Jack's Abby (2024)

Starting year with a Human Robot collab yes please.
https://jacksabby.com/beers/slo-lager/

 

Would you happen to know which specific variety(s) of Slovenian hops were used to produce this beer?

The only Slovenian hop that I have brewed with is Styrian Golding Celeia.

Cheers!

 

What are some examples of small batch? Tap room exclusive? Or does something like Bohemium Dusk count?

 

It was discussed a couple of years ago on BA that Night Shift will 'transition' brewing of their beers to Jack's Abby. Is Night Shift still selling well in the area? I wonder how impactful this business aspect was to getting a second brewhouse installed.

Yes, the maltiness that Jack describes is from Maillard Reaction Products that are created during the boiling stage of decoction mashing. Below is further discussion from a soon to be published article:

"Maillard Reactions

A French chemist, Louis Mailliard, first described this browning reaction in 1912. Consequently, his name is affixed to this chemical reaction. This process is a bit more complicated than caramelization in that it involves more than sugars. It involves the reaction of free amino groups (e.g., amines, amino acids, peptides and proteins) with reducing sugars in the presence of heat. An often-used description of Maillard Reactions is the browning that occurs when a steak is grilled:

“As the meat is heated, the amino acids react with the reducing sugars that are present in the meat, and it creates numerous new compounds such as Pyrazines, Furans, and Thiophenes.”

Brewers carry out Maillard Reactions when boiling malt during the decoction mashing step. The malt in the mash contributes amino acids and sugars and the boiling process contributes the heat. How long you decide to boil will be impactful here.

The flavor contributions from Maillard Reactions are typically associated with ‘positive’ flavors. For example, reaction products like melanoidins are often described as adding toasty/malty flavors to the resulting beer."

As to how they are achieving "perceived fullness" while also getting high attenuation, that is 'magical' to me.

In the podcast Jack mentioned they use the popular lager yeast strain of 34/70 (W-34/70). The is likely the most used lager yeast strain for commercial lager breweries. I use it a lot and it is a very well performing yeast strain (timely fermentations, achieves a low final gravity, etc.) and provides desirable (well for my palate) sensory qualities (e.g., a crisp and clean beer). Did they use a different yeast strain previously? If so, do you know which strain and specifically why they decided to change?

The other aspect worth noting is that they have a 'full toolkit' at the brewery including the ability to conduct open fermentation:

"Conversely some commercial breweries will ferment their beers in open fermenters in environmentally (approaching sterile) controlled rooms. Examples of beer styles which are sometimes (often?) fermented in open fermenters are Hefeweizen, British Ale, Czech lagers,... Both the shape of these fermenters (sometimes wider than taller) and the ability to completely outgas carbon dioxide with no head pressure increases the production of esters."

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Fermenting_beer

Cheers!

 

To further discuss decoction mashing and the concept of “perceived fullness”, a month ago I discussed Jack’s Abby Bohemian Dusk in a NBW thread (via a side-by-side tasting). My thoughts about the mouthfeel of this particular brand of Jack’s Abby lager:

“Bohemian Dusk: In comparison the body is lighter with a thin(er) mouthfeel.”

And:

“The two beers have a somewhat similar flavor profile but the Dark Angel had more complexity. The most notable difference between the two beers was the difference in mouthfeel.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-176.675220/#post-7882394

Even though Bohemian Dusk was brewed via double decoction I can report this beer did not have a “perceived fullness” for my palate.

Cheers!

 

@KP7 something(s) to consider, and to put into perspective, before a comparison is made

• JA has a lean towards German heritage, where Notch tilts Czech
  • Comparison A: Post Shift to German Afternoons
  • Comparison B: Czech Pale Lager 11° to The Standard
• An argument can be made against contract brewing, as it can be made for it; however, onsite draft is absolute
• Don’t overlook Silvaticus, and their approach to German (Quintessential) + Czech (Sovereign)….they are one of the few breweries in the country that directly ties their side-pull to the tank (i.e. not lined)/this is not your typical setup

 

Well, that was not the case for me as regards Bohemian Dusk. But maybe this was due to the side-by-side tasting aspect? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers!

 

I have a similar impression based on sampling pale lagers, but haven't delved into the brewing process as you have. I've had a few Jack's Abby beers, and wasn't especially impressed. The pale lager beers I tried lacked the fullness I'd like to see in a German style lager. I much preferred Great Lakes efforts when they were distributed in my region.

 

Anyone try the Human Robot collab yet? Waiting to try it down here in New York once it lands.

 

The Human Robot colab beer (SLO Lager) is listed as being a January release and I have yet to see this beer in my area (Philly suburbs). I can report that yesterday I did see the December release, Kogarashi Rice Lager, for the first time at my local Wegmans supermarket.

Perhaps it will be February (presuming they ship to my area?) before I will be able to purchase SLO Lager?

Cheers!

P.S. I discussed Kogarashi Rice Lager in a past NBW thread:

"Overall:

This is a very good AAL beer. It is very cleanly brewed.

With its great drinkability, think this beer would be a tasty & refreshing beer for summertime drinking."



https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-134.671406/#post-7706075

 

I had a draft pint of the previous Human Robot collaboration - the Stowe Style - Czech, and thought that was pretty good. I'll be on the lookout for the Slo Lager if it hits the Philly area.

Does anyone know why the one collaboration has the "Stowe Style" sub-branding, but the other doesn't?

 

Are you referring to the Slo Lager collab in comparison? If so, it would be because the other collab was with Von Trapp. All Von Trapp's collabs the past year or so have had the "Stowe Style" branding since they're based in Stowe, VT.

Sorry if I misunderstood you though.

 

You are correct. For some reason in my brain I just combined Jacks Abbey and Von Trapp.

Huge brain fart - ignore my post everyone!

 

Which Great Lakes lagers did you prefer? I only had Edmund Fitzgerald before and finally tried Dortmunder Gold, but neither one seemed to be German-style to me.

 

I liked both those beers. I was introduced to German Dortmunders in the early 70s. Those have probably evolved in the interim toward a less full body. The GL Gold I thought was an excellent beer on its own, and strongly reminded me of my preferred (long extinct) brand, Ritterbrau.