Jester King / Mikkeller Weasel Rodeo - Jester King Craft Brewery

MutualAid

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Scored this at Hubbell & Hudson in the Woodlands; I'm a sucker for anything with coffee in it.

A: Pours black and viscous, not unlike motor oil in January. Very low carbonation and no real head despite the properly cleaned glasses.

S: The smell is roasted malt with a good bit of coffee sweetness and a bit of smoke. Nothing too strong, but some good hints as to what to expect.

T: The immediate impression is of coffee and a fair amount of sorghum sweetness from the malt, but this is closely followed by the bitter qualities from the roasted grains. The chipotle is felt, rather than tasted as a mild warming sensation in the back of the throat.

M: The mouthfeel is slick but not oily. As some other reviewers mentioned, this would benefit with a bit more carbonation, perhaps just enough to add a creamy quality.

O: A pretty decent sipping beer from two of my favorite brewers, but I'm not sure the price-tag is justified.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 07:10:23 | More by MutualAid

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a very dark brown color with a small brown head. The aroma has a lot of coffee in it as well as some roasted malt and a hint of chocolate. The flavor is similar. The coffee really stands out, along with some heat and spice from the chipotle peppers. I also get some earthy notes as well as some chocolate and roasted malt. Thick mouthfeel and low carbonation. A very nice beer, glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 04:35:32 | More by Mora2000

champ103

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a nearly opaque black color. On a very aggressive pour a thin bubbly head forms. Pour retention. Very viscous and thick. It is always hard to rate the appearance of an imperial stout cause they all look pretty much the same. No exception here.
S: First whiff is promising. Coffee, vanilla, roast. Eventually the roasted coffee is the hole show, then the peppers kick in at the very end that almost ruins everything.
T: Follows the nose with a nice roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, and tons of coffee. Which I would expect. Then the peppers take over, and here it does ruin everything. Tastes like green chili peppers that does nor mesh with everything else. The alcohol heat comes in strong after that.
M/D: A medium to full body. Fairly creamy and smooth. Once the peppers and alcohol heat come in, this is not enjoyable to sip on.

This makes a good first impression. A nice coffee stout, but ruined by the peppers. I really hope using peppers in stouts is a fade that fades quick. Cause I am not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:45:04 | More by champ103

RustyP

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours like low viscosity motor oil…black as night with just the slightest hint of dark reddish-brown at the top edge when held to light. An overly-aggressive pour produced only a thin layer of loosely-connected mocha bubbles that disappeared immediately leaving not even a ring around the glass. Some alcohol legs along the glass walls after swirling.

S: Huge medium-roast coffee nose upfront. Chipotle peppers kick in shortly after, though they aren’t discernable as Chipotle’s right away…more of a general sharp, peppery smell. Moderate smoke, a bit of caramel, and some very faint chocolate in the background. The aroma was a little bracing at first, but became very pleasant.

T: Oddly, the flavor is almost reversed from the aroma as far as the order in which my palate picks things up. First I get the caramel, mild roast / chocolate and a quick hit of dark fruit. Next came some tongue-tingling pepper, then slightly bitter coffee to finish. I can feel the Chipotle lingering at the back of my throat, just enough to let me know it’s there. After warming, the coffee flavor is noticeable from the very beginning, and the Chipotle comes through a bit more. Sadly, the flavor comes off a little watery for an Imperial stout and just doesn’t follow through on what the nose promised.

M: medium-bodied, very under-carbonated, causes the flavors to fall flat. Drinks like a flat soda...not very pleasant.

O: The list of ingredients makes it sound awesome and the aroma is great, but the flavor isn’t very full and the carbonation is pretty much altogether absent. On the bright side, I don't pick up the 10% ABV in the nose or the taste. I feel that better carbonation alone would improve the flavor and overall effect of this beer immensely. Great concept, and if JK produces another batch with better carbonation, I’ll be sure to pick up a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 04:50:57 | More by RustyP

gtermi

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: This beer pours a very dark motor oil black with a thin dark tan head, that quickly fades to nothing more than a ring around the glass.

S: A very strong smell of alcohol, some roasted malt, coffee and even a little bit of chocolate.

T: The flavor is just amazing! Just like the smell it has a delicious alcohol bite, which quickly fades to a chocolate and roasted malt/ coffee. flavor.

M: This beer goes down nice, with a slight warmth on the back of the mouth and down the throat.

O: Just an outstanding beer. Jester King and Mikkeller have absolutely knocked this one out of the part.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 03:49:23 | More by gtermi

specksnreds

Texas

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 1 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Exactly zero carbonation. A very disappointing "pffft" was followed by an even more disappointing lack of anything resembling a head. It smelled like all the ingredients listed on the bottle (i.e. coffee and what not). Lovely aromas with no head make for a beer that is disappointing. The taste is fine despite the carbonation failure. Mouthfeel is horrible: flat beer isn't pleasant to swallow. I'm done with these guys. Local or not, I've spent my last dollar with them.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:56:06 | More by specksnreds

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer looks black in the glass with a small mocha head that falls apart relatively quickly. There is a noticeable difference in the head in this beer and the Beer Geek Rodeo.

Coffee, chocolate, and roast with a fairly prevalent pepper hanging behind those aromas.

The coffee is hitting first giving way to some chocolate, roast, and pepper. The chipotle gets quite active at the back end with spice and warmth felt throughout.

A very smooth brew with light carbonation and med-full body.

The Kopi Luwak seems more gimmicky than anything(doesn’t provide anything special for being the most expensive coffee around) and the carbonation seems off when compared to the Beer Geek. Still enjoyed the hell out of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 04:34:06 | More by MattSweatshirt

GregSVT

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours dark as night with a small dark brown head that fades to a ring and doesn't really leave much lacing on the glass. I love super dark stouts and this one is dark.

S: The nose starts with a huge blast of coffee and peppers then settles into a deeply roasted malt and smokey/bbq aroma. As it sits the smoke really comes forward until you swirl the glass and then you get the coffee and peppers again. There's also a slight touch of vanilla in there presumably from the Kopi Luwak.

T: The taste starts with a buttery flavor I can't quite place that slowly changes to dark roasted malts, coffee, and dark chocolate. There is a bit of pepper on the back of the tongue but it's no where near as prevalent as I thought it would be...as it warms it does become a bit more spicy but nothing crazy. The coffee also isn't as strong as I was hoping for. It's still tasty but could use a bit more of the additional ingredients to give it that extra punch.

M: The feel is thick and buttery with a touch of carbonation. It could use a bit more in the way of bubbles but it's not bad for the style.

O: I was hoping for more coffee and pepper out of this one but it seems to be more roasted malt and chocolate. It definitely has that Mikkeller stout taste but a definite Black Metal taste as well.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 04:09:20 | More by GregSVT

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"This variation on an imperial oatmeal stout, brewed in collaboration with Mikkeller, contains a healthy dose of authentic Kopi Luwak coffee (a.k.a. “weasel coffee”), along with other Vietnamese coffees, ground chipotle pepper. and a touch of smoked malt.

Packages: 750ml bottles
Availability: Limited
OG: 1.088 FG: 1.013 ABV: 10.1%
Water: Filtered Hill Country Well Water and/or Harvested Rainwater
Malts: Maris Otter, Dark Crystal, Brown, Chocolate, Smoked, Pale Chocolate
Hops: Millenium, Saaz, Cascade, Columbus
Yeast: Farmhouse Yeast
Other Ingredients: Flaked Oats, Brown Sugar, Roasted Barley, Kopi Luwak and other Vietnamese Coffees, Chipotle Peppers."

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 23:29:07 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog