Jack D'or - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

negroobserver

New York

2.08/5  rDev -49%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Jack D'or - Bottled Oct 2009 - Batch Nine

C: Nice Golden Yellow/Orange color. Pours with a very large head.

S: Malts. Citrus. Spices.

T: Very sour. I suspect that this batch has gone terribly bad. The head is rising out of the bottle and I haven't even poured it yet.

M: Over carbonated. Good texture.

D: I hope this is not representative of the type of stuff that Pretty Things has to offer. I've had a number of their beers on tap and they've been nothing like this. Disappointing because I was expecting a lot more from PT than this, although this experience won't deter me from trying more of their beer.

OVERALL GRADE: C-/D

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 19:52:15 | More by negroobserver

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -44.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A-? This beer is a yeast infection in your mouth. Bleh.

First off, super-uber bonus points for great bottle art. There appears to be a mustachio'ed onion in a tub of water...in a forest...with a "yes" pin. Right on. Freshness dating includes batch number (mine was batch #2).

Clear, orangey-yellow with a large white head and good retention. It's an opaque, creamsicle looking thing with the yeast in.

Lemon yeast with a Sour Patch kids sugaryness. Mild herbal hop stank.

Gadzooks, this is dry. I can feel it sucking the moisture out of my body. It's like a yeast infection in a bottle. Egads.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 00:14:15 | More by donkeyrunner

maximum12

Minnesota

2.33/5  rDev -42.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to the Cakanator for sending me this bomber is a very nice early summer trade. Buried this one in the yard for a while before getting out the spade this evening to unearth it.

Opaque yellow, dead-looking. Nose is dominated by lemon.

Taste is very lemony, with a strong backdraft of farmish funk at the end. Not in a terribly good way. The funk is DeathValleydry, making me pucker up rather unpleasantly. Some people seem to like horse blanket in their beer - I don't. The spices & lemon fight with the funk, but they don't have much chance. The funk strengthens as the beer warms. Um, not a recommendation. Drink it cold.

If this is a true rep of the style, it's amazing the saison didn't die centuries ago. I've had much better saisons, this one is OK, bordering on actively unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 02:44:04 | More by maximum12

KickbacksSteve

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottled Nov 2009, batch 10. Pours a hazy golden blonde with clear lacing. Small, white head. Aroma dominated by bubble gum, some sweet malt, mild hops and kumquat? Taste is dominated by vinegar like, sour and maybe unripe honeydew. Really not very pleasing. I recognize an American interpretation of a saison should have a bit of funk but I doubt this is the taste they were going for. Should this beer have fallen apart in 1.5 years? Even at only 6.4% abv, this should have held up. I just want to move on and get this taste out of my mouth. A friend shared this with me, it had a $1.49 sticker on it, maybe it was marked down because of its age?

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 07:00:51 | More by KickbacksSteve

shoky01

Texas

2.73/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz poured into stemless red wine glass.

A: Tiny bit of white head. Good lacing and carbonation. Very yellow and cloudy. Got a lot of yeast in the bottom.

S: Fruity sourness.

T: Very light. Sour bitterness. Yeah sour. And hoppy.

MF: Chalky

OA: Don't dig it, not sure if its supposed to be this way or if drink a hot chocolate prior to this had an affect.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 05:02:55 | More by shoky01

jman892

Massachusetts

2.8/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a hazy, straw color, with a long lasting foamy white head. Good lacing

S - Smells of apple cider with citrus mixed in, and some spiciness, cloves.

T - Spices are right up front and center on this, there is some lemon and funk also contributing. The spices are a bit overwhelming here, and a bit of banana creeps in.

M - Mild carbonation, very dry finish

O - Glad I tried this one, but probably wont pick this up again.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 18:46:07 | More by jman892

BDLbrewster

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light hazy shade of dandelion tinted amber with a monstrous puffy, bright white head and massive visible carbonation.

The smell is not all that complex although it is pungent. The first thing I get right off the bat is banana bread. Some sweet yeasty notes and white pepper just about sums up the nose.

Damn, the flavors come through very subdued. Some indiscernible sweetness up front followed by the slightest most minimalistic bit of drying lemony funk. The finish is nice and peppery with a hop driven spice and a touch of bitterness.

