Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Mild Ale, 3.5%
Reported IBUs: ?
I hope everyone had a safe New Year. You know...didn't drink and drive, called for a cab home in advance, "sprayed and prayed." The last bit isn't a reference to going on a rampage, so figure it out.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Jester King's beer in Chicago...although sad that they didn't have any Black Metal in stock. Jester King Craft Brewery was founded by brothers Jeff and Michael Steffing in 2010. The brewery is located in Texas Hill Country, outside of Austin. The brewery is an authentic farmhouse brewery that focuses on making artisan/farmhouse ales. The brewery uses its own well water, along with "naturally occurring yeast" from the Texas Hill Country (spontaneous fermentation) to brew their beers. They also emphasis organic ingredients, and age many of their beers on oak. Their website is very cool, so check it out.
I am digging Jester King's bottle artwork...if you roll over to Jester King's beer page, you can find out about tonight's beer. The Commercial Suicide -- named as such because it doesn't feature a ton of hops, and doesn't crank up the ABV -- is a "Mild Ale" that combines the "English pub ale" with "French farmhouse." The beer is also aged on American oak. This beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally conditioned. Clocking in at 3.5% ABV, this mild beer is brewed with munich, caramunich, abbey, chocolate, and wheat malts; it uses East Kent Goldings hops; and is fermented by Farmhouse Yeast. The beer is matured on American White Oak Spirals (which are cut up pieces of wood, and not an actual barrel). Let's glass this up and see how this holds up.
The beer pours a dark brown color, not quite getting to black, with near two fingers of gray/sandy/off-white head. The head has all the makings of a Farmhouse Ale/Saison, with that thin, funky carbonation. When held to a bright light, this beer is a murky red color, with an unfiltered and cloudy middle. The head remains off-white, the body is murky/juicy, and you can't really see the carbonation. There's some lacing clinging like that 6 you dumped at Denny's three months ago who won't stop texting.
The aroma is pleasant and mild, with some light malt. Actually, I'm getting some hints of wood on the nose, and lots of band-aids with maybe a hint of plastic, and horse stable. The Munich Malts shine through. I'm getting some nuts and nuttiness...more wood, maybe oak? And a hint of elusive fruitiness I can't quite place. This has a fairly complex nose, all things considered.
This is a tough one...at 3.5%, this is very mild! Shocking, I know, right? Where to start with the taste...you get watery clairvoyance at first. If you dig around, you pick up some nice wood, sauna, and some very mild oak. The malts are very mild, but remind me of some of the Autumn beers that dial up the Munich Malts. You get some mild nuttiness, hints of elusive dried fruit, and maybe even very light toast/bread. This beer definitely has an English vibe going on. There's a hint of buttery in this, along with some smoke. And you do get very, very mild band-aid/barnyard.
This is well-carbonated, slightly creamy, and soooo smooth. At 3.5% ABV, this drinks as easy as you would expect it to. Palate depth is good for the ABV, and complexity is fairly high. The mouthfeel here is light, with lively/high carbonation and a smooth feeling on the palate. Up front is wood, dry fruits; this rolls into smoke, band-aids, mild butter; the back end is oak, wood, lingering funk finish. The finish is clean and dry.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Jester King's beer in Chicago...although sad that they didn't have any Black Metal in stock. Jester King Craft Brewery was founded by brothers Jeff and Michael Steffing in 2010. The brewery is located in Texas Hill Country, outside of Austin. The brewery is an authentic farmhouse brewery that focuses on making artisan/farmhouse ales. The brewery uses its own well water, along with "naturally occurring yeast" from the Texas Hill Country (spontaneous fermentation) to brew their beers. They also emphasis organic ingredients, and age many of their beers on oak. Their website is very cool, so check it out.
I am digging Jester King's bottle artwork...if you roll over to Jester King's beer page, you can find out about tonight's beer. The Commercial Suicide -- named as such because it doesn't feature a ton of hops, and doesn't crank up the ABV -- is a "Mild Ale" that combines the "English pub ale" with "French farmhouse." The beer is also aged on American oak. This beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally conditioned. Clocking in at 3.5% ABV, this mild beer is brewed with munich, caramunich, abbey, chocolate, and wheat malts; it uses East Kent Goldings hops; and is fermented by Farmhouse Yeast. The beer is matured on American White Oak Spirals (which are cut up pieces of wood, and not an actual barrel). Let's glass this up and see how this holds up.
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| Commercial Suicide Oaked |
The beer pours a dark brown color, not quite getting to black, with near two fingers of gray/sandy/off-white head. The head has all the makings of a Farmhouse Ale/Saison, with that thin, funky carbonation. When held to a bright light, this beer is a murky red color, with an unfiltered and cloudy middle. The head remains off-white, the body is murky/juicy, and you can't really see the carbonation. There's some lacing clinging like that 6 you dumped at Denny's three months ago who won't stop texting.
The aroma is pleasant and mild, with some light malt. Actually, I'm getting some hints of wood on the nose, and lots of band-aids with maybe a hint of plastic, and horse stable. The Munich Malts shine through. I'm getting some nuts and nuttiness...more wood, maybe oak? And a hint of elusive fruitiness I can't quite place. This has a fairly complex nose, all things considered.
This is a tough one...at 3.5%, this is very mild! Shocking, I know, right? Where to start with the taste...you get watery clairvoyance at first. If you dig around, you pick up some nice wood, sauna, and some very mild oak. The malts are very mild, but remind me of some of the Autumn beers that dial up the Munich Malts. You get some mild nuttiness, hints of elusive dried fruit, and maybe even very light toast/bread. This beer definitely has an English vibe going on. There's a hint of buttery in this, along with some smoke. And you do get very, very mild band-aid/barnyard.
This is well-carbonated, slightly creamy, and soooo smooth. At 3.5% ABV, this drinks as easy as you would expect it to. Palate depth is good for the ABV, and complexity is fairly high. The mouthfeel here is light, with lively/high carbonation and a smooth feeling on the palate. Up front is wood, dry fruits; this rolls into smoke, band-aids, mild butter; the back end is oak, wood, lingering funk finish. The finish is clean and dry.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. Like Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Bière, I have to credit this beer for being so damn drinkable and light. I'm kind of digging this whole low-ABV thing, and it's nice to see a Mild Ale that is aged on wood, features some spontaneous yeast funk, and has nice flavors to boot. Food pairings? Something light, I would think. Maybe with rustic chicken and potatoes, or rustic anything. I also think you could pair this with anything English pub food. A 750ml bottle of this was 7 or 8 bucks...totally worth trying, and a beer you won't feel bad drinking by yourself.
Random Thought: Then again, it is fun to drink 750ml of a high-ABV Imperial something. Yay for alcoholism!!!
I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. Like Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Bière, I have to credit this beer for being so damn drinkable and light. I'm kind of digging this whole low-ABV thing, and it's nice to see a Mild Ale that is aged on wood, features some spontaneous yeast funk, and has nice flavors to boot. Food pairings? Something light, I would think. Maybe with rustic chicken and potatoes, or rustic anything. I also think you could pair this with anything English pub food. A 750ml bottle of this was 7 or 8 bucks...totally worth trying, and a beer you won't feel bad drinking by yourself.
Random Thought: Then again, it is fun to drink 750ml of a high-ABV Imperial something. Yay for alcoholism!!!
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