Boxer's Revenge - Jester King Craft Brewery

elNopalero

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Update: Boxer’s Revenge from 4/12, enjoyed 1/13.

This beer has held up exceptionally well, with a mild funk, light carbonation and pleasing tartness. Certainly one where time has been kind to it, and one which very well could continue to evolve.

This pours a light ruddy-golden amber with foam bubbles that quickly dissipate. A mild wild ale? Certainly it doesn’t have an overpowering aroma but rather it’s lightly funky, with some wet hay and funky cheese in the next room over coming across. Palatewise it’s pleasingly tart with a bit of sour bite and some more wet hay on the finish. Cuts through a spicy and heavy meal with the greatest of ease. Great finish. Still wonderful.

Previously, from Tap: This pours a ruddy ruby-amber color with thin lacing. It has an incredible aroma, amazingly tart and sour with an incredible flavor and a funky, dry finish. I get an assertive mouthpuckering tartness up front and a sharp intensity of tastes which cut like a samurai’s blade. No hint of it’s ABV even as it warms. Fantastic! Utterly delicious!

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 07:14:41 | More by elNopalero

omnigrits

Texas

4.7/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on cask at the Draught House some months ago - thought I'd lost my notes but I found them in a pile of papers today. Deep joy.

A. An orangey-amber brew with a distinct cloudiness and next to no head, but that's cask for you.

S. Lots of musty funk, plenty of citrus, a little vinegar, and some tropical fruitiness.

T. Wow. I don't often give a beer five for taste, and from the bottle this is definitely a 4.5, but cask-conditioning has raised this beer into the stratosphere. All the sour characteristics are coming out in spades as are the dry, oaky flavours from the barrel-ageing. There's also a bitter hoppy finish that you don't get with Belgian sours.

M. The beer was nicely undercarbonated, as cask should be, but by no means flat.

O. As far as I recall I had three of these at the Draught House, and I can't even remember if it was served in pints or tulips or Jester King goblets. All I know is it was one of the most refreshing beers I've tasted in a long time and I couldn't get enough of it. Good job I was going home on the bus that night and didn't have to go to work next morning.

Serving type: cask

08-09-2012 00:52:09 | More by omnigrits

DRyan

Texas

4.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Ruddy orange with thin white head that dissipates quickly and leaves little lacing
S: Oranges, citrus, spice, cherries, with earthy, funky notes
T: Sour kicks in right away up front, tastes like a sour orange, with some funk to the backend, the more you drink the more pronounced the funk becomes
M: thin, lightly carbonated
D: Very drinkable for a sour, goes down easily and hides it’s 10% ABV easily

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:40:53 | More by DRyan

r0nburgundy69

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml Batch #2 into Jester King stemware.

A - Pours a hazy golden orange, thin white head, decent bubblies, which is very good to see.

S - Funky sour, with faint whiskey barrel notes.

T - Sour fruits, very lemony, with boozy whiskey still detectable, slight hops. Delicious.

M - Dry and well carbonated, a step up from the previous bottling.

O - Probably my favorite Jester King offering so far, would love to see their dream of this becoming a year round on Texas shelves become a reality.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 22:15:44 | More by r0nburgundy69

tjkinate

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Not a real fan of sours, but I loved this one.

A: Hazy orange body that is topped by a soapy 2 fingered white head that dissipates quickly reducing to a thin ring around the top of the glass.

S: Tart, funky, tropical fruits like mango, hints of spice with subtle whiskey notes.

T: Follows the smell very closely. First sip is strong in the sour department, but quickly mellows out allowing the complexity of this brew to shine. Tropical fruits are at the forefront and are balanced well with the whiskey undertones.

M: Well carbonated, medium/light bodied.

O: My favorite Wild Ale to date due to its high level of drinkability and surprisingly complex flavor. I WANT MORE!!!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 19:10:52 | More by tjkinate

TX-Badger

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had a 750mL bottle of Jester King's Boxer's Revenge from the second round of bottling this year, poured into a tulip glass.

A - This pours a cloudy orange/light red with a good amount of white head at the top.

S - On the nose I light fruits, citrus, and yeast.

T - On the palate I mainly get the fruits that were on the aroma, some earthiness to this, having that funk that Jester King beers tend to have. And of course, it has a very nice sour edge to it on the finish.

M - Medium-bodied and it seemed to be pretty highly carbonated.

O - Another great offering from Jester King. Boxer's revenge is a wild ale/sour that delivers a ton of flavor without being too sour and leaving an unpleasant taste in the mouth. I really enjoyed this beer and I am looking forward to seeing how this beer ages.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 22:38:06 | More by TX-Badger

zac16125

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle into a tulip glass
No bottled on or best by date

A: Pours a hazy, dark straw, golden yellow with 2 fingers width of slightly off white colored head. Decent retention. Leaves a moderate amount of cobweb lacing down the sides of the glass.

S: Tart lactic citrus, lemon-lime, sweet fruits like peach and apricot, banana, white grape. There are also hints of resinous hop bitterness. There is certainly a vinous quality,along with a tart like sournes and hints of the oak barrel. Some funk as it warms. There are so many layers to the aroma, this is probably one of the most complex noses Ive ever experienced in a beer. Needless to say, its amazing in this regard.

T: Surprisingly, there is more hop characters than I anticipated. There is also a noticeable whiskey component. There is some lactic tartness, but not to the degree of the nose, and I wouldnt even describe it as sour really. Significant hop bitterness on the finish. I also get notes of raw oak, citrus rind, herbaceous/grassy characters, booze, hints of barnyard funk. Quite complex as well. Very good, I would have liked more tart sour notes, but thats just personal preference.

M/D: Medium bodied, pretty heavy carbonation which goes well with the fuller body, not thick but maybe a touch syrupy at times. ABV is well restrained (boozy notes are there but add well to the flavor profile rather than detract from it). Drinkability is very good.

O: My first beer from Jester King, and needless to say I am impressed. So complex, yet so drinkable. I would have preferred a little more sour kick, but Im just nit picking. This beer is awesome. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 22:28:05 | More by zac16125

homebrew311

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: cloudy orange, minimal layer of white head clings on, small amount of lacing

S: nose features Belgian esters with notes of wild flower, citrus, and lactic acid, quite a bit of oak

T: super tart to begin with acidic fruit character, tannins come in and make for a rather dry finish, a moderate level of funk, nice range of flavors

Mf: heavy body for style, moderate carbonation

O: very interesting and unique, don't get much whiskey character, but overall this is delicious and worth a try

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 01:21:58 | More by homebrew311

videofrog

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 750ml bottle into a Jester King glass, careful not to disturb yeast sediment. Served at suggested serving temp around 50 degrees.

A: Yellowish orange, nearly clear. Carbonation bubbles visible, soapy lacing down the glass.

S: Sour, light funk, citrus, whiskey alcohol. Sour apple as it warms.

T: Sour up front, nice hop presence, citrus. Vinuous & whiskey in the finish.

M: A bit heavy, slightly lower than normal carbonation compared to other sours I've had. I like it that way for such a big brew.

O: Sampled Boxer's at the brewery, was happy to pick up a bottle. I like the elevated hop presence compared to other sours I've had. Glad to have access to a quality local sour.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 01:32:28 | More by videofrog