The carbonation is obviously from bottle conditioning, light and airy, effervescent and almost overdone. Thin as expected and nothing noteworthy really.

Overall I am not overly thrilled with this one, and I had high hopes. A bit of an underachievement in my eyes but I can see how a lot of people unfamiliar with the style would enjoy this immensely. Good flavors, just not nearly enough of them.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 00:56:40 | More by BDLbrewster

bkrueger

California

2.83/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bomber into a Delirium Tremens tulip. Bottled July 2011.

The artwork on this bottle and the artisanal nature of this beer is apparent. You're not going to find this in the supermarket very often I'd imagine. I specifically picked this out as a new saison to try to see how it stacks up against the regular rotation.

Appearance - This pours a straw gold transparent color with a finger plus of white head that quickly dissipates to leave large bubbles clinging to the walls and edges of the glass. It is much cleaner than I was expecting, however all of the yeast is still at the bottom of the bottle.

Smell - Crisp green freshly cut grass, lemon and other citrus fruits, esters, floral notes with white spice and aromatics of dry crispness. Not a lot of funky action going on at all in the nose.

Taste - The first taste of golden crispness and flavor is reminiscent of a Duvel, but quickly changes to a very earthy and grassy taste as it starts to go down. An almost metallic taste hits with bitterness and bite in the back of the throat. Lots of carbonation. Lots of metal and mineral like tastes that don't mesh with the desired saison taste I was hoping for. Tart green under ripe apples also are present.

Mouthfeel - The feel is crisp, carbonated, light bodied, grassy, and very metallic. Can't say it is going down like I was hoping. As it warms it adds some more texture and the beer offers a little creaminess of flavors in the whole mouth, almost chalky.

Overall - With saisons and wild ales as my beverages of choice I was excited to try this, yet came away a little disappointed. I'll let the other bottle I picked up age a while and see if the metallic tastes were a fluke. It does get better after the first half is finished but doesn't excite the palate like I'm more accustomed to.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 01:30:26 | More by bkrueger

bobhits

Kentucky

2.83/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Orange yellow color, a bit of haze but not what one expects from a belgian style beer focused on the yeast. A nice head formed but a minute later there's no lacing or head remaining. Held to the light the color goes nearly completely yellow with just enough density that I can't see through it. Again lighter in color than expected.

Not much going on here. A bit of spice and a slight sweet/fruit flavor from the yeast.

Pretty things claims there's no spice or sugar added. It isn't a sweet beer so no surprise there. The beer however has a nice spicy finish from the yeast and I have to give them credit for using 4 yeasts to creating this much complex flavor. Dry flavored beer with a bit of fruity hops and spices from yeast. I sadly can't really pull out any unique flavors, sure pears and herbs.

This is a surprisingly light bodied beer. The lower abv and no added sugar leaves a nice dry finish, but despite all this the beer's finish is long and lingering. Drinks like a high abv beer but still the dry body seems to work well for me.

I like the use of a blend of yeasts. I like that this isn't sweet. I like how there's a spice flavor without the use of spice. All that said this isn't just not my idea of a beer, but it frankly isn't all that good. I like the idea, but the end result is an interesting but not enjoyable beer. I think people who like this style of beer well be rather happy with it, but if this isn't a style you really seek out this is an easy beer to pass on.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 11:09:22 | More by bobhits

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bomber courtesy of jsilva bottled September 2010, consumed July 2011. A fairly aggressive pour into a Duvel tulip coaxes a modest white head atop the hazy gold body. A skim of foam sticks around, but little lacing is left behind.

There seems to be a certain woodsy quality in the nose, joining (blunting?) muted presences of yeast and spices. A touch of funk. Tastes more lively, although the thickish body seems to bog things down a bit. The hop bitterness seems to cut through the body more effectively than the spices (cloves, allspice, white pepper) or tanginess (sweetened lemon, yeast, a vague sour presence). Modest funkiness develops as it warms. I’d love to see some more of the earthy and spicy notes coaxed out of this. Compared to upper-tier saisons, Jack D’Or is somewhat lacking in ‘oomph’, but pretty tasty and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 15:12:29 | More by PDXHops

CharlieMurphy

New York

2.93/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Batch 20 - Nov. 2010

22 -> pint

A: light amber, film-width head that remains, constant bottle conditioned carbonation

S: light funk, low alcohol, almost a macro lager aroma, not much else to feel out

T: less/practically no funk, a spicy dry pale ale feel that's accentuated by the carbonation. I like it but would never think it a saison if not for the nose. I don't know if this is what they were going for or this batch is off or past its prime or what.

