Black Jack (Bourbon Barrel Aged) - North by Northwest Restaurant & Brewery

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz, 1/30/13, Garrison Brothers edition, Bottle 37
Riedel tulip

A: Doesn't pour as dark as I thought it would be as a "dark ale". Darkish amber I guess. Looks dark brown with light coming through and reddish tint. Initially a half finger of slight off white light tan head. Sticky lacing.

S: I am actually getting some tartness on the front. Some vanilla and wood notes. Wonder if that's infection? It's slight but seems to be starting to come through, although it's still a nice nose outside of that.

T: Initially a touch of tartness up front. Very carbonated. Some creaminess. Some nuttiness. Chocolate. Not dark, but milk. Dryness. Lingering booze.

M: It's full bodied. Not as creamy as I would have thought.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 13:19:09 | More by inlimbo77

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at NXNW along with a delicious meal. On tap in a chalice via an imperial-size pour.

A - very dark brown, not quite black, arrived with no head and very slight streaky lacing

S - sweet, dark fruit on the nose dominate, also a hint of vanilla

T - light initial grassy hops quickly replaced with dark fruits (plum and raisin), slight enduring bitterness but not very powerful

M - surprising light with low carbonation

D - quite drinkable, but expecting more character

I was hoping for a little more from this beer, not sure if it was just this batch but it seemed to lack concentration and intensity. While it's in a Belgian style, it doesn't have nearly the punch of a true Belgian.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 18:34:46 | More by DoktorZee

crusian

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on my phone, so shortened... also reviewing to style... hence the lower score.
Served in a 10 oz snifter with little head. Nose is bourbon, vanilla, oak...and not much else. Taste is a nice mellow bourbon with the typical vanilla and oak, but that's about it. A little on the boring side but still, it is nice to see brewpubs making bourbon aged brews, and it hits the spot nicely.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2011 23:13:46 | More by crusian

UTCengOwl

Texas

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

Filled a growler at NXNW and decided to upgrade to the barrel aged option. Glad I did. Served in a Great Divide balloon glass.

The beer itself is a dark, deep brown. The head is a relatively white foam that leaves good lacing. Good contrast.

The nose is a wonderfully smooth bourbon. Vanilla and wood. Fantastic. Maybe a bit caramelly, too. The nose has good retention of it's smell, too. Just wonderful.

The taste is bourbon dominated, but that's about it. The base beer seems bland... and the barrel flavors are a bit muted. Not nearly the match of the nose. At times, this seems watery, but the carbonation is good. All of these combined make it very drinkable. A very nice offering.

Serving type: growler

02-20-2011 22:30:39 | More by UTCengOwl

wampahoofus

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: A nice deep chocolate brown. Somewhat clear. No head or lacing at all.

Smell: That sweet, boozy bourbon smell comes through. A bit of vanilla and just a touch of nutty malt.

Taste: The bourbon flavor dominates. It tastes like a bit was poured right in. There is very little bitterness of hops, just a round malt backbone. The beer is very light and clean for an ale. The ales here resemble lagar beers. Very german in nature.

Mouthfeel: It has a thin and clean mouthfeel. I expected something richer but this brew maintains a light and delicate nature, which is atypical of this style.

Drinkability: This beer is not as loud and extreme as the style and barrel aging would suggest. It is a very delciate take on the style making it quite drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2011 23:48:14 | More by wampahoofus

redraider2323

Texas

4.63/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - black with brownish hues around the edges. Nice cap of foam.

S - love it! Vanilla, bourbon, oak, chocolate, caramel

T - more of the same. The malt flavors are a little more prominent than the bourbon and oak in the taste.

M/D - medium thick mouthfeel, but creamy and a little slick. Very drinkable. Not overly sweet at all. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2010 20:54:51 | More by redraider2323

beersheppard

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark brown, tan thin head, no lacing.

Smell: roasty malts, smoky

Taste: rich malts, deep smokiness, bourbon, vanilla, tobacco

Mouthfeel: surprisingly thin, nothing special

Drinkabilty: definitely get again when I am in the mod for a flavorful beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2010 01:17:45 | More by beersheppard

Mora2000

Texas

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

Thanks to angrypirate06 for sharing this handbottle.

I have tried this before but never reviewed it. The beer pours a brown color with a tan head. The aroma is oak and bourbon, just what I look for in a bourbon-barrel aged beer. The flavor is vanilla, brown sugar, oak, bourbon and some roasted malts. Low carbonation and medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: growler

04-26-2010 23:42:49 | More by Mora2000

wagenvolks

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the NXNW brewpub, poured into a snifter.

The body of Black Jack was an attractive plum-mahogany hue, while the thin head displayed a toasted custard color. The draft pour didn't create much head, but a quick swirl of the glass built the foam to a quarter inch in height--no lacing. Delicate aroma, although the barrel-aging wasn't immediately apparent. Sweet, fruity notes of raisin, fig, red grapes, backed by a hint of toasted chocolate and caramel malts. The slightest hint of vanilla and wood pulled through as the beer warmed.

