This Farmhouse Rye IPA is every bit the beer I want from this magical brewery. Bright, zesty sweetness from the rye and minty, floral notes from the hops give themselves over, willingly, to the yeasty goodness and tart funkiness.
C: Hazy sunshine golden
A: Funkiness with floral, herbal, and minty hops
T: Balanced with tart citrus, and bright lemon juice and all the same hop aromas
F: Quick, slightly dry finish
B: Medium
The Queen’s Order is a new incarnation from Jester King. It’s brewed with guajillo honey and two types of Texas lemons; these guys source the crap out of Texas products. It was actually brewed for an Austin Honey Beer Summit, so that honey flavor goes a long way.
C: Hazy lemon
A: Bitter lemon rind and funk
T: Spritzy lemon peel with bready notes
F: Bitter lemon, then quick and dry
B: Medium
This Hoppy Farmhouse Ale is an oldie but goodie; we tasted Batch 18 on our visit. It’s brewed with Noble hops and native yeast as well as Hill Country well water, duh. This guy doesn’t overwhelm the taste buds with complexity, but has the right amount of light fruits and farmhouse funk. A perfect beer for day drinking in an idyllic setting. Like the Texas Hill Country perhaps.
C: Pale straw
A: Slightly overripe pear with grass
T: Funk, light fruits, hay and grass, with light cracker notes
F: Lingering, dry finish
B: Light body
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
Flying Dog Brewery has officially terminated its membership with the Brewers Association (BA), citing changes to the not-for-profit industry trade organization’s Advertising and Marketing Code that are aimed at addressing “sexually explicit, lewd, or demeaning brand names, language, text, graphics, photos, video, or other images.”