M: Light dryness, quickly fading big dry carbonation which leaves the pale ale type spice on the top of the throat

D: Wouldn't bother drinking this again, esp for $8 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 06:09:17 | More by CharlieMurphy

n2185

North Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -27%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bomber into a tulip.

A: A hazy golden yellow with only about half a finger of white head even with a rough pour, which quickly dissipates into a small ring on the edges of the glass. Very little to no lacing.

S: Coriander and orange rind up front followed by a sweet Belgian spice and yeast aroma.

T: Similar to the smell, there's coriander and orange rind up front followed by a Belgian yeast and spice flavor. Unfortunately, there's a very metallic flavor in the aftertaste with some residual bitterness.

M: Light body with medium carbonation. Nothing really sticks out either way.

D: The light body along with the yeast and spice characteristics make it similar to a witbier, and as such it goes down pretty easily. Unfortunately the lingering metallic flavor keeps me from wanting to go back for more.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 22:23:18 | More by n2185

ptykozoon

California

3.03/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Glowing amber, head goes to layer fast, slightly sticky lacing.

Sweet apple, cane sugar, lemon, pear, peach.

Earthy, floral taste. Spice. I'd like a bit more fruit in this.

Bitter and dry well carb'd crisp mouthfeel. No finish.

I like saisons but this one was mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 19:10:03 | More by ptykozoon

vfgccp

New York

3.05/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottled Dec 2010. Drank Feb 2011.

A - Pearly white head. Super frothy with a nice lace. Body is a pale yellow straw.

S - Earthy. Carnations, rose stems, hay, yeast. Hint of ginger.

T - Spicey hops up front: thyme, tarragon. Touch of dry hay. Pepper. Middle and end of the profile carry a strong, lemon pith bitterness. Unforunately, for me at least, I felt that end note really overwhelmed the rest of the flavors.

M - Bitter pine throughout the finish. Ends semi-dry.

D - The bitterness ramps up pretty hard on your palate. A shame too, I really enjoyed the rest of the profile.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 00:34:02 | More by vfgccp

womencantsail

California

3.08/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to Joe for sending this one to me in the 666 BIF.

A: The pour is a hazy light golden yellow color with a big white head.

S: A dominant lemon aroma in the nose. A bit of spice and yeast, along with some mild bread aromas. But then some more lemons.

T: The lemons are again up front and really takes over. Just a mild funk, malt, and yeast note because the lemon flavor invades every aspect of the sips you take.

M: The body is light to medium with a high carbonation.

D: This could be a good beer, but the lemon character needs to be dialed back.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2010 04:22:57 | More by womencantsail

Zorro

California

3.13/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Obtained in trade with Damian.

Clear golden to light amber colored beer with a nice off-white colored head.

Smell is sweet and a little spicy but not much hops or flowers.

The taste starts out sweet and a little spicy with a mildly bitter aftertaste. Not a lot of subtle flavors here this is a basic Saison and not much more.

Mouthfeel is OK.

This is a boring beer, really wish the rest of the bottle was Hennepin or something like that.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2009 03:59:29 | More by Zorro

williamherbert

New York

3.13/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Out of a 22 oz bottle...

The appearance is golden nectar yellow. The film of head remains on top. Super cloudy body. Actually looks really really impressive.

The smell is a fizzy champagne-like aroma. Touch of chlorine. Belgian funk spice. Not bad but...

The taste is heavy citrus and a major funk. Ze bitter Germanic hops. More of that chlorine flavor, but sorta fits with the funk I suppose. Still...

The feel is bubbly like champagne. Lots of fizz. Appropriate for style, but a little sharp. It's not stellar, because it's so sharp and so fizzy, but it's drinkable for a saison. Citrus, chlorine and a Belgian funk spice.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2009 03:05:34 | More by williamherbert

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of daysinthewake. Served in a Mikasa tulip. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a clear golden color with a nice white head that falls quickly without leaving much lacing behind. The nose carries a bit of fruit and light grain. Faint spice. The flavor is grainy and too dry. Excessive bitterness for the flavor, as there's not much there to back it up. Mildly tannic and thin. Good carbonation. Decent, but not something I'd go back to. Too much bitterness without any real saison flavor to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 15:16:49 | More by Thorpe429

bierschmecktgut

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

first pour into pint glass from 22oz bottle- brilliantly clear straw color. Head was bright and high but fell to an inch for the remainder.