Fux

France

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle at Borefts Beer Festival 2012.
A: Hazy dark copper orange with a very small head, that quickly fades to nothing.
S: Smell is tart, slightly funky with notes of citruses (orange)
T: Taste is sour but quite smooth, quite fruity and a bit sweet, aftertaste is long and reminds me of a dry white wine.
M: Light carbonation, crisp and refreshing, the alcohol is barely detectable.
O: A very good sour ale, not too heavy given the ABV and perfect for the aperitif for instance. I would love to get more of this!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 20:19:53 | More by Fux

tjmodica

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Cloudy yellow with a thin small white foam layer, JK nailed the color. On the nose a light lemon tartness, grass and hay, downplayed sour. Lightly sweet citrus flavors, lemon tart sweetness similar to a lemon square desert, alcohol is completely hidden. JK's has accomplished what I have been waiting for from a Texas brewery or any brewery for that matter someone who can regularly put an excellent sour/saison on a Texas shelf.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 01:15:21 | More by tjmodica

dubinsky

California

4.36/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I'm really excited to see some of the other Jester King offerings coming to my area. When I saw this I snagged it up quickly, hoping that's will find it on a regular basis.

A - Poured into a Deschutes snifter, the beer pours a rather opaque, bright orange. The pour yielded a foamy half inch head which stuck around long enough for me to write this much. The head eventually receded leaving behind some decent lacing.

S - The aroma is definitely not what I expected from an American wild ale. Coming to expect seriously tart and funk as I get from most Russian River sours, this took me fora spin. It's funky alright, but in a saison kind of way. The funk is slightly sweet smelling with notes of jasmine flowers, hay, lemongrass, with little peach and grape to round off the nose.

T - Much like the smell, this was not what i was expecting. Don't get me wrong, its a wonderful beer, just not very sour, as i was expecting it to be. Nice lemongrass, non-
distinct citrus, white grape and peach flavors immediately come to mind. There is some tartness happening here, just not overwhelming, and certainly not dominant. I think what may be throwing me off here is the whiskey barrel which is creating some of the sweetness that I'm picking up. This is a really unique take on an American Wild ale.

M - Medium mouthfeel, with moderate to light carbonation. Slightly on the lighter drinking side with a nice dryness, kind of like you get from a dry champagne. Slightly warming at 10.2%, but at that level its incredibly drinkable.

O - I'm really excited to see this brewery available to me in such variety. I have had several of their beers, and they are all very good and distinct, in their take on standard styles. This was no exception. I really enjoyed this beer. I think part of my problem was that I was expecting it to be sour since in my mind all wild ales are, and that just simply isn't true. The wild yeast they use is very distinctive and very nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 22:32:18 | More by dubinsky

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks in part to all of the great traders that helped me amass plenty of this great beer, standuptj, dcloeren, dirtygrind (Reddit).

Pours a very light fizzy head of mostly bubbles, over hazy orange red color

Nose tart sour fruit, hint of sour cherry and light lemon, light vanilla buttery oak, light malt, light musty almost vinous quality.

Taste fairly tart sour fruit, buttery vanilla oak, hint of sour cherry and lemony like flavors, nice acidity, hint dry malt, some tannins. Finish is very dry, hint of bready malts but not much, more tart fruit, little flemmy, a bit more oak as well. This being a very high abv for a sour, but still comes off as lower abv.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, good carb, some acidity.

Overall quite nice. A very nice American made sour, with great tartness, sour fruit flavors, good acidity and tannins, and lots of buttery vanilla oak to round it all off. And a big abv that is hidden well as lots of booze is hard to go with sours.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 18:41:10 | More by jlindros

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Hazy golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Wheat, caramel, and bready malts, oak, vanilla, wine, whiskey, citrus hops, lemon zest, funky brett, tart green fruits, lactic acid.

T - Whest, caramel, and bready malts, oak, vanilla, whiskey, wine, funky brett, tart green fruits, lactic acid, lemon zest, citrus hops, Belgian yeast.

M - Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth with a dry, tart, and funky finish.

D - Great sour beer. Fantastic overall complexity and balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 05:57:40 | More by ngeunit1

RustyP

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: golden-amber color with a slight haze and very thin cream-colored head. Had to pour vigorously to get even a ¼” head of loose bubbles that all but disappeared immediately. No lacing.

