Commercial Suicide Oaked Farmhouse Mild - Jester King Craft Brewery

UCLABrewN84

California

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle I brought to share at Retsinis' tasting.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, and some roasted nut aromas. Taste is much the same with nutty flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is flavorful and easy to drink for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 04:12:13 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Where the pub meets the farm and where the session meets the table- Jester King strives to achieve the perfect blend when blending what's best about those low-gravity "session" ales of England and the "table" beers of Belgium.

Upon the billowing pour, the tawny bronze beer unleashes its voluminous sandy head that shows much more than cask ale character- instead, it's the carbonation and head structure that declares Belgium artistry. Clumped lace and semi-firm retention relaxes first to a creamy texture and then to a mild bead around the edge.

Mild aromas of caramel and wood rise first, and do so with overall nutty undertones of pecan and walnut. Oak and starchy malts command the nose deeper as the session lingers and draws in light peppery and fruit tones that add complexity without becoming part of the overall story.

Nutty flavors latch onto the mouth and resonate with the taste of pecan and walnut- though these flavors are the boldest, the beer's taste is not overly bold- instead mild, with the foundation of spaghetti starch-like malts rising to give a smooth creamy taste to the nutty flavors. Light parmesan, black pepper, dried oak, and light whipping cream come into the fray and allow for a gentle building of complexity. But all of the taste happens from early to middle palate, leaving a shell of the beer lingering onward after that.

Its dry creamy body seems a juxtaposition in terms, but the starchy texture seemingly floats above the tongue and allows its well-attenuated maltiness to deliver impressions of "sweet" but without the feel of "sweet". Instead, the dry fleeting malt allows for a powdery wood texture, light peppery bite, and very mild alcohol to close the beer with a snappy finish.

Oddly compelling in taste and texture, the beer leaves much left to be wanted in a single drinking session, but paired with herb-infused sausages and a slight marmalade glaze would set the ale off nicely! It just begs for the dinner table.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 05:03:45 | More by BEERchitect

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured out as a murky brown color with a light tan head on top. The retention is and lacing on this beer were impressive and long lasting. The smell gives off earthy toasted malt aromas as well as some subtle oak in there as well. The taste is malty and dry, slightly bitter but a bit one dimensional. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, good level of carbonation but very dry. Overall it's a decent beer but nothing I'd seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 16:33:10 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Refrigerated longer than the recommended 24 hours, and served in a tulip glass around 45 º and allowed to warm up.

Tawny light brown, glinting orange in the light saturated colors with minimal lace but an ample head of foam the color of manila folders. Second pour the retention is better, it lasts a good 5 minutes.

Pleasant aromas of toasted nutty malts, and dry american oak. Something slightly yeasty but nondescript, surfacing after the dominant oak.

Light bodied, completely to style in this case, with plenty of lasting oak flavors. Subtlety is the name of the game. Dry and woody, flavorful with some flashes of green hop traces but minimal bitterness. Very smooth and refined. A very unique rendition of a Mild Ale, and something I wish was on cask locally. Hope someone out there can pull strings to make it happen!

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 00:52:23 | More by emerge077

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.51/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice fluffy 1.5 finger head that fades pretty quickly initially, but then slows and maintains a nice almost 1 finger head with nice lacing, very dark molasses brown colored beer with some ruby light sneaking through.

Nose is unique, it has some English red ale like aromas, with red malts, caramel, toffee, toasty, candy malts, with some herbal hops, slight vegetal and earthy, but that all quickly fades to tons and tons of buttery oak, and light toasted oak that just overpowers everything else quickly and after a few seconds you can't even tell there's a beer under there.

Taste starts with a caramel sweet candy malt, molasses as well, with a light sour malt flavor in the middle, reddish malts mostly, little toasty and candy flavored, and light buttery toffee, faint yeasty. Then into hops, light herbal hops, little earthy, mild bitterness. Then again just overpowered by oak, toasty buttery oak, as well as a slight medicinal flavor that I can't put a finger on what the real off flavor is... the sour malt flavor increases the more I sip it, a bit yeasty, and just a touch of an earthy farmhouse flavor. Finish is dry, very dry, lingering bitterness from light earthy hops, a bit of a candy flavor, with some yeasty flavors, and a bit more buttery oak.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, plenty of carb.