Definite hops presence but not offensive, spicy pop with hints of citrus

hoppy bitterness is the first hit, totally masking the sweetness of malt, sharp after taste on back of tongue

Dry beer with that astringent lingering after each sip, not super pleasant but not disgusting either, typical for belgian high temp fermenting ales.

Not sure I'd grab this next time with huge enthusiasm.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 03:50:31 | More by bierschmecktgut

TommyW

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- Hazy gold body with a thin, white head that sticks a little.

S- Grassy malt, hay, floral hops and a touch of citrus peel.

T- Dry malts with a dusty yeast presence. Floral and herbal hops come in along with some spice. The finish is fairly bitter.

M- Medium body with a medium carbonation.

D- This beer just didn't do it for me. I like the idea of adding some extra hops to a Belgian saison, but in execution it wasn't so great. I think I was expecting more of a saison, but the hops and spice dominated the taste a little too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 01:52:38 | More by TommyW

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle. Pours a cloudy orange with a nice fluffy white head. Belgian yeast aroma is the initial smell followed by some fruity/floral notes. Bitter rind flavor followed by the belgian yeast, Ends with a lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel was light/medium.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 19:46:10 | More by kbutler1

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Fluffy 1-finger head fades slowly; minimal lacing; cloudy light gold colored beer.

Very yeasty, slightly musty aroma. Bitterness very forward in the tasting, but not really a hop bitterness...yeastiness follows behind..slightly tangy. Vaguely grapefruity/pithy taste.

Fairly dry with medium low carbonation. Quenching.

Overall not as interesting or complex as I'd have hoped. The bitterness really outshines the other subtler flavor aspects of this beer. Didn't really excite me too much. Kind of one-note.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 16:12:51 | More by tobelerone

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip glass.

A - Pours a very light orange with a small white head. Decent retention and some lacing.

S - Muted citrus - Oranges and lemons, a slight spice.

T - Citrus, but mild, some funk, belgian yeast flavors.

D - Light body and medium carbonation.

O - Very muted and mild flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 05:27:11 | More by HuskyinPDX

Marty30

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to cosmicevan for hooking me up with this! Batch 9 oct.2009.Poured into A Founders snifter at fridge temp.

A. Hazy orange copper type color body. With tons of carbonation,big fluffy 4 finger head even when I poured carefully.Leaves good lacing behind.

S. Grassy belgian yeast hits the nose first,along with a good whiff of sourness.Some lemon and banana.

T. I definately think something is up with this,its has a sour vinigar taste I don't think it is intended to be this way. But after you get past the sourness you get the grassy peppery notes.

M. Mouth is not bad,I would say medium but on the lighter side of the spectrum. Just so damn carbonated.

Overall something maybe up with this Still not really bad,I would like to try this fresh.I always hear great things about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 15:18:00 | More by Marty30

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Batch 21, bottled December 2010. This beer has slowly been becoming a MA staple since it's release.

Pours hazy pale orange, white head quickly turns to a cap and thick bubbly ring. Leaves a bit of lacing.

Smell is faint, but it's typical saison stuff. Belgian yeast, wet grass, tame hay/barnyard, some peppery spice.

The taste however is something else...more like the saison/IPA hybrid I think they were going for. All sorts of things are present...yeast, baked bread, spice, earth. Hops are strong and all over the place - lemon, pine, floral, grapefruit. Some hints of apple and champagne. The Belgian side of it is done pretty well and has authenticity to it, the American hops however don't mesh well and are a bit too strong. Lemon is overpowering, winds up having a Pine-Sol feel to it.

Eh, not bad, but a weird mix of flavors...the Belgian side is nice and is strong but it'd be better if they toned down the hops alot, or just left it a regular saison. Or at least got rid of the weird ultra-lemon/medicinal/cleaning product aspect.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 00:24:42 | More by Chico1985