Brewmaster Jack Elbow Room

I have yet to have a beer from Northampton, MA's Brewmaster Jack that has really impressed me. So far the ones I have tried have ranged from OK to good but not a single one has merited a repeat purchase. My biggest hope from them was Tennessee Prinse, a quadrupel ale aged in whiskey barrels. When my friend gave me a bottle to try, I was excited. I had heard a bunch of positive word of mouth about it and naturally assumed it would be fantastic. Sadly it was not. Tennessee Prinse was just another run of the mill barrel aged beer. It was by no means a bad beer, but it is something I have no intention of purchasing again. Another beer I remember trying from them was their Little Brother DIPA. The only thing I remember about that one is that I wished I spent 5 dollars on something else. The one beer I did enjoy from them was Trial By Combat DIPA. Unfortunately, even that one felt like it was missing something. If I had any other beers from Brewmaster Jack, I don't remember them. However, my search for something great from them continues into this blog.

This past week, Autumn finally hit NY in full force and I found myself looking for a beer with more body and if possible, some barrel aging. I came across Elbow Room from Brewmaster Jack. It was a coffee imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels. After a feeling of trepidation crept over me about buying another Brewmaster Jack beer, I looked at the reasonable 9 dollar price tag for a 22oz. bomber and I decided to give it a shot. When I opened the bottle, my hopes soared sky high as I poured the rich, dense, black liquid into my glass. The aroma of dark chocolate was immediately noticeable. There was also a touch of smoke in the aroma, some vanilla, a slight nuttiness, as well as an almost wine-like fruitiness. These all paled in comparison to the coffee aroma that practically overwhelmed everything else. One thing I did not get a lot of in the aroma was the barrel notes. I did not detect any whiskey and I only think I found oak because I knew it was there. I was hoping I would get more when I took my first sip but unfortunately, I did not. However, what I did get from my first sip was disappointment.

With a beer that is barrel aged, there are certain expectations for how it should taste. Aside from a hint of vanilla, there was pretty much nothing here to suggest Elbow Room spent any time at all in a barrel. Whatever the aging period was, it was not long enough. I'm guessing a brewer at Brewmaster Jack poured the stout into a whiskey barrel for a “5 Mississippi count” and poured it out. If that was my only issue with this beer, I would have been happy, but the coffee that so richly dominates the flavor tastes bland and frankly stale. It is reminiscent of going into a gas station in the middle of the night and drinking a 12 hour old cup of coffee. Sure, it tastes like coffee, but it is not good. Dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, a green pepper off-flavor and a fairly bold fruitiness round out the flavor of this watery imperial stout. It is a touch astringent but to its credit, for the most part it is smooth. There is barely any hint of the 10.1% ABV, which is nice, but you can find a beer just like this that tastes better(Founders Breakfast Stout) and has just as much barrel flavor(none) fairly easily.

Overall, Elbow Room did nothing to improve my opinion of the quality of beer from Brewmaster Jack. So far everything I have tried has seemed either bland or like it is missing something critical to making it a solid beer. I hope the next beer I buy from them changes my opinion but after this one it will be awhile until I purchase another one of their beers again.

Overall rating: 2/5


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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Jack's Abby Kiwi Rising

I love this time of year. The weather is crisp, the leaves are changing colors, Halloween is right around the corner and the best beer of the year is starting to hit shelves. It seems that multiple fantastic beers are coming out each week and my wallet can't take it. Last week alone, I stocked my refrigerator up with some amazing offerings like: Lawson's Sip of Sunshine, Stone Xocoveza, Oskar Blue's Death By Coconut, New Holland's Dragon's Milk, Grimm's Double Negative, and the beer I am talking about today, Jack's Abby's Kiwi Rising Double India Pale Lager. It has gotten to a point that it could take several minutes for me to decide what to drink. I know whatever it is, is going to be fantastic but that does not make it any easier.

The reason I want to talk about Kiwi Rising in this blog is that I want to tell you how great it is. Normally, I spend a lot of time telling you whether I think a beer is good or not. I am just going to start this blog off by telling you Kiwi Rising is amazing. Brewed with New Zealand hops and not Kiwi fruit, this beer is very hoppy(105 IBUs), easy to drink and wonderfully complex. I think it is safe to say it is my favorite offering from Jack's Abby. That truly says a lot because Jack's Abby makes some incredible beers. A few of the other beers I enjoy from them are: Mass Rising DIPL, Excess IPL, Framinghammer Baltic Porter, Cranberry Berliner, and Calyptra Session IPL. I am going to stop there because I feel that list could keep going and going and going. The point I am trying to get to is, no matter what you buy from them you are most likely going to get a great beer.

The reason I want to talk specifically about Kiwi Rising is that I simply want to spread the word about it. I have found that too many of my craft beer drinking friends have not tried it or even worse, haven’t heard of it. To someone who loves this particular beer I find both to be simply unacceptable. Each Fall, as soon as it hits shelves, I buy it and every year it delivers something special. The aroma is floral, to a point it is almost perfume-like. Big notes of citrus, tropical fruit, pine resin and bread dough all stand out nicely. The first sip matches the nose to an extent but the doughy malt really shines initially, really giving this DIPL a solid malt backbone. This is followed by pineapple, grapefruit, grass, orange, candied mango, lime and an herbal, piney, crisp finish. Kiwi Rising is dangerously easy to drink at 8.5%. You might find that the first one goes down very easy. Just take a moment to contemplate before reaching for the second.

Kiwi Rising is the perfect beer right now for our Bi-Polar October weather. For a hot day, it delivers a crisp, easy drinking hoppy lager. For a cooler night, it provides a full flavored beer that warms the soul. Basically, if you love a good hoppy beer, this is a must try. Make sure you hurry up though, this beer never stays around long.

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Odell Jolly Russian

This summer I was fortunate enough to try several beers from Odell Brewing Company's catalog. The one I most most excited about trying was their flagship ale, 90 Schilling and it did not disappoint. It had a unique and complex malt body with a beautifully hoppy finish. After each sip, I found myself staring at the glass, almost stunned by how complex and refreshing it was. It is one of those beers that you could give someone who is not quite into craft beer and they would find it enjoyable.

90 Schilling was not the only beer from Odell that I was impressed by. Their IPA is quite impressive. It has a nice malt body, reminiscent of an English IPA with a beautiful hop profile. Their St. Lupulin Pale Ale was soft and easy drinking, with nice tropical and citrus notes. It is the kind of beer that leaves you looking for another bottle once your glass is empty. The worst beer I had from them was Nail Knot Craft Lager and that was still a good beer. I could keep listing the other beers I enjoyed from Odell but I feel I am somehow turning this blog more into a commercial than something critical, so I will stop singing the praises of their catalog and start reviewing their Rum Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, Jolly Russian.

Jolly Russian is the one beer from Odell I found myself holding on to longer than the others. It sounded unique and as it sat in my refrigerator, I found myself putting it on a pedestal. This was mainly because I rarely see rum barrel aged beers in Western NY outside of Rum Barrel Aged Pumking every fall. While I enjoy the base beer, I am not a fan of that particular rum barrel aged beer. It tastes like someone dropped a shot of rum in old Pumking and that is about it. At its price point, I do not think it is worth it but this blog is not about Rum Barrel Aged Pumking, so I will now get back on track.

For two months, I waited for the perfect opportunity to open Jolly Russian. It turned out that moment came on a random Thursday evening and not the special occasion I envisioned it for. I took a moment before I opened it, pondering whether or not I should, before closing my eyes, hoping for the best and opening the bottle. As I poured Jolly Russian, I found myself thinking it looked a little thin. At above 13%, I was expecting a motor oil-like pour but that was not the case. The mouthfeel however quieted any fears I had about it being too thin. Instead it was silky smooth, coating the palate with rich flavors...but I am getting ahead of myself. The aroma of Jolly Russian was wonderful. Strong barrel notes of vanilla, oak, rum, spice, and leather were blended beautifully with chocolate, molasses, roasted malt and a touch of fruitiness. The first sip was complex and unique. Rum, chocolate and booze stood out the most. I frankly thought it would be a touch smoother but the booze hit a little too hard in the finish. There was also vanilla, molasses, roasted malt, coconut, leather, dark fruit before a tobacco, spicy, and as I mentioned earlier, an intensely boozy finish.

What I enjoyed the most here was the leather note. The only other beer that I can recall where that flavor is so pronounced is my favorite beer, Bourbon County from Goose Island. Needless to say, this put a big smile on my face. Speaking of bourbon barrel aged beers, I enjoyed the differences between bourbon barrel aging and rum barrel aging in an imperial stout. Rum barrel aging, as expected, leaves a beer on the sweeter side. This became very clear as Jolly Russian began to warm. By the last third of the beer, I was getting nervous it was going to get a bit too sweet and become difficult to finish, but fortunately it did not. At the same time, I will say that due to the strength of the ABV and the level of sweetness coming with each sip, one bottle is more than enough.

Overall, I really enjoyed Jolly Russian. I also enjoyed every beer I was able to try from Odell. In my small sampling of beers from Odell, I found them to be consistently good. They also make some fantastic barrel aged beers. Another great one I had from them is Mountain Standard, a Black IPA aged in bourbon barrels. At this point, I think you have probably gathered that I really like this brewery and that I hope to see their beers in Upstate NY soon.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks Uncle Jeff & thanks for reading. Sláinte!