it could be just him...who knows, could be, but this guy is usually the first to defend JO and usually loves their stuff.

 

It’s been half-beaten to death, but worth a revisit.

To be honest, I’be Never heard any good explanation. The arguments are usually that they use “super high quality ingredients, and they are expensive!”, and “They are the only quality barrel program in Ohio!”

They are still in the absolute upper tier of cost, and it’s puzzling to me (still) why.

 

It doesn’t answer your question re: barrel aged beers, but when they came out with the four pack cans of Dark Apparition, I was pleased that the price was about half of what it was in bottles. I hope that follows suit for some of their other beers as well.

 

Don't drink very many lambics, do ya?

 

That’s NOT BA stouts, which is what we’re really all talking about. Even their BA BWs I am fine with, because they are harder to come across, although they are still a tad expensive. But their stout prices? Nah.

 

I don't want to speak for the brewery, but my guess would be scale. They are still a relatively small brewery, and the only breweries that I know of making similarly high-quality BA stouts at a lower price point are much larger breweries with larger production runs (I'm thinking specifically of Revolution and Oskar Blues and possibly Founders, though "high quality" might be an overstatement at this point). I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but the other comparable brewery that springs to mind re: size and quality is Cycle, and their price point is similar to JOs.

 

Their pricing decisions (among many other choices JO's have made) have been explained many times over back when Brad Clark was still there and posting here on BA. But that doesn't seem to matter. Those who are still asking these questions aren't really looking for answers, it just feels good to complain.