Double Jack - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Docer

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

- Pours a crystal clear light shiny penny copper color.. minimal off-white finger of head quickly down to a bubbly ring and some scattered islands of thin foam.

- Big citrus and fruit salad-like scent... caramel and grainy malt... some bitterness, earthy and grassy notes.

- Rather big sweet caramel citrus double IPA. Sweet caramel grains, citrus hops, earthy and nutty.. slightly buttery.. overall not too bad, but not quite what I was hoping it to be. Little too sweet and grainy for me.. not enough of that biscuity bready west-coast like IPA'ness..

- Medium bodied, bubbly, bit sticky and thin.. chewy, slightly drying..

- Overall it is drinkable, but a bit too sweet for my taste in double IPA's. To be quite honest.. it is much like the Pyramid Outburst I just had before it.. and that was under $7 a 6-pack. Price doesn't affect my beer judging.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 02:27:38 | More by Docer

BarrelO

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a snifter.

A: Deep amber, almost reddish body. Decent head with a bit of lacing.

S: Citrus, tropical fruits, honey.

T: Grapefruit and pine from the hops. Honey and toffee from the malt. On the sweet side for an IPA.

M: Medium-bodied, syrupy and sticky.

D: This beer had the unfortunate burden of meeting impossible expectations. Union Jack is probably my all-time favorite IPA. Plus, Kevin at Grape & Gourmet praised this to the moon, saying that it was as good as Pliny. Given that backdrop, I couldn't help but be disappointed. This may not be God's gift to hopheads, but it is a very very solid DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 02:09:58 | More by BarrelO

CaptainTripps

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a duvel tulip.

A: I must have to say, this beer is gorgeous, crystal clear shimmering copper/amber with golden/orange hues on the edges. Creamy off white head; 1 fingers worth. Good head retention all the way down the glass.

S:Sweet floral hop arrangement going on in the nose. Probably one of the more balanced citrus - piney DIPA's i have smelt, hopefully the taste follows. There is some pineapple and orange present as well.

T: Following the nose perfectly, floral hops hit the tongue in waves giving a sweet grapefruit citrusy blast of hops up front followed by a little bit of bitterness on the finish. Little bit of a grassy citrus after taste that is actually enjoyable.

M: Medium bodied with plentiful carbonation till the very last drop. You can tell the alcohol is there but not an issue; perfect for a person wanting a little bit of a kick in their beer.

D: Very easy drinking beer, perfect for one searching for an evening hop fix for this is one hoppy beer. West coast style DIPA at its best.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 18:26:05 | More by CaptainTripps

grittybrews

Washington

4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a bright, vivid tangerine-amber into a tulip with a thin slick of white head. Deliciously intense aroma of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, caramel, and a hint of alcohol.

Moderate carbonation and a full mouthfeel that manages to be both creamy and resinous. Just the right amount of caramel sweetness up front to balance the quick onslaught of grapefruit, apricot, pineapple, and a hint of bubblegum. Just a bit of warming alcohol on the lingering pine finish.

Very well balanced, complex, and extremely flavorful. I tried this a few days after Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum and found the Double Jack to be far more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 05:48:25 | More by grittybrews

ottovon

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours out a light copper color white head.

S: smells of piney and fruity hops. i get lots of mango and melon. there is a bit of lemon, and then some pine as well. there is hints of caramel malt as well.

T: it has some caramel/toffee notes in the front, and finishes dry and bitter with a piney resin. i get fruit notes from the hops just like in the aroma and some nice piney flavors at the end.

M: it has a medium body with some carbonation.

D: this is a very drinkable DIPA. hides the alcohol a little too weird.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 02:40:37 | More by ottovon

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a tulip:

A: Light amber with an orange hue. There is a thick white head that hangs around and leaves a bunch of lacing.

S: The hops are huge on this one, piney with some citrus notes. There is a hint of booze and some pepper/spicy hotness.

T: Hops fight back first with a wave of pine and citrus. The hops give way to a decent size malt body that concludes in a clean bitter hop finish. It is very dry. The hotness in the nose is quite muted on the palate.

M: Smooth and supple.

D: This is an excellent example of the DIPA style without going totally over board on the ABV. Great beer, find it and drink it.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 02:14:48 | More by Neffbeer

vince4953529

California

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A rather elusive brew, finally tracked it down at $8/bomber.

It looked golden amber-ish in my goblet. Fantastic smell ensued, redolent smell of pine particularly.

Maltiness being a bugbear, the hoppiness redeemed itself. Although the mouthfeel is creamy and full-bodies, no evidence of the dreadful buttersctoch taste was present. Fairly hoppy, syrupy, piney, and a there's an underlying sweetness.

