Jack’s Abby (2019)

I'm stoked to see 'em releasing Sunny Ridge at the end of April. I didn't see any last year until mid-June and then it was long gone from my local sources by mid-July. Lovely brew.

 

Anyone know what the differences are between Post Shift and Sunny Ridge? Besides Sunny Ridge being a little stronger ABV. Different types of hops I'm assuming?

 

Sunny Ridge is much better.

 

Ha! Sunny Ridge is pretty damn tasty. I honestly can't remember if I've had Post Shift before, but I just saw really fresh cans pop up in NJ so I'll have to give it a go. I think I just talked myself into doing a side by side tasting.

 

I dunno. I think PS has a better hop flavor and SR had the malt sweetness.

I prefer the hoppy Pilsner over a sweeter one

 

I'm partial to Post Shift, I find it super refreshing.

 

Ha, on a more serious note, here's a couple blurbs from JA when they released the two (well, re-released Sunny Ridge). You might also note Sunny Ridge uses decoction mashing, I believe this was added as they tweaked the recipe over the years. I'm not sure if Post Shift is decocted as well.:

Sunny Ridge:

This dreary March week has us thinking forward to warmer weather as we brew our Spring/Summer seasonal, Sunny Ridge! Sunny Ridge Pilsner is back this year as our May through July seasonal and available in cans for the first time!

Sunny Ridge has a sunshine-y hue that lends it it’s name, an herbal noble hop nose and a dry, crisp and refreshing finish. We balance the pilsner malt with a blend of European noble hops and polish it with extended periods of cold conditioning. It’s everything we love in a warm weather beer and the perfect beer to have you drinking like royalty.

This lager is very special to us because we work with a small maltster, Klostermalz, in Bavaria, Germany, to source the malt for this lager. We also use large amounts of European noble hops including Saaz, Hallertau and Herkules hops and the traditional decoction mash process. Jack has actually made a number of trips to Germany to meet with the small maltster and hopster that we source the ingredients from for this pilsner and he will be going back in late April for another trip. Lucky him!

Post Shift:

“Hi I’m Jack from Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers here to remind you There Will Be No Working During Drinking Hours. We currently are launching 12oz and 16oz cans of Post Shift Pilsner. This is a beer we’ve been developing over the past year and are super excited to finally get it out in cans. Post Shift Pilsner is brewed with all German malts and hops that we sourced from a local farmer in Bavaria. It has an assertive bitterness and it also has a very nice aroma from hallertau blanc hops that we use. There is a light maltiness but really crisp, dry, bitter finish to this beer."

Interesting.

Sunny Ridge has 35 IBUs, and Post Shift has 30 IBUs

Also, Sunny Ridge has the slightly higher OG with a similar ABV, it MIGHT be the slightly drier beer. I tossed the OG into a home brew calculator and it indicates Sunny Ridge might be slightly more attenuated.

Now those things don't necessary tell the entire story of a beer's hop perception and overall character, but personally I find that aligns with my experience with the two beers.

I do find the Pils malt profile in Sunny Ridge to be more "spot on" compared to German Pilsners I've had over in Germany than Post Shift. This would make sense though because personally I find decoction mashing does make a difference, despite what some may say. I don't think Sunny Ridge is the sweeter of the two beers though.

I think to truly determine this you'd need to try the two side by side with similar canning dates. A super fresh Pils with German hops can be markedly different than one that's even say, two months old. The hops drop off enough to make a difference in a style that is this subtle.

 

I recall not loving Sunny Ridge but haven't revisited it since Post Shift joined the team. I'm going to try and make a point to do that comparison (blind) if I can.

 

I’ll have to do a side-by-side as well because I don’t think I’ve had these 2 beers remotely close to each other in time. I think I recall Sunny Ridge is clearer, crisper, more bitter. Post Shift IMO drinks softer, is slightly hazy and has a noticeable hop note. But side-by-side comparisons can often blow past perceptions out of the water. It’s part of the fun, really.

 

While both Post Shift Pilsner and Sunny Ridge Pilsner are refreshing, crisp, light lagers, the noticeable difference between the two can be seen in the overall hop character and body. Post Shift finishes a little dryer than Sunny Ridge. Also, Post Shift is hopped with fruit forward German hops like Hallertau Blanc, Hull Melon, and Mandarin Bavaria, lending the beer a soft, delicate fruitiness. The main hop character in Sunny Ridge comes from Czech Saaz. Saaz is a noble hop that contributes floral, spicy notes to the beer.

 

Seems like you were spot on!

This would explain why I prefer Sunny Ridge, more of a classic German Pils. I recall not really liking "fruitier" hops in my Pilsners.

@JacksAbbyBrewing do you use decoction mashing in Post Shift? (I guess do you also use it for Sunny Ridge then? The post above I got from 2017 indicates you do, or at least did)

 

Yes, both of those beers use decoction mashing. For the most part, all of our German style lagers such as House, Pilsners, and our Kellerbiers use decoction. The only ones that are not decocted are dark beers such as Smoke & Dagger and Heavy Trommel, as dark malts can produce off flavors during the process.

 

I used to wonder if I wasn't a big fan of Saaz hops since I prefer German to Czech pilsners. I've since learned that there's a lot more to it than that, and that both styles use them anyway (@AlcahueteJ has been helpful on this front).

But the fact that Sunny Ridge is mainly Saaz makes me wonder if there's still not something to that for me. Itching for that side by side test!

 

@JacksAbbyBrewing Thanks for the response! Very insightful info. Love that I can get your stuff in NJ now.

 

JA rules.

 

I just wish that I had to drive to their brewery for it and wait in long lines to buy it. It is also too cheap. I hate driving to my local right down the road and being able to buy it without a line or having to take money out of my kids college fund to pay for it...

Seriously though, i really great brewery. Might be my favorite in MA.

 

Hey @JacksAbbyBrewing, anything you guys can do to get a date on the outside of your packaging? Picked up a mixed 12-pack for Memorial Day from my local place, but the cans of Blood Orange Wheat were from January 24 and everything else was more than 90 days old, with Post Shift at Feb. 14 being the most "fresh" offering.

I know it's a difficult proposition, and I'll still buy from the brewery when I'm in the area -- but I'm going to be a lot more leery about buying these mix packs from stores when I have no way of knowing the dates ...

 

Hmm, all the JA packs I’ve picked up have all had the packaging date stamped on the outside of the box, although I haven’t grabbed the mixed 12-er, so maybe that’s an exception? I do always forget where the date is stamped so I’m always fumbling with it at the supermarket, flipping it around trying to find the date.

 

Thanks for this, wonder if I missed it somehow! Thought I checked all the flats, but maybe it got by me. Either way, I'll spot one next time or just grab a six pack of Post Shift that's not boxed. Was trying to get a variety for the guests!

 

I can see it being possible that all non-mixed boxes would have dates on them, but that just not being feasible for mixed packs with different dates for each beer.