Oh my...the flavor showed up in a major way; these NXNW brewers know how to barrel-age a beer! Creamy vanilla notes from the bourbon paired effortlessly with toasted caramel malt, raisin rum, chocolate liquor, and earthy hops. No one flavor outshined the other, as the slick, medium mouthfeel finished on the dry side with a heated spice note from the alcohol. Drinkability is fantastic; despite tastes of bourbon and other booze, there was very little alcoholic heat or thickness to this beer, making it a joy to consume. Well done!

[EDIT: Tried again 1/11...bourbon-ness that I loved so much in the original is all but a ghost of its former self. For shame...review adjusted accordingly]

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2009 04:37:28 | More by wagenvolks

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle acquired in trade with lb4lb (thanks!).

Poured a deep, dark orange/amber (almost brown) color wtih an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of strong woody/oakiness, earthy, roasty, with light chocolate, and a trace of bourbon. The earthy/woodiness definitely dominates the aromas. Tastes of vanilla, whisky (more than the aromas), caramel, lighter roast, and vanilla. Body a bit on the thinner side.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 23:56:45 | More by hopdog

seaoflament

California

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to midaszero for the opportunity to try this one.

Pours a light caramel color with about half inch of foam that quickly recedes to a ring. The beer is a couple of shades darker in the glass, a dark mahogany with some cherry highlights on the sides.

Intensely sweet malt aroma as soon as I started pouring, lots of vanilla. A mixture of sweet malts, cherry notes, oak, moderate bourbon, vanilla cookies, sweet raisins, plums, and some nutty malts in the background too. Flowery and a little bit spicy if you look for it. Not a very bold aroma but nothing offensive. As it opens up it starts to release some aromas that remind me of cherry syrup with the most minimal medicinal twist. Ok, I've left this beer in the glass (Chimay) for a few minutes and it seems to be opening up now. I'm getting more vanilla, caramel, biscuit, toast, oak, hints of coffee in the background, and more sweet fruits.

Started off with some toast but the oak flavors overpowered it right away, and that's not such a bad thing. Oak and vanilla rush through and the toasted malts follow close by. A little alcohol and bourbon flavor in the finish. Dried fruits and toast upfront on the second sip. A bit of multi-grain bread, some raisins, and either chocolate or toffee flavors in the aftertaste. Some nutty flavors in the end. A few roasted flavors in the finish. Not bad but I would have preferred more dark fruit notes and a slightly bigger body.

Very thin body but the carbonation really picks this one up as it is very smooth and airy on the palate. Somewhat of a dry finish, very clean.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 02:53:58 | More by seaoflament

AChamberlain

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Just got this after arriving and finding the Kodiak IPA is no longer available. This ended up being a nice surprise though in the end. Appearance wise, not too impressive, no head, black color. Can't pull much of an aroma off this one, too many food smells wafting around the joint. Bourbon right away in the flavor, nice warming. Went and smooth drinker. Very enjoyable. Wen well with my burger.

I wonder if there are any beer flavored bourbons?

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2008 00:28:46 | More by AChamberlain

MUSHROOMCLOUD

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Dark, dark brown -- mahogany. White cap for a head that leaves thin wisps of lace.

S - Initially all I could detect was some fruitiness because the beer was served way too cold. Towards the end I gat a nice boozy, whisky like aroma out of the aroma.

T - Nutty malt. Fruity. Peat malt?? Mild butteriness. Slight hint of wood. Sweet finish, bourbon at the very end. (I am not sure about the style of this beer, I picked what was closest.)

M - Medium body. Low carbonation.

D - Good drinkability. Served too cold. The barrel aging effect is very limited. 3.6 on my first review.

7-27-07

A - Dark brown. Poured with no head only a white ring. Thin web-like lace pattern.

S - Roasted malt and faint vanilla.

T - Chocolaty, earthy malt. Rich. Brown sugar. Caramel. Vanilla. Boozy bourbon. Late sweetness but not long into the finish.

M - Medium body - medium carb.

D - Good. Much better than the first time I had this. More complex flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2008 03:25:51 | More by MUSHROOMCLOUD

JDV

Texas

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

Almost opaque black pour in a tulip on draft. Color of black licorice after you bite into it with shades of chalky dark brown to black. Smell isn't overly strong but is quite inviting and nice. Subtle deep roasty malt, & some bourbon as well. Taste is incredibly smooth. Rich licorice like roasty malt, and a nice hit of bourbon flavor without the boozy, hot feel. Better than the Okanogan schwarzbier itself, and the Barrel aging adds some nice complementing character to this beer. I'd recommend this, and I'm not a regularly a schwarzbier fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 22:13:16 | More by JDV

hiikeeba

Texas

4.53/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

After a sampler before lunch today, my cousin and I decided the Okenagen (sp?) Black Ale was the beer we wanted. Dawn, our server, told they had just tapped Black Jack. "It's our black ale aged in a whiskey barrel. . ." "We'll take it," we chorused. "You had me at whiskey barrel," I said.

Dawn brought us a cognac glass with a dark black beer, and white creamy head. Whiskey aroma is prominent. It offsets the roasted malt nicely. The roasted malt flavor slowly builds up, though.

This was an excellent beer!

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2007 21:44:58 | More by hiikeeba