Jack's Abby (2018)

Cool - I see the list is clearly changed, but the date still says 10/14.

 

For some reason the date is not refreshing on some computers. I had to refresh the page 5 or so times before it showed today's date.

 

I couldn't exactly "like" this post, so just wanted to say - that sucks and I hope the state can see fit to expedite things on your behalf as existing good citizens in the system.

I'm sure you guys were looking forward to selling lots of beer around the holidays, but something tells me you'll sell plenty in the future to make up for it

 

Woah, I never knew about Springdale. Looks like I'll have to take a trip up to both in the New Year. Hope all your troubles get sorted!

 

Swung by opening night and really enjoyed the scene. Tried a pour of Kriek Mythology (excellent) and the team fought through some technical difficulties to fill my growler with the West Coast IPA (also excellent). Can't wait to make this spot part of the regular routine. Huge promise and potential!

 

thanks all for the love. here's what's what on for tonight, and tomorrow if the kegs/barrels last:

We unveil Cerbeerus 5000, our live barrel system, our first cask, and two new IPAs kegged today!

Cerbeerus tap - Barrel 394 - sour red aged 10 months in ex-Bourbon barrel. Same base beer as our sherry single barrel, served chilled but still direct from the barrel.
Walk On Porter - CASK

Growlers:
Sir Edmund IPA - brewed with Nelson Sauvin and Waimea
Mr. Hubble IPA - brewed with Galaxy and Vic Secret
Mr. Wallace IPA - Mosaic and Citra
Free Soil Saison
Brettlinner Weisse

Draft only:
Kriek Mythology
Slanting Light
Cuvee de Bandwagon
Cuvee d'Or Rouge
Single Barrel Sherry
Grissette
Belgian Amber

 

I had the barrel aged Mole Framinghammer last night, it was delicious! Like a fancy dark chocolate bar with a little kick at the end. So good!!

 

Springdale is now closed until January 14th. Until then, we will be featuring Springdale beers at the Beer Hall. Right now we have:

Belgian Amber**
Mr. Crooks, IPA w/ Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe hops**
Mr. Wallace, IPA w/ Mosaic and Citra hops**
Mr. Hubble, IPA w/ Vic Secret and Galaxy hops**
Sir Edmund, IPA w/ Waimea and Nelson Sauvin hops**
Free Soil Saison**
Walk On Porter**
Grisette**
Cuvée D'Or Rouge
Cuvée D'Bandwagon
Slanting Light(bottles only)
**available in growlers to-go

 

Are bottles of Kriek Mythology available (while Springdale is closed/ever)?

 

Bottles of Kriek Mythology will be available when Springdale re-opens.

 

I got a 32oz Growler of Mr. Wallace and Free Soil Saison last night, and they are absolutely delicious. I can't wait to be able to get these regularly.

I also tried a taste of Mr. Hubble, which was similarly incredible, SUPER fruity, lots of pineapple and mango, I just couldn't justify more beer. I'm really excited about the Springdale IPAs, they could make a big splash.

 

Same here. Picked up a growler of Mr. Hubble and Sir Edmund - super hazy and fruity with a soft mouthfeel. The flavors were a bit muted as compared to Trillium's galaxy and Nelson forwaRd IPAs, but it's nice to have another local brewery pumping out solid alternatives especially when it's in the same neighborhood as JA and Exhibit A.

 

I like the fact that they're both 5 minutes down the road from my practice space. (I also got a 4-pack of Hair Raiser last night, of which I just cracked my first can.)

 

A bit surprised JA is looking to probably cannibalize its own hoppy beer market with an ale brewery. I like their hoppy lagers as-is, but I hope they're not trying to play catch-up to the juice IPA fad which may be reaching the end of its shelf life (both literally & figuratively).

That said I tried the Springdale "east coast" IPA a few weeks ago at the JA beer hall & l
enjoyed it. Couldn't tell any difference from Trillium or Treehouse - though can't claim to be an expert since fruit juice beer isn't really my thing.

 

Was very impressed with Sir Edmund IPA. Thought the Nelson hops really shined

 

I would have to strongly disagree with you regarding juice IPAs being a fad. They are no more a fad than IPAs themselves. It's a flavor profile that is preferred by a lot of people.

Also, I think it's great for all of us consumers if JA can produce this IPA style as good or better than the front runners. JA is going to be their Death Star if they can pull it off because their capital will likely allow them to produce it much cheaper and be more widely available. I can imagine a $11 six pack juice bomb IPA in every package store.

 

What was the saison like?

 

Juice IPAs are preferred by a marginal niche & new beer drinkers & they aren't sustainable for a few reasons:

1) Their shelf life is short
2) Specific hops aren't available in large volumes
3) At some point people get sick of waiting in lines/chasing beer - especially when they've had the particular beer a few times
4) Tastes change. Juice beers may be popular today (evidence it may be already waning) but inevitably something else will be tomorrow.

Bottom line, I wouldn't be hedging bets (& lots of capital $$) on hazy juice IPAs now. Just look at how the myriad Ballast Point fruit beers are languishing all over as a case in point.

 

I think you're way off. You're inevitably partially right on point 4 in the long run as there will of course be a next big thing, but evidence even just locally points to a still significantly increasing popularity right now. Point 1 (and the Ballast Point example) just means the market is shifting hyper local, not that investing in Sprindale type outfits is nearsighted. 2 is increasingly not true as more and more crops are planted - look at the numbers on how citra and mosaic production has exploded every year in recent years.

Beers that taste like Julius will probably not be the most popular thing in craft beer in 10 or even 5 years, but by the time they fall out of ultra-hyped favor they'll be their own established category all over the country (much as "west coast" IPAs aren't cool anymore but are still a huge part of the craft marketshare).

To chalk it up to just "new beer drinkers" is just drinking haterade at this point, just like "tree house lines are only huge because 50% of it is getting traded" is.

 

I mean, as it applies to Springdale/Jacks, the first three agruements appear to be completely irrelevant. They're not distributing so shelf life shouldn't be a major issue. Hop availability is always an issue but these beers keep getting brewed and there's more citra/mosaic/etc acreage every year, not a mention all the new varieties popping up. Lines? For one thing it's self-contradictory to suggest that something isn't sustainable as a product because people are waiting hours in line to get it -- "no one goes there anymore, it's too crowded". However, lines aren't really an issue for these beers anyway. No lines at Springbank as far as I know. Nor at Trillium for the most part, or Night Shift, or Exhibit A, or on down the line. And plenty of those are showing up in retail as well. If you want a hazy juicy IPA these days, you can just go buy it for the most part.

Finally, as far as tastes changing goes, I don't really agree. We're probably reaching the end of the line as far as who can make the absolute haziest, juiciest IPA, but the techniques used to create these beers are now now widely understood by brewers, drinkers like them, and IPA will most likely be popular for as long as we're still making beer. Moreover, I don't really understand why Springdale/Jack's shouldn't make these beers because they might be unpopular at some point in the future. They're not making bourbon here; it doesn't take eight years to make a batch of IPA. It doesn't matter if they're not popular in the future, they're selling beer now. If something else becomes popular, they can start brewing it when it does.