S: Slight musk buried beneath citrus and oak. Some grape notes in there too. A longer sniff reveals a hint of caramel sweetness that supporst the other components.

T: Mmmmm….fruity and tart to start with, but not puckeringly sour. A mild funkiness carries throughout. Nice pithy citrus bitterness kicks in mid-palate and lingers throughout the finish. The wine- and whiskey-barrel aging show through in the taste; the first breath after swallowing reveals plenty of oak notes as the back of the throat, and the fruity components of the flavor definitely carry a sharp, vinous quality. Fairly dry finish that still leaves some grapefruit rind bitterness along the sides of the tongue, and very light whiskey sweetness on the back of my tongue. The alcohol is well-hidden, but still discernable in this fresh bottle. The overall taste leaves me wanting more immediately after each sip!

M: medium to full-bodied with just barely enough carbonation to keep it from being syrupy. The tart character of the flavor also aids in keeping Boxer’s from being too heavy on the palate.

Overall: Simply put…I really dig this beer. The flavor starts off tart and simple, but becomes more complex through the middle, wrapped up again in simplicity by the end. Another very solid offering from JK!

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 03:37:44 | More by RustyP

afluentturtle

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pored from a bomber into a pirat tulip glass.

Appearance: Poured a dark golden hazy amber with a fingure of head. I guess I poured more agressive than other drinkers because I had no problem getting head. (haha)

Smell: Wine up front, fruit and oak/musty wood notes also. Fruity and earthy floral scents are also detectable.

Taste: When right out of the frige all you get is sour and bitter hops. As it warms sour raspberries and orange, wine and a little floral notes dominate. Lambic and tartness also apperent. After taste is sweet, almost like honey. A little hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Mostly smooth, a little seems to bite and hang in your mouth, maybe that's the alcohol but I don't know for sure. Decent carbonation.

Overall: Pretty damn good I would say, has a decent about of alcohol so you will feel good after knocking back a bottle. A good sour taste but it's not overly sour, would seek out again if it was easily found in Houston. Would like to see if aging has any changes in flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 00:42:17 | More by afluentturtle

notchucknorris

California

4.29/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a glowing, super hazy dark apricot color with deep golden edges. A huge foamy cream colored head takes a long time to go down.

S: A much sweeter smell than I was expecting. Candied apricots, white grape juice, a healthy dose of farmhouse funk, sweet moscato wine, mango and some faint wood. Smells pretty tasty.

T: Opens with a slightly sour, sweet white wine flavor. Some fairly complex malt and wood flavors with a dash of brett. Faint hints of citrus, tropical fruit and barrel. A nice dry finish with a touch of wood and more funk. A really interesting beer. Dry but sweet. Tart but smooth. Big in alcohol, but light on the mouthfeel. Really good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:47:02 | More by notchucknorris

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle opened on 9.19.12.

A - Pours a cloudy, bright reddish orange with a small light tan head that quickly is a small ring around the edges.

S - Lots of funk, subtle fruit, cherry maybe.

T - Tarty cherry, barnyard funk.

D - Low carbonation with a medium body. Tart finish.

O - Tart and funky, not much carbonation, but still nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 07:00:31 | More by HuskyinPDX

champ103

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Anvil in Houston. Review from notes.

A: Pours a slightly hazy, but bright golden/orange color. At first a two finger white head forms that fades to a ring. The ring sticks around to the end. Some light lace as well.
S: Just an awesome aroma. Up front is a nice clean fruity aroma. Melon, orange, and other citrus aromas that are great. Zesty spice, light funk, and a light tartness as well.
T: The funk is a bit more prevalent. Lightly tart fruits that follow the nose. I get a lot of melon and citrus fruits. A zesty spice as well. Some grassy flavors and a lingering bitterness.
M/D: A medium body that is perfectly carbonated. It could be a bit dryer, but for the most part very crisp and clean. Smooth at the same time. So easy to drink. I could never get enough of this.

