Seasonal Farmhouse release that focuses on local Texas ingredients. This one is chock full of grapefruit zest, fresh rosemary, and dried chilis, there’s no shortage of those here. What you get is a savory wonderland of funky flavor. It’s delightful.
C: Pale Copper
A: Apricot, pear, grape with savory rosemary
T: Light fruits with bread and bitter citrus peel
F: Dry, with warmth from the chilis
B: Light to medium
This rendition of Provenance features lemon and lime. These fruits come through in the flavor more than any other, which is the idea, I suppose. Tons of zesty citrus, mostly peel, and light honey flavors, this is another one that speaks to the day drinking part of my brain.
C: Opaque, deep golden lemon
A: Lemon and lime, herbal
T: Fresh, spritzy citrus with clover honey
F: Soft mouthfeel and dry finish
B: Light to medium
Final Entropy is a collaboration with Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery in Athens, Ohio. A simple incarnation, it’s a Kolsch-style brew with all the grass, sweet hay, cracker, and light citrus you would expect, but with a Jester King twist; it’s funky and tart as hell. Easy drinking at 5.3% ABV and perfect for a hot day in the Hill Country.
C: Slightly hazy deep golden
A: Heavy grass with citrus peel; savory cracker
T: Essence of the fields with dry grass, sweet hay, and an herbaceous sweetness
F: Tart and dry
B: Medium
This Flanders Red-style ale is brewed in honor of one of the original brewers of JK beers, Russ Beattie. It’s a hefty beer brimming with flavor; barrel-aged, unpasteurized, unfiltered, naturally conditioned, and brewed with unicorn tears. Anyway, it’s magnificent.
C: Hazy mahogany
A: Wood, for sure, plus tart prunes, figs
T: Figs and prunes continue with leather, vanilla and tobacco; super tart
F: Oak brings tons of balance to all that tart fruit
B: Medium to full
This fabulous bitch is brewed as a collaboration with Live Oak Brewing Co. They bring their classic Hefeweizen and JK brings the beast…I mean yeast. It has the aroma of funky toes and that is a beautiful thing. It comes with all the appropriate accouterments; banana, bubblegum, clove and then takes you to the tarty darkside. And boom…you’re in love.
C: Clear golden…surprisingly
A: Tart banana bread, with a heavy dash of toe cheese (yes!!)
T: Banana again, with bubblegum, apricot and lighter fruits as well as clovey goodness
F: Quick, tart and bready
B: Light
This American Imperial Stout packs all the punches you would expect from Clown Shoes…booze, deeply roasted grains, highly roasted coffee. It’s delectable and while I want about 13 bottles of it to swim in, I better stick to just one with this hefty 10.5% ABV.
C: Black as night
A: Toasted pumpernickel bread, bitter chocolate, espresso
T: All the same with hints of black licorice and all the booze
F: Long, long, long boozy finish
B: Thick and murky like a Turkish coffee
It’s Friday! That means it’s time to drink the most poundable, sessionable offerings from your faves. This week it’s Odell Loose Leaf on the chopping block.
It’s nearly July, it’s Texas, it’s 1 million degrees Kelvin…yes that’s a thing, so you know what I want to drink tonight? A barrel-aged Imperial Stout, obviously. That Deschutes Abyss has been calling my name since I dropped it in the fridge a while ago. A beer like that usually calls for celebratory circumstances but, screw it, what’s worth celebrating more than the end of the work week.
Tragically, this is my first run in with Urban Family Brewing Company, a travesty I plan to remedy again and again and again. I’m a huge fan of Saison, the funkier the better. Think, foot sweat dribbled onto a horse blanket with a little bit of light fruit for posterity. Amazing! This Brett Farmhouse Ale delivers, on all accounts.
Russian River’s Pliny the Elder has long been a fan favorite. Whispers of Pliny sightings pass between beer nerds, the ones lucky enough to lay eyes on this Imperial IPA anyway. And long has this west coast mainstay been at the top of the list, 8 years to be exact. Zymurgy magazine releases its yearly Best Beers list every June, outlining the voted favorites of the year. This year, much to the surprise of its readers, the king has been dethroned.