Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Pours wall to wall black. No color to be found. Beige head. Puffs up big with the initial pour. Good lacing and retention. Nailed the look. The aroma is heavy on chocolate, molasses and doughy malt. Some pine and citrus hoppiness in there, as well. There’s more sweet roasted malt character than I expect from the style. It’s a pleasant aroma, but it’s more of a schwarzbier on steroids than a hoppy schwarzbier, at least in my opinion. I’m getting a fair bit of roast fruitiness. Pretty rich. Clean lager flavor. The taste is fairly sweet and still quite rich. Lots of fudge and treacle. Big coffee and pine needle finish. Again, over the top for the style, but still a very well made beer and quite tasty. I’m still not convinced that big hops and big roasted malt works well together, but this is a pleasant enough attempt, and I’m sure fans of American Black Ales and whatnot will like this beer. Very creamy mouthfeel. A bit much for the style, but who cares. This is a very good beer, and I would have called it an ale in a blind tasting. Knowing it’s a lager, I can bit out some of that clean yeastiness, but the hops and malt are too big for me to have guessed right.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Pours deep gold into a Sam glass. White head with good retention recedes leaving spider lacing. Tangerine and resin aromas. Soft with sweet tropical fruit and resin upfront turning hot in the earthy grapefruit pith finish.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Pours black into a tulip. Off-white head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Sweet chocolate, vanilla and oak aromas. Thick with chocolate and bourbon upfront turning hot in the vanilla, espresso and oak finish. Nice.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Sampled at EBF. Pours a hazy amber with some creamy, white head. Nose is dusty, lightly sweet, malt, light fruit. Flavor is wood, malt, apple, caramel, dust. Medium bodied, dry finish.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
Sampled at EBF. Pours a watery, translucent black with zero head. Nose of licorice, vanilla, wood, malt. Flavor is sweet, licorice, chocolate, caramel, brown sugar. Full, sweet finish. Fairly simple.
nimbleprop (16712) reviewed Numb Swagger from Jack's Abby Craft Lagers 12 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Sampled at EBF. Pours a clear cola brown with some white head. Unique aroma, birch syrup, malt, mint. Flavor of wood, tooth paste, birch, root beer, even a little ginger. Herbal finish. Neat.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
On tap at EBF 3/16/13. Nice chocolate and light roast with hints of vanilla bourbon and oak. Smooth as hell and a pleasure to drink.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Sampled at EBF. Pours a clear amber with some cloudy, white ehad. Nose is malty, apples, caramel. Flavor is malty, sweet, caramel, coconut. Medium bodied, sweet finish. Overly simplistic.
nimbleprop (16712) reviewed Jabby Bräu from Jack's Abby Craft Lagers 12 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
50cl bottle pours a clear gold with some frothy, white head. nose is malt, lightly hoppy, lemon, light pine, orange, bread. Smells like a watered down IPA. Flavor is malty, orange, light caramel, bread with honey. Medium bodied, dry finish.
CLW (16859) reviewed Smoke & Dagger from Jack's Abby Craft Lagers 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Draft @ Ward Eight, Lowell MA. 10 oz. mug shows deep brown in a poorly lit bar. Thin tan head some lace. Chocolate, light grain and subtle smoke. Flavor follows the nose with some coffee ground and caramel notes as well. I’m really glad the smoke is subtle. Texture is kind of sticky, light syrup. The body is exactly as it should be for a dark lager. This brewer pulled off a tuff thing to do for me. A smoked beer that I enjoyed drinking. Well done Gents!!