I really love this. Again, well done Jester King. Just an excellent Saison. I am not sure if I like this as much as Boulevard's Saisons at the moment, but I would hate to live on the difference. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2011 05:05:52 | More by champ103

rtepiak

Poland

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thank you eric...

the rare find as most american sours seem to be. whiskey and wine barrel aged. sour with a wonderful nose and a sour mash whiskey quality to it. nose is sauvignon blanc, funk, and hint of melon and horseblanket undertones. palate is actually much more sour than expected. quite bright. but balanced. very dry with that sour whiskey mash note and hints of whiskey noted coconut. nice buttering that comes forth grassy... wonderful. one to share.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 05:13:06 | More by rtepiak

UtisTheLaw

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2nd brewing bottle, poured into tulip, tried again after warming some from refrigerator

A: murky orange with heavy carbonation, thin white head that dissipates after a few minutes

S: strong sour notes of yeast and fruit on the low end

T: starts strong with a tart finish on the front of the tongue, light sour grape with funk sprinkled on top

M: Dry, light, hint of carbonation

O: very interesting beer, strong flavoring mainly dominated by the sourness, will definitely try again

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 03:06:47 | More by UtisTheLaw

starkmarvelo

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jester King Boxer's Revenge

A-Rather clear, bright orange. Slightly hazy. Fizzy one finger head. Head disappears quickly but still has some lacing throughout.

S-Sweet and tart notes of peaches, green apple skin, bit of hay, lemons, green grapes, slight hint of oak & maybe whiskey.

T- Quick grape and peach tartness blended with a hint of whiskey. Light kind of dry, funky, white wine flavor in the middle with some oak notes and finishes with a solid barnyard/straw flavor and more oak.

M-Medium mouthfeel, moderate to light carbonation. Good warming alcohol at the back of the throat. Super easy drinking for 10%. Dry, but not overly so. Very smooth brew and very well blended.

O- Again another great beer from Jester King. This is a must buy when you see it. I would have liked it to have a bit more depth to it, maybe a little more sweetness, but it was still excellent.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 16:23:42 | More by starkmarvelo

ChrisKuhns

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle. Hazy peached colored with residual white head. Its' smell is more bit of light citrus and some funk. Sourness is definitely there with funky and citrus hops. I can sense that there is some of brett into this really great sour beer. I definitely look forward to its' next release next year.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 02:57:12 | More by ChrisKuhns

Wolfpack2005

North Carolina

4.21/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Beerhunter76 for hooking me up with this gem!

A-Poured from a 750ml bottle into tulip glass a very cloudy orange-amber with very little, thin head that is gone quickly.

S-tartness right of the bat with a little bit of funk and unripe fruit mixed in. Hints of alcohol too.

T-Lots of flavors going on. Up front, just like the nose, a tartness/bitterness similar to wine is the first thing that you pick up. Then a slight sweetness from fruits, lemon, raspberries, and grapes. A pleasant oak flavor is present throughout the taste and you can defiantly pick up subtle notes of wine and whiskey. Also getting a nice funky flavor that I assume is from the wild yeast and bacteria.

M- Medium body with LOW to NO carbonation.

O-Overall an excellent beer, this would be one of my favorites if they bumped up the carbonation a bit. Love the blend of sour, funk, and sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 01:19:53 | More by Wolfpack2005

Mora2000

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very excited to try this beer.

On tap - well actually out of a pitcher - at the brewery's grand opening celebration.

The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is very heavy on the orange, yeast and mangos. The aroma is very strong and is very inviting.

The flavor is more of the same. In addition to some spiciness from the yeast, I get some white pepper, wheat and orange. The beer is very dry. Even though the beer is brewed with two kinds of Brettanomyces, I don't get much, if any, funk from the beer. That being said, the alcohol is very well hidden and the beer is dangerously drinkable.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

A very nice saison, I just wish it was a little bit funkier.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2011 00:03:01 | More by Mora2000