Overall meh, nothing really special, I like that they tried something new but this doesn't go far, malts are meh, hops are even more meh, yeast could be nice if it brought more flavor other than the yeasty flavor, and oak just overpowers everything to the point where all you really get is oak and light sour candy malts.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 22:01:32 | More by jlindros

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served from bottle into a Hill Farmstead oversized wine glass. Poured a massively dark brown with a two finger light tan head that subsided to one finger very slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bread, fruit, wood, and subtle spices. The flavor was of sweet malt, bread, fruit, spice, dark chocolate, and subtle wood. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was apretty decent brew. I went into this one truthfully expecting to find something awesome in this one. What I found however didn't really jump out at me like I would have hoped. There was a nice bit of things going on in this one which was nice to find. Really wish there would have been a bit of dark fruit going on in this one to balance it out some. But hey, you can't win them all. Definitely worth your time if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 22:35:30 | More by thagr81us

avalon07

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick, murky texture. There was a half inch of foamy head that lasted an average amount of time. OK lacing.

S: A decent aroma with a good amount of hops, chocolate, and malt. Very subtle.

T: Tasted of hops (a medium amount), chocolate malt, and a bit of malt. While the flavor here does have some good aspects, it's a little on the thin side (this might be due to the character of the style). Could have been better.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An OK beer, but nothing particularly special. Not undrinkable, but not awful either.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 00:15:16 | More by avalon07

champ103

Texas

2.5/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a chocolate brown/ruby red color. A pathetic bubbly white head forms and vanishes in a second with no lace. From the look, there seems to be almost no carbonation to this at all.
S: Mild oak, smoke, and vanilla in the nose. Followed by an astringent, almost metallic aroma. A strange acidic twang.
T: Ug, no better here. Very mild oak and vanilla flavors. Burnt toast. Astringent with a metallic tiny flavor. Again, a strange acidity. Not good.
M/D: To say this is light is generous. So paper thin, and hardly any carbonation here. Not something I care to come back to or finish.

After a very surprising beer in RU-55, I follow it up with this. I remember loving this beer when it was not "farmhouse." The original version was great, especially on cask. This is a thin, unappealing beer that has no business in the English mild or farmhouse styles. A complete mess.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 22:26:05 | More by champ103

ngeunit1

California

4.28/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black-brown with a finger of frothy khaki head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Sweet caramel and chocolate malts, oak, Belgian yeast, some mild spices, nuttiness, and some dark fruit esters.

T - Sweet caramel and chocolate malts, oak, Belgian yeast, pepper, other spices, nuttiness, dark fruit esters, vanilla.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, oaky, and spicy finish.

D - Nice oaked mild. Great overall balance with a different mix of flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 05:01:25 | More by ngeunit1

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark brown with ruby highlights and a thin tan head.

S - Nutty malt and chocolate with some oak. As it warmed the oak became fairly dominant.

T - Nutty with cocoa and some oak. As with the aroma the oak becomes very powerful as it warms and kills the great mild ale that once existed.

M - Light bodied and smooth with oaky tannin.

D - The base beer seems like a great mild but the oak becomes overpowering as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 02:09:16 | More by brewcrew76

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, Fall '12
Lost Abbey tulip

A: Pours a cloudy hazy reddish hued brown. About a half finger of off white or light tan head. Good carbonation. Tiny bubbles.

S: On the nose, getting nuttiness. Caramel. Slight woody vanilla hints. Not getting much of the farmhouse yeast? Maybe some spice notes. Smells like a nice bitter.

T: Definitely pulling those traditional English bitter or mild notes. Getting some light caramel like flavors. Some nuttiness. In the mid palate you do taste that slight twang of the yeast strain. A really dry finish, with lingering flavors of those oak spirals.

M: It's light leading to medium. Heavily carbonated. Very easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 20:45:00 | More by inlimbo77

elNopalero

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

I managed to score this on a recent visit to Tejas. Cracked it open during a marathon viewing session of season two of Game of Thrones. Seemed appropriate for the series!

I love this beer. And the fact that it is what, 3.5%, for something so flavorful? Sign me up for more.
This bottle lacks the new logo caps and the bottled date, so I’m assuming it was on the shelves for a while.

It poured “normally,” which is to say that my pour was 90% beer and 10% foam—unlike those first batches where that was reversed. Great looking in the glass, with an amber-ruby-caramel hue that glows like stained glass in the right light.

I get a mild aroma on this (pun intended). Some light caramel, a hint of oak, a light cardboard note as well.

The flavor has a lightly roasted malt undertone with some caramel flavors coming across. There’s just a slightest hint of new oak as well. Thinly bodied, it is nonetheless crisp yet rounded, with a pleasing effervescence that keeps it light and shippable. Not hopping in the least, with a quick finish. In its previous iteration this was one of the first or second Jester King beers I had the opportunity to try and I’m glad I was able to revisit it. A hint of things to come!