A lot better than anticipated, the drinkability skyrocketed. $8 is reasonable, but no economical. I enjoyed it a lot and would glad for another purchase.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 23:46:35 | More by vince4953529

JoeBloe

New York

4.22/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i saw another reviewer describe a beer as 'topaz' in color and I think it fits the bill here - a beautiful clear topaz color that puts up a 1 finger head and leaves pretty rings of lacing all the way down - smells good with pine, citrus and floral hop bouquet - taste follows the nose pretty well with good hop bitterness and prickly carbonation, finishing with a sweet and sticky malt finish with some fruity notes as well - slick and oily in the mouthfeel without excess - very drinkable for a double ipa - thanksto Alex @ DeCiccos in Ardsley for recommending this!

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 16:58:50 | More by JoeBloe

juhl31

California

4.13/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

-i really like the color. an orangy, yellow, gold. not too dark like some ipa's tend to be nowaways. decent white head with lacing to boot

-very floral. on the citrus end with some pine as well. having brewed an ipa with em recently, i can definitely detect some amarillo and simcoe up in it. has a bit of a sting to it though

-a strong hop flavor and bitterness throughout. it's really punchy on the palate right off the bat. theres definitely citrus in there. there also seems to be a hint of vanilla in the background from start to finish. ends with some soapy flavors and leaves with a big time bitter mouth

-sticky for sure. a lingering carb bite for the duration of the sips. good body.

-i enjoy this beer for sure. there is a bit of harshness in the taste and flavor the entire time that keeps me from wanting to drink a ton or put it on a higher level. but it is a good beer either way and worth trying at least once

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 02:49:07 | More by juhl31

orbitalr0x

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Firestone in the Chicagoland market!! You won't hear me complaining, that's for sure. Was excited to see this at the local Binny's at $7.99 a bomber.

Pours into my glass a bright golden orange with crystalline clarity and a quarter inch of white bubbles leaving spotty lacing. Aromas are a bold mix of hops off the bat. Notes of citrus, bubblegum, grapefruit rind and tropical fruit. Sweet crisp malts on the backbone with green hop resin.

First sip brings the hops yet again. Citrus, grapefruit and tropical fruits along with bubblegum. A sweet crisp malt backbone with a kiss of caramel. Solid bitterness on the way down with lingering resinous hop flavors. Sweetness remains a tad high on the finish.

Mouthfeel is smooth with good carbonation and a bit of a slickness to it. Overall, this is a big hoppy brew, but it's somewhat on the sweet side for me and I'd like it a bit drier overall, as the sweetness is a bit much for a whole bomber. Looking forward to further Firestone brews.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 03:28:14 | More by orbitalr0x

argock

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. Brewed on 12/15/10 on bottle neck. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $8.29.

A: Rosy-amber with inviting 2-finger off-white head with good retention and thick layers of lace down the glass.

S: Maltier than Union Jack but still packs the floral, pine, and citrus hops punch. No alcohol really felt here.

T: The malt makes this a different beer than FWUJ, but not necessarily better. The caramel and pale malt tend to hold back the hops flavors, which are still delicious and mirror the nose. The maltiness and alcohol presence tends to mute the bright hoppiness that is so perfectly contained in the forebearer.

M: Coating and satisfying and very smooth with low carbonation.

D: A really nice DIPA -- but is that a compliment? I would prefer Union Jack 4 times out of 5 for its bright hoppiness and lesser ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 02:15:24 | More by argock

misinformed

California

4.3/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Written review 1/20/11, tulip glass. Drinking another bottle as I enter this.

A- Crystal clear medium orange with some light bubbles. Poured with 1 1/2" of head that faded down to a ring. Nice lacing with some left behind after the beer is completely gone.

S- Excellent nose. Sweet pineapple, citrus, grapefruit/orange, hops.

T- More pine than the nose lets on, but the citrus is there as well. Sweet prominent malt backbone. Long slightly sweet citrusy hop finish. More malt than I usually like in my IPAs, but it works incredibly well here.

M- Medium bodied, but very smooth. Light oiliness. Lots of fine carbonation.

D- Awesome. I love the complex flavor. Perfectly balanced. It never gets old. One I would pick up again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 08:17:36 | More by misinformed

ColdPoncho

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - a nice crisp and clear copper color with a small white head. Good looking but not stunning.

S - nice hops backed by some vanilla malt. Smells really good, and not quite one-dimensional.

T - nice crisp citrus hops up front. some drying hops in the back. Not much else than hops, but there's some nice complexity to it.

M - thick and chewy. It's really good for an ipa. Nice and big, not overpowering.

