Stickenjab Alt Bier - Heavyweight Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bold brash yummy flavour, hopped up punch. Fruity, nutty, toasty Malt, molasses, lager taste, a category cutter. Some acidic sourness there as is familiar in the Heavyweight product in general. Much fun and great with a meal. Brownish colour. Suitable carbonation. Must have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2005 05:05:38 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark brassy burnt orange and as clear as the opening bell. The head comes out swinging with a creamydense two fingers of pale orange-ecru that looks like it won't punch itself out anytime soon. (I won't be able to sustain the boxing theme throughout this entire review, so I think I'll throw in the towel now). A smeary king's crown of lace decorates the glass.

The nose is a welterweight (one more) that doesn't make much of an impression either way. The beer smells predominantly malty with an earthy, almost herbal hoppiness that I'd be hard-pressed to attribute to Hallertau Hersbrucker. It doesn't smell all that 'noble' to me, but like something that would be found in an English pale ale. Tame, mildly pleasant aroma, but unexciting.

This is one boldly flavored altbier. It isn't as refined and as elegant as the Uerige alts, nor quite as delicious, but I love the sheer amount of flavor that it delivers to the tastebuds. Firmly malted with a huge toasted brown bread uppercut and a spicy, earthy, woody, bitter orangey, bitingly hoppy right cross that has me reeling with delight (sorry, I just can't stop). Leave it to Heavyweight to deliver a heavyweight altbier.

The considerable hoppiness increases in intensity throughout each mouthful and builds with each successive sip. It's also impressively dry. One could think of Stickenjab as the IPA of altbiers, or, alternatively, as an English ESB on steroids. If you're scared of flavor or of hops, don't get into the ring with this muscular bad boy.

The alcohol is effectively buried beneath all the alpha acids, but I'm beginning to feel as if a few of those jabs have connected. I'll claim an empty stomach in order to salvage a little pride. The body is firm and is medium-full (keeping style in mind), a reflection of the abundant quantity of ingredients. The lively--but not overdone--carbonation is a perfect match for the rest of the beer's attributes.

I shouldn't be surprised by Heavyweight any longer, but Stickenjab was better than expected. I'm reluctant to call it an Imperial Alt, even though it's one juggernaught of a beer that keeps throwing combinations until the final bell. I'd like to tighten my laces and go another few rounds, but I didn't have the foresight to buy more than this one bottle. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2006 15:19:44 | More by BuckeyeNation

brentk56

North Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey colored body with a modest head that quickly descends to a ringlet and islands and leaves very little lacing behind

Smell: Sour cider smell; not particularly inviting

Taste: Starts out with a sour cider taste along the side of the tongue that builds and is joined by some sweet flavors in the finish; the opposite of what you would expect

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: I really like Alts and I have liked other beers by Heavyweight so this was a real disappointment; its not really an altbier in that it uses lager yeast and the sour profile fits better with a Flanders Red than an Alt; I might rate it higher if they didn't call it an Alt but it is hard to overcome the expectations

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2006 01:03:08 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky medium brown with a light wispy head,the aroma is definently malty with some sweetness and biscuity traits,a real nice malty flavor here lightly sweet and caramelly with a toasted flavor to it very light hop bittering a nice savoring beer here.After a few drinks thew sweetness begins to become more powerful to maybe keep the drinkability from being to high but still a very solid beer here.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2003 20:38:29 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A standard pour offers quite a hazy body that's deep copper in color with an orange-ish glow at the edge of the glass. The head starts fairly full and quite creamy but shortly drops to a good collar and thin surface covering. A gentle swirl of the glass, however, can bring it back up. The aroma is of a lightly fruity, sweetish caramel & toffee maltiness with what appears to be some diacetyl (but how could it be with a lager yeast and 6.4% ABV?). The body is firmly medium with a very fine, median carbonation from bottle conditioning and leaves it quite creamy in the mouth. The flavor is quite rich. The rounded caramel & gentle fruit (some light strawberry) character is exquisite, and very well balanced by hop bitterness which dries out the finish and gently lingers with some residual caramel maltiness in a long finish. Some mild and lightly grassy hop flavor is also present as it crosses the palate, and again in the finish. Although the bitterness is quite solid at 48 IBU's, it never interferes with the maltiness. Exceptional. I couldn't ask for much more from an authentic Dusseldorfer! This is a beer that has enough rich malt flavor and hoppy character to keep it interesting while still maintaining an excellent drinkability. The only thing that could hold me back from drinking many of these in a row is the somewhat limiting alcohol content of 6.4% by volume. Highly recommended and absolutely worth trying. Do not miss out!