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 07:21:56 | More by elNopalero

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

deep amber in color, finger of head with nice retention. smells of funky yeast, chocolate, raisins, oak. the flavor is nutty with hints of oak, vanilla.. a very mild tasting ale. high carbonation, light in body, slightly tart. excellent sessionable ale with a creamy mouthfeel.. very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 02:28:02 | More by facundoCNB

GPHarris

Alabama

4.01/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - poured a two-fingers thick light tan head into a tulip glass that left a thick ring of lace throughout. the body was a deep mahogany color.
s - wheat and oak dominate the aroma.
t - oak, spicy, with a sweet cherry flavor.
m - medium and bubbly.
o - lots going on here for a 3.5% beer. really nice one.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 15:32:52 | More by GPHarris

DavidST

Texas

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint/tulip glass, Oaked farmhouse version, no bottle date. This pours a dark brown, mahoganyish color with a three finger tan head which quickly loses half its size then remains as a a thin film. The smells are of a very strong malty type, a little nuttiness, caramel, a little oak but not as prominent as the others. The feel is surprising thicker than I was expecting, mid to thick. The taste is pretty good, full flavored for a 3.5% abv beer, the taste is like the smell a little nutty flavor, loads of malts, caramel and a hint of vanilla.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:24:06 | More by DavidST

gtermi

Texas

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Beer pours a dark brown body with a creamy tan head. The head leaves a tiny bit of lacing on the glass as it fades.

S: The smell sort of reminds me a weaker Tumbler. It has a bit of nuttiness and some chocolate.

T: Like the smell, I get a good amount of nuttiness, a faint bit of cocoa and a tiny bit of sweet malt.

M: This beer is beyond smooth. There is a good amount of creaminess and has a tiny bit of tingle down my throat.

O: This reminds me a lot of Sierra Nevada Tumbler. It is pretty tasty and is easy to drink. This makes for a perfect low alcohol beer for the winter.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 03:50:56 | More by gtermi

cvm4

Mississippi

3.76/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours purple brown in color with a creamy colored head.

S - Very malty & toasty, a bit of nuts & caramel. Also, there's a big helping of oakiness.

T - Starts off with some light malts & spices. Develops into a bit of sour apple & ends with a dry oak finish.

M - Light body, effervescent, high carbonation, dry on the palette.

O - A great cross between an English ale & a farmhouse ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 23:15:33 | More by cvm4

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750 mL bottle poured into a nonic pint glass at cellar-fridge temperature.

L – Brown color with a humungous 5-finger frothy, foamy, cream-colored head. Amazing retention but only patches of lacing.

S – Lots of malty aromas with caramel, nutty, and toasted notes, along with cloves from the farmhouse yeast, a hint of figs, and a noticeable but pleasant amount of woody oak.

T – It starts off with toasted, nutty malts and spicy cloves and gradually progresses to a sweeter malty presence with caramel and juicy fig notes. Toward the finish, the dry, woody oak makes an appearance. The taste is definitely mild and all the right flavors are here.

F – Light-to-medium-bodied with good carbonation, a creamy and mouth-coating feel, and a moderately sweet and dry finish. Oaky dryness lingers for a bit.

O – This is a nice English mild. All of the right aromas and flavors are there, and the mouthfeel is spot on for a sessionable mild. I don’t really get the low score here. Does it have as much flavor as a DIPA or sour or pack as much of a punch as a barleywine or RIS? Of course not. Is it supposed to? Absolutely not. This beer is meant to be mild (it’s in the name after all) and to be drunk in large quantities without putting you on your ass. This beer fulfills both of those requirements and is tasty at that. Nice beer from Jester King.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:39:00 | More by BlackBelt5112203

MattSweatshirt

Texas

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

Poured into a nonic pint glass from the big ol 750 bottle.

A fluffy off white head that falls down fairly fast but with good retention sits atop a clear orangey brown body. Amber highlights in the light.

Has a slighty toasted nutty thing going on. Chocolate, herbal/grassy hops and wood.

Sort of tastes like a nutty cola. A discernible hop quality and a faint bitterness. The oak is there and definitely makes its presence known in the dried out aftertaste. Odd little sour tangy thing going on in there which is interesting. Super light and easy drinking body.

