Pepperjack Hand Crafted Ale - Saltram of Barossa

Morningstorm

Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +18.7%

03-25-2012 20:04:33 | More by Morningstorm

Dinkel

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%

02-09-2013 14:42:41 | More by Dinkel

mungus

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

01-23-2013 14:09:26 | More by mungus

hopnerd

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

05-01-2012 10:41:19 | More by hopnerd

heygeebee

Australia

2.83/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a one finger head over a clear bronze body. Head dies quickly - good lacing.

Smell of earthy hops.

Taste is very hoppy and dry, but no real body. Hint of caramel and orange peel. An oddity but that is what I suppose a 'brewed with Shiraz grapes' would get you (you can't taste these). Dryness builds, as it goes down. This is a Bad thing.

Mouthfeel is OK with good carbonation.

Top 100 beer? I don't think so.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 07:43:30 | More by heygeebee

dansmcd

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Burnt orange amber with a finger of white fizzy head.

S - Grassy hops, bread, ginger, orange peel.

T - Nice balance of biscuity malt to earthy, grassy hops. Not a powerful flavour.

M - Light to medium body, moderate carbonation.

O - Better than I expected, pretty sweet and soft but I could revisit without a problem.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 14:18:46 | More by dansmcd

PolarBear3

Australia

2.6/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Drank from my Duval Tulip

A - Poured a nice amber/ruby colour with a off white small head that disappears very quickly leaving a little lacing.

S - Sweet malt aromas, fruity and some toffee/caramel

T - I get the sweet malts and a little caramel up front. Along with some citrus fruits to go with an average dry finish.

M - Light bodied with medium carbonation

O - An average beer that initially starts well with the sweet malts but I was disappointed with the very ordinary and rather tasteless dry finish. It definately lacks that real full flavour that leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 13:24:42 | More by PolarBear3

MenInVen

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

12-29-2011 22:32:24 | More by MenInVen

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was sent to me from MrKennedy, a big thanks to him!

This brew showed up on the top 100 list from Australia so I figured I'd give it a try. The beer pours out as a nice amber color with a slight orange highlight to it. The head is thin and white but leaves a good lacing down the glass. The smell of the beer has a strong malt aroma, there wasn't too much in the way of hops. The smell is also a little sweet. The taste is full of malts, can't really get the grape flavor too much. There is a slightly sweet dryness inthe flavor. The mouthfeel is about medium bodied and pretty smooth. Overall this beer turned out to be a bit different than I expected. The name made me think it might be spicy but it was more along the lines of just a standard amber ale. It was a good brew though and very happy to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 22:50:56 | More by Knapp85

rjimlad

Australia

4.22/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I'm amazed at how this beer polarized reviewers. I found it poured with a beautiful tea colour and an explosion of spicy aromas. Not much head though. Aroma had grapefruit, rose hip and ginger and maybe more if I were good enough to find it. Flavour is crisp and spicy with a clean bitter finish and grapefruit tang. Mouthfeel is sparkly and dry but I found drinkability down a little because of the big hop finish.
I was surprised at how much I ended up liking this as I thought it would be another wine boutique experiment. Saltram is ages old and a respected winemaker from the Barossa and this beer is a good addition to the marque.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 08:26:24 | More by rjimlad

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A beer with ShirAZZ grapes from the Barossa Valley...WHAT!?!?! That can't possibly be good! WELL I WAS WRONG! This beer is quite pleasant and yet different from other beers. It had a Amber color and decent head. The scent contained a citrus fruit aroma, very subtle not overpowering. The taste was good. The grapes gave the beer a hint of west coast pale ale. I probably could drink 1-3, but anymore than that would be tough. Not a Session for me, but well worth the taste!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 06:49:36 | More by WoodBrew

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a light layer of white head. Color is a burnt copper orange.

Aroma: Floral grassy hops. Bready, caramel malts. Amber-ale like.

Taste: caramel, bready, and biscuit malts. Grassy, earthy hops. Pretty simple.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth. Light bodied with a medium body. Ends fairly clean.

Overall, basically an amber to me. Simple is a good work to describe it. Average drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 05:55:39 | More by mothman

dgilks

Australia

3.73/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Moderately clear copper colour with a small off-white head.

Mild fruity aroma, slightly nutty with a hint of toast. There's also a fair bit of caramel. Not bad.

Smooth, mild malt which lets some fruity hops shine through. You can't really taste the grapes but this is a well crafted beer.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. Good.

A decent APA with plenty of fruit notes. Pretty good for something put out by a winery.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 05:54:24 | More by dgilks

ADZA

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I gotta admit its been a while since ive last tried this and was interested in refreshing the palette,it pours a ruby amber hue with average carbonation that leaves behind a fast vanishing one finger head and very little lacing in fact only a rim of it,the smell is not bad with hints of grape,mango,lychee,fruity hops and barley,the mouthfeel is abit of a let down in my eyes as it is very thin almost wineish and could be fuller and the taste is abit better with flavours of toffee,raisins,lychee,light caramel and it finishes with a light citrus burst,overall its a very easy beer to drink that lacks a nice mouthfeel and could be more flavoursome i detect very little grape characters but they are there and i would be most interested to see what this brew would be classed as if not a fruit/vege brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 12:18:25 | More by ADZA

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.98/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark amber with a large quickly fading head.
Nose shows lots of fruity hops: pineapple, mango and orange blossom are all noticeable. A fair bit of caramel, toasted and nutty malt shows as well.
Flavours almost perfectly mirror the aroma - lots of light fruity hops with caramel, toasted and nutty malt following.
Moderate carbonation suits the beer well.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2010 06:24:19 | More by CrazyDavros

istarilord

Hawaii

3.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have to say the stylish labeling on the bottle compared to it's neighbors in the freezer case upped my expectations (as well a bartender telling me it was a recently popular craft brew).

Overall a decent ale with a reasonable amount of hoppiness balancing out a mellow malt. The fruit flavors do come through (as per the description on the bottle!) but overall the flavor is well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2009 09:17:19 | More by istarilord

Finite

Australia

3.68/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - Golden to light amber in colour, exelent head retention, reasonable lacing

s - rich sweet malt profile, well balanced perhaps a little dull but otherwise very appealing. floral hop aroma

t - biscuty malt, some darker flavours alsot there, slight toffee light sweetness. Hops arent very obvious but still balances well. I dont get any of the shiraz flavour which has been suggested but doesnt bother.

m - great mouthfeel, spot of carbonation, quite filling and thickier than one might expect but not at all distracting from its drinkabilty.

d - good, east to drink but also a bit of flavour. I would put this closer to an irish red ale than a fruit beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2009 08:18:39 | More by Finite

juju7

Australia

3.73/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Looks the part colour-wise, nice mahogany red with a tight, off-white head. Sweet dried fruits on the nose with the shiraz notes coming through but not over powering. Tidy sweetness with firm bitterness. A little light in body for what it is. Still, a tidy little beer that is pleasant enough to warrant a revisit

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 13:07:48 | More by juju7

joecast

Australia

3.18/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

heard some interesting thoughts on this at beerfest so picked up a bottle recently.

certainly has a fantastic look to it. ruby color with a lightly tanned head about 1cm thick. medium high carbonation.

aroma is a bit underwhelming. some floral and sweet malt aspects are in the background but the grape/wine tart aspect overshadows it.

the grape/wine give a sense of bitterness, at least to me, which is interesting. a bit one dimensional though as its pretty bland outside of that.

an interesting experiment, but one that im happy to leave at one stubbie.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2008 08:14:03 | More by joecast

Macca

Australia

3.55/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I must say I was a little hesitant when contemplating this. The old drinking adage of never mix the grape and the grain came to mind but I was very pleasantly surprised.

It poured a ruby red with a good head. Shiraz dominated the aromas and the palate. This gave off some stewed fruit flavours. Guessing it was a big wine. I am sure there was a well crafted beer contributing as well but it was the vinous characteristics which dominated and that isn't a bad thing.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2008 07:59:18 | More by Macca

WHROO

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

ruby red, with no head & minimal lacing. Carbonation low. It looks more like a wine this winery/brewery is more famous for.
Some floral hops in aroma, & a little winey sweetness, with malts present to remind us its a beer.
I really enjoyed the flavour, floraly, with some nice malts & finishes a little dry with no bitterness. It constantly told me this was brewed from a winery.
I got a menthol sensation in the mouthfeel & a touch oiley (surprised me a little)
It was not too complex, but I did enjoy...one to please the boutique beer lovers for sure.
I will definately sample again!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 09:34:50 | More by WHROO

koolk

Australia

3.13/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Interestingly unique colour of red-amber with no head and little lacing.

Strong hop dominate nose of white fruits and some floral notes blend well with a sweetish malt background. Not overly complex yet nice enough.

Odd mixture of flavours on the palate - a weird grapish (not wine, but grape must flavours) lead way to a sweet malt kicker. Low bitterness and a very very short finish that is a little drying.

It is well carbonated yet the sweeter notes aren't well enough balanced out. Lacks a bit of body as well.

Not a bad effort considering they are winemakers ;)

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2008 09:45:32 | More by koolk

laituegonflable

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown amber hue with a little bit of beige head. Very good lacing, thick and sticky.

Acrid wine characters on the nose. Lots of floral hops make this an odd hybrid of nice bitter/red wine. Quite good though, I certainly rate it.

Front palate has a hint of caramel, good hops follow in later. However, overall the palate is a bit short and a bit watery. The flavours are there and the flavours are good but there's not enough of them. Mouthfeel is likewise a bit watery, like you can feel the flavours there but then once you've swallowed it's like "Did I just drink that, or what?" you just can't tell.

Drinkable though, and like I said the flavours are good. I just want more of them, dammit!

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 16:48:24 | More by laituegonflable

Cs1987

Australia

3.4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Darkish amber, with 3 fingers of head that reduced.

Smell - Strong, quite hoppy and a little bit fruity.

Taste - The hops aren't very evident in the taste, and it is not as fruity as I hoped either. The splash of Pepperjack Shiraz doesn't seem to be a particularly good addition. Not bad, but a little disappointing.

Mouthfeel - Average aftertaste, good texture and carbonation.

Drinkability - Easy to drink, but not very interesting.

Overall - A little below par for an Australian ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2008 00:18:19 | More by Cs1987

jarmby1711

Australia

4.3/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pepper jack by name Cracker Jack by nature.
this is an impressive little number.
A brilliant resddish teak in colour it looks appealing.
The hops kick in with aromatics on the nose and continue with refinement on the palate.
Stewed fruit flavours and a subtle hint of the Shiraz grapes used in the brewing over ride the balanced grain background.
A brilliant and very enjoyable beer

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2008 23:36:22 | More by jarmby1711