Happy November (I know this is the second post this month, but it's the first true post)! This is a big month for me. It sits right between my two favorite holidays. It's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a challenge where I (and many other similarly-inclined fools) attempt to write fifty-thousand words of a novel in just a short thirty days. But, most importantly for the blog, it's Maple Month, wherein I explore beers and ciders crafted with my favorite adjunct, maple syrup.
We're starting off strong this month with a barleywine from Jackie O's. Calling back to Southeast Ohio's history, Iron Furnace is an ode to the Hope Furnace, a spot near and dear to my heart. Let's see if I'll hold the resulting beer in equal esteem.
It was sometime in late October when I pulled into the driveway from a trip to the bottleshop. I burst through the door, my spoils in hand. I called to Michelle from the kitchen: "Jackie O's has a Christmas beer!"
I knew then that this would be the first Christmas beer I'd visit this year. I have a pretty sparse December ahead of me: This is the first of four Christmas posts, with two of these being my traditional one-two punch for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I've consumed a lot of Christmas beers over the years. Let's see how well Jackie O's can play into this varied style.
Okay, okay. I promise you that I didn't intend to do to Jackie O's beers in a row. Hell, until a few days ago, I had no clue today's beer existed. But the stars suddenly aligned and here we are.
We're doing an owl beer today, and there's a point to it (one we'll get to in due time). Here we go: Jackie O's Double Who Cooks.
Wow. Turns out all of May slipped by without a single post. I think I've only missed an entire month once or twice (I can't be bothered to go check). Anyway, I'm here today with a special something, the kind of something that'd usually be reserved for a November post. Yet, I couldn't help myself.
Today, I'm taking a look at Jackie O's' coffee variant of my favorite beer: Bourbon Barrel Black Maple. I've had this before, when it was a draft-only offering (which was in 2017!). Fast-forward five years and Jackie O's is making dreams come true. Today's bottle isn't hitting distro, but you can order it directly from the brewery (as long as they're able to ship to you). Let's see how she's drinking.
In my previous post, I said that, with the three brews I had remaining, we were moving onto the bruisers of the month. The beer I drank then was 12% ABV. The next two get progressively stronger.
I tweeted something nearly two weeks ago that hasn't aged very well. See, when the Brood X cicadas woke up in my area in mid-May, I was sure that breweries would flood the market with beers celebrating their emergence. I mean, this was a once in seventeen years experience. It seemed like a perfect opportunity for my favorite local spots to capitalize on a unique, summery phenomenon. In fact, I had planned on commemorating Brood X with a blog series featuring cicada beers.
It's mid-January now, somehow. Which is weird. But fine, I guess? We still have the majority of 2021 spread wide before us and, while the breweries that will have long since announced their lineup for the year, there's always wiggle room for special every now and then, right?
There are some rules I'll be abiding by for my choices:
1) Each beverage on my list must be a beer
2) It needs to be a beer that's not currently available via distribution
3) It needs to be a beer whose distribution has been slumbering for at least a year (meaning that you won't see a Christmas beer that's only just returned to a brewery's vault)
4) No collaborations--while I wish some of my favorite collabs will be brewed again, I know that the odds of two or more entities working on a beer they've already done is slim to none
Now that you know how this'll be played, let's get to the list. These aren't in any particular order aside from how they came to mind. I'll give five beers I want to see hit distro and I'll tack a few extras on at the end that don't necessarily fit the criteria I've listed above. Because what's the point of rules if you can't break them?
But, here I am sitting on my balcony in late January, listening to songbirds, and drinking in every last bit of warmth this winter sun has to offer, an open can of Java the Stout at my side.
Regardless of my motives for drinking that beer, I enjoyed it. Especially that last can. I found myself identifying flavors other than hops. I looked at it not as a bitter beer, but as something more akin to a winter warmer--something complex with individual nuances to be unearthed.
I decided I'd better take my newfound appreciation for this adored style and apply it to another brew before I lose it (hey, it's happened before. Last summer, to be precise). That brew is Jackie O's New Growth, a spruce tip-infused IPA that, shocker, I also nabbed because of the can, which showcases a cool Godzilla-esque monster destroying an evergreen forest.
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| Forgot to take a picture at Devil's Kettle and my phone as dead for Jackie O's. |
Anyway, day four started at Devil's Kettle for their Wednesday Hops School offering. This time they had dry-hopped Spider Silk with summit hops, which gave the blonde ale a strong berry flavor. I visited DK three days in a row and I'm anxiously awaiting the chance to get back there.
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| I couldn't get a picture of Pigskin's logo. Oops. |
My apartmentmate was in Athens, Ohio last weekend visiting a friend. When I found out she was going I asked her to pick up some Jackie O's for me. Upon arriving at her friend's, she texted me to find out what I wanted (specifically asking if I wanted a six pack or a growler). I responded with something along the lines of "Just get me Chomo. Whatever is cheapest and works best for you is fine by me."
She bought a six pack out of the sheer goodness of her heart. I've saved that final can of that pack for today's post. Wanna know what I think about it?
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