D - tasty and not too heavy. Pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 03:54:04 | More by ColdPoncho

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a crisp clear orange with a good amount of white head. Smells very piney with some grapefruit coming through. Smells very hoppy. Taste... Leaves something to be desired compared to the smell. The hops are not as potent but the malt profile is huge. A well balanced dipa in a lot of ways. The mouthfeel is incredible... Very thick and a bit sweet. Highly drinkable for the prcentage. A very good albeit interesting dipa

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 00:52:44 | More by Urbancaver

brew3crew

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-clear amber with white lacing around the edges
S-beautiful citrus smell. Wonderful
T-a lot less bitter than a normal dipa. Good balance with the malts that it has with it.
M-medium body, light carbonation and smooth
D-very nice. Goes down in no time.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 00:52:36 | More by brew3crew

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Firestone Walker Double Jack

Appearance -- Pours a gently burnt orange with a slim cap of sudsy cream head. Not much for head retention, but lacing is nice, as is the color.

Smell -- Bursting with juicy citrus, though not a whole lot of bitterness. Quite malty with buttered toast and gobs of caramel. Not much pine nor perceived alcohol. Sort of a marmalade bomb. Are we sure this isn't dry-hopped Union Jack?

Taste -- Stacked against the nose on this beer, the taste is a letdown. Juicy citrus still present but significantly muted, an overabundance of pine tar, leafy vegetation, caramel malt, and golden toast. There's definitely a hint of dactyl. Finish is citrus and off-putting vegetal bitterness. LIngering flavor of pine sap and tangerine.

Mouthfeel -- Medium-light in body with moderate carbonation. Oily finish.

Drinkability -- Not bad, but not incredible. Great nose, but the taste disappoints. The hop profile is all over the place and, honestly pretty distracting. I don't see myself reaching for this again. One surprisingly good thing about this beer is that the alcohol is completely masked.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 04:48:38 | More by yeahnatenelson

rapidsequence

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle. $8 from Doug at Pints O Plenty.

Appearance: The color is a brilliant topaz with clarity that is unmatched. It may have its own light source within the beer. Off white head with good retention and thick, sticky sheets of lacing adhere to the inside of my tulip. Its really striking.

Smell: Big, sweet juicy fruit hops. Orange, grapefruit, and peach. Sweet caramel malt. A little alcohol. Its just a great smelling beer.

Taste: Fruity hops of course, lots of bitter grapefruit and less of the sweet fruit. Caramel and spicy malt flavor (maybe Munich) balances the bitter very well so that this beer leans to the sweet side in a good way. On the end the hops flavor becomes a little more herbal and just slightly grassy. Can taste a little alcohol on the back end also with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth, and sticky. Carbonation prevents the beer from becoming too syrupy feeling. Big feel for a big beer.

Drinkability: This is just a really great beer. It would be near perfect if it got a little less bitter and grassy at the finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 01:39:23 | More by rapidsequence

whatthehull

California

4.85/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a New Belgium snifter

A - A stunning golden amber, perfectly transparent, decent head and lacing almost all the way down the glass

S - Papaya, oakie, pineapple, jasmine blossom, sweet hop, sweet malt and a citrus resin

T - Really sweet all the way through with papaya, pineapple, jasmine. The middle is sticky sweet malt and an explosion of sticky citrus bitter resin at the end and very oakie

M - Big, sticky, bubbly and smooth

D - Very pleasing all the way from the sip to the swallow. Easy to medium drinkability

Final thought - This and Elder are my favorite IPA styles by far. This one I think take the cake and I am so glad they finally started bottling it.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 07:23:47 | More by whatthehull

sdderek

California

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip from a 22oz bottle.

Beautiful beautiful burnt orange / amber appearance. Clarity is amazing. Head retention is very good.

The aroma is resiny, piney, and has some grapefruit as well. It's an interesting combination with a lot going on. One second it's piney, the next it's citrusy. Very nice and balanced nose.

The taste is also very complex with pineapple, grapefruit, and pine needles. It is sweet, but not too sweet. Definitely a nice balance and only a slight hint of the 9.5% ABV.

Medium mouthfeel. Lingers on the tongue only briefly. Perfect amount of carbonation.

Very easy to drink. Very balanced. Perhaps a tad too sweet for my personal taste, however it's definitely a solid offering from a great brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 02:39:51 | More by sdderek

billab914

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Southern Tier tulip glass. It poured amber in color with a fluffy white head filling the top inch of the glass. The head faded but left some pretty nice lacing as I drank it.

The aroma has an excellent hop presence to it. Pine and grapefruit citrus are the most prevalent with a little of a mango, pineapple, tropical fruit presence as well. Excellent hoppy aroma overall.

The taste shows even more of the tropical fruit, pineapple, peach and mango hoppiness throughout the beer. The peach flavor especially comes through in the finish. It's not overly bitter at all and seems to have a pretty nice underlying sweetness that balances it out relatively nicely. A bit of alcohol is there in the finish but not too bad.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Drinkability was very good for me, I loved the hoppy flavors it had. I typically really like DIPA's that aren't overly bitter and show some of those tropical fruit like flavors to them. This was no exception. Best hoppy beer I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 01:58:24 | More by billab914

emerge077

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crystalline orange, super high clarity. Two fingers width of fluffy, sticky foam on the second pour. Sticky lace hangs in sheets inside the glass. The head settles down to a skim after a few minutes.

Amazingly pungent citrus aroma, grapefruit flesh and bitter peels, candied orange. Resiny, leafy, and green. Extremely fresh and lush.

Flavors of pure grapefruit, woody/earthy malts, and a wisp of alcohol in the middle. Very resiny, sticky, and bitter. Aftertaste of grapefruit and orange peel. Medium bodied, even carbonation. Some green grassiness lingers in the finish. Very smooth, not syrupy but a bit sticky. Dank!

This is a quintessential West Coast DIPA... purely awesome.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 00:18:30 | More by emerge077

Foxtrot

California

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Part of me did not want to open this beer. I love the original Union Jack from FW and couldn't bear to be let down by this beer. Hope it tastes good.

Pours from 22oz. bomber into a Stone IRS snifter and clear honey gold that is the hallmark of this style. Modest vigor in the pour produced a fluffy white 2 finger cap of incredible retention and a kaleidoscope of lacing to feast with the eyes.

AH! The nose. Huge doses of oily and resinous hops are first and foremost, undertones of candied pineapple, pine, mango, grapefruit, and caramel sweetness that doesn't give up. This nose is everything I have wanted in a DIPA. Ended up nosing this baby for a good 10 minutes.

After the first sip, I new I had a winner. Imagine, if you will, Union Jack on steroids. This would be a byproduct of marrying the two. Incredible hop pungency that makes you soon, and caramel and biscuit sweetness to soften things up. Pine resin, grapefruit, rip pineapple, herbal, phenolic, and a slight bit of white pepper in the finish. It just about damn near covers the entire hop spectrum, if it is at all possible.

Mouthfeel is this beers bread and butter. Strong and viscous on the tongue, sticky on the teeth, and modest carbonation on the tongue make it luscious to sip and savor. After taste is where this beer excels most.

Drinkability...just about damn near through the roof. Alcohol is hidden extremely well, even after it warmed up I could barely notice it.

If Firestone Walker is reading this, you got something real good going with this beer. I'm going to keep buying this beer again, and again, and again, and again, until I've rendered myself into total palette shock.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 08:30:56 | More by Foxtrot

GregSVT

Texas

4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a clear golden yellow with a big white head that slowly fades to a layering and leaves a ton of sticky lacing.

S: The nose is a blast of hops followed by grapefruit and tropical fruits. The malt is evident with a nice sweet sugary aroma.

T: The hops immediately assault the tongue as I take a sip and then balances out to a nice grapefruit, mango, and caramel malt sweetness on the finish. The hops are more floral/fruity than bitter which is how I like y DIPAs.

M: The feel is medium bodied and creamy with a nice amount of carbonation.

D: Highly drinkable due to the taste and aroma but the ABV will catch up with you over the course of a full bomber.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 02:21:08 | More by GregSVT

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an english pint glass.

Pours a clear light copper, with a big cream colored head. Big foamy lacing. Head takes quite a while to finally drop.

You can smell the hop resins wafting from the glass over two feet away. Aromas of big citrusy hops, grapefruit zest, barely any malt presence. Aromas of grapefruit and tangerine.

First sip is of huge citrus hop bitterness. Grapefruit and tangerine rake your tongue. A slight alcohol burn and a bit of sweet malt. There is something slightly herbal here as well. Long, lingering bitter finish, that follows all the way down your throat.

Mouthfeel is huge, chewy malt, mouth-coating hop resins that find every nook and cranny of your mouth. Warming alcohol.

Quite drinkable, but this will really wear out your taste buds. You will not be able to taste anything subtle after finishing off a bomber of this big, huge hop fest in a glass. Although a bit over the top, the hop, malt and alcohol are blended very well. I would come back to this one again.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 01:33:29 | More by JamnesCameron

FosterJM

California

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

215th review on BA
bottle to tulip

App- An amazing color. Was a dark orange almost like a slight used penny. A puffy three finger head. Lacing sticks all over this glass.

Smell- Grandiose citrus lending itself to a tropical pine thing. Wasnt as tropical as Sculpin but not as piney as Pliny. Was a hell of a thing, with a precise mix of hops in there.

Taste- A very unique fruit combo going on in my glass. The full flavors are lending themselves to a tropical note and the hops come into play on the back end leave a spicy oily resin on the palate.

Mouth- Medium bodied with a low carb and smooth feel for a DIPA. Has an oily finish that wants more in the glass. Damn I wish I bought 2.

Drink- This was great. Heard a lot of noise about it and I didn't want to be let down. So glad I wasn't a very great DIPA

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 03:52:35 | More by FosterJM