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2002 18:32:09 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a nice amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a grainy malt scent that boasts of pale and light crystal malts. It is dry to the nose and smells of lager yeast. The taste is decent also. It has a strong malt flavor that is very dry and slightly musty. It goes down easy and finishes a bit heavy on the mouthfeel and full of lager yeast taste. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a decent alt, but I've had better. It has a quite complex flavor and decent aroma.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2004 21:15:53 | More by WesWes

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a lightly hazy, deep amber color that is topped by a frothy tan colored head. The aroma is quite sweet and fruity, with notes of raisins and an intense, though non-descript, berry character. It also has an intense maltiness that has notes toasted malt, caramel, a sticky amber malt extract note. The mixture of hops and malt in the nose is quite nice, definitely really in balance and they are both quite intense.

The taste is not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggest. It is pretty full and rich on the palate, and there is quite a bit of acidity in the finish as well. There is a sort of malt extract twang here as well, perhaps the malt is starting to become oxidized. This is actually a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting a bit more hop character, and a bit more integrated, fresh maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2006 23:55:58 | More by Gueuzedude

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a clear orange color with a thcik 2" head. The head slowly falls to a surface foam.Spotty lacing develops.

Smell: sweetness and nuttiness are detectable.

Taste: strong caramel and bread like malt backbone with some sugary sweetness, green apples, and mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel: crisp and dry at the start. Dry and smoother finish. Long aftertaste of malty goodness. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: easy drinking alt beer. If you are in the mood for the style, this will do it for you. Seek this one out if you live in the Jersey area.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2006 22:59:20 | More by Gavage

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a 12 oz bottle of Stickenjab. I had intended to drink and review a Lunacy, but the damned bottle erupted upon opening and made a damn-hell-ass mess.

Appearance: The ale is a lighter color that the other altbiers that I've had. It is an auburn orange color and has a bit of haze. The beer poured with a nice head that left a good lace around the glass.

Smell: The aroma is a little off. There is a definite biscuity malt aroma, but something else also pops up, a nasty fruity aroma.

Taste: The beer has a firm malt flavor. As I let it warm over my tongue, toffee and biscuit are the big flavors that emerge. The malts are so strong and assertive that one doesn't even notice when they trail off (which they do at the proper time, to prevent a malt bomb). Very nice taste!

Mouthfeel: The malts are quite good and make this an enjoyable drink.

Drinkablility: Very high, a winner amongst the altbiers.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2006 02:32:46 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours cloudy copper brown with a nice sized tan head leaving specks of lacing on the sides of my glass. Aroma: Consists of sweet bready layers of grain some fruity undertones along with hops to balance a bit. Toasted nut aroma is evident and plays a crucial role in the overall profile. Taste: At 48 IBUs this is a standardly hopped alt, but this one definitely kicks it up a notch in overall flavor the toasted nuts shine here with nice alcohol tones very nice full flavor and finishes with more underlying fruit tones. Mouthfeel: A medium body example of a great style I am a big fan of Heayweight's beer but this is by far one of the freshest most solid yet flavorful alts I've taste, nice job. Drinkability: Somewhere in the middle I'm not instantly craving another but I think it's very solid and I will be back to it nice brew lotta flavor gotta love that right.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2003 19:18:08 | More by WVbeergeek

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours with a two-finger cream head that fades slowly leaving a ton lace. Murky amber color. Good carbonation. Nose is hoppy. Medium bodied. Starts hoppy/malty and finishes on the sweet/hoppy side but a slight bitter after taste. $1 for a 12oz bottle from Hoosick St. Disc Bev. Troy, NY.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2004 22:58:07 | More by jdhilt

Billolick

New York

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle. Pours dark almond. White tight head, leaving lace. Crisp malt profile. Smoth and meduim body.nice rich smoky Malt carries the day here. Mild bittering in the finish.. Alt is a sort of pleasant but not too exciting style. this is a real nice example. decent stuff, but its not really a "wow" type brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2004 16:21:43 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle purchased somewhere in VA, one of many things gathered at either Vienna Whole Foods, Norm's, or Westpark Wine & Beer.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a big ol' 2 1/2" beige head over the slightly cloudy reddish brown brew. Laced well. Aroma is very lightly of caramel malts. Taste is a base of mild caramel malts, coupled with a slightly sour fruit (cherry?) flavor. Mouthfeel and drinkability excellent.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2004 01:49:28 | More by ppoitras

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice looking deep copper/scarlet red appearance. Thin off-white head dissipates to a thin coating in seconds. The collar leaves some sparse lace. Sweet and malty aroma. A hint of hops