I’m going to vote for this to be in 6 packs in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 04:53:13 | More by MattSweatshirt

weonfire

Kentucky

3.19/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter

A - Deep brown, certainly cannot see through. about 2 inches of white/ light brown head. head faded within a few minutes.

S - smoked porter?

T - very light. mild. smoked flavor.

M - watery. low viscosity

O - Its a replacement for water. Not suggesting this is anything close to BMC. Most likely won't ever purchase again. $8 smoked water? na....

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 01:49:02 | More by weonfire

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into my new Jester King goblet, which is the same glass as my Founders Better Half goblet, yet more aesthetically pleasing.

A - It's warm and dark, yet thin and opaque. There's a strong amount of carbonation with a tan/mushroom-colored head. Good amount of head retention and nice lacing.

S - Big malts...an English bitter for sure. As it warmed, it got more of an oak presence.

T - Lovely: chocolate, oak, charcoal, dried dark fruit... Yeast and some sweet nuttiness followed by a faint sour quality. There is a lot going on, but it is highly restrained and subtle at the same time. I really appreciate the subtle qualities being presented. This could have easily been overkill...

M - It remindes me of the appearance: dark, dry, and thin... That is the only downside for me: too thin and slightly too dry. The dryness brings out more of the smoky quality, or is it vice versa?

O - This is a delishious session... It really grew on me the more I drank it. I'm glad we occasionally get jester king brews brought to us.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 03:59:08 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

genitempo

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured from bottle to snifter. Allowed the bottle to stand for a bit, bringing it to a nice pouring temp at approximately 40 degrees. The body is a rich bronze with minimal CO2 activity (expected from s bottle-conditioned ale). Rocky beige head that leaves negligible trace.

S - Subtlety moves the nose. It's brightness is present, but not overly assertive. Hops polish off the scent, nothing ever even near overbearing. The oak hits the nostrils, it's presents felt more than smelt.

T - Again, the taste is delicate, but distinct. Complex, but not confusing. The malt and hops are very well-balanced, neither ever overbearing each other or creating nuances. The finish dries very well, presenting an oaky aftertaste, comparable to finishing a clove cigarette.

MF - As much as one can expect with a mild ale. Not too cumbersome on the palate, which I would expect with such a low booze brew.

O - The skill that reveals itself in pretty much every aspect of enjoying this beer proves that Jeff Stuffings' is a master of the craft; an artist delving into new grounds. Although Milds are not my favorite, I can honestly say that this recipe would rank at the top of those seeking such a sessionable beer. Bravo.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 02:26:54 | More by genitempo

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Appearance is dark brown with a off white almost tan head.
Aroma is initially oaky and caramel and Munich notes.
Taste is woody and winey and a bit of smoke and some strange phenols from the yeast but its not off putting in any way. A little thin but that was to be expected. Nice session beer that I'm glad I bought. Leaves you thinking but gives you room to move around and drink the whole bottle. Valient effort. Don't understand the low scores(

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 14:26:50 | More by MRsojourner

cfrobrew

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2012 Bottle
served in a New Belgium tulip

A: Very dark reddish brown with a thin head and lots of small bubbles

S: Strong malt character smell with a slight nuttiness and bitterness very dark ESB type of smell

T: Very bright taste with a nut flavor and malt character. Nice traditional english flavor with some oak characters. Though the oak flavor is not over powering.

M: Very bright nice beer to drink, smooth and enjoyable

O: I really enjoyed this beer, the first sour I ever had was a sour version of this beer, I loved it and I like this version almost as much. Great beer, I typically dont love non sour jester king beers but this one is great! I would certainly buy more, especially at this price point. Very drinkable...

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 20:34:32 | More by cfrobrew

andys_war_hall

Texas

3.09/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip.

A: Poured a dark ruby brown, with a thick two finger head that quickly disappeared. The beer had a nice clarity to it with no sediment in the glass.

S: Smells slightly of fresh baked bread. Also picking up a strong oak presence due to the barrels it was stored in.

T: Lots of oak on the first sip. Toasty bread and lots more oak on the way down. The aftertaste reminded me of sipping on a nice whisky. With some warming up the taste becomes more complex. I recommend letting this warm up a bit before consuming. As always, the oak flavor was more pronounced, along with a nice nuttiness and the sweetness of a whisky really came through.

M: Very smooth, mildly carbonated, tickled a little on the way down.

O: Overall I am glad that I picked this up. It is not one that I would seek out again, but glad I had the chance to try another beer from Jester King. I never know what to expect when I pop open one of their beers, and that always has me excited.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 16:56:34 | More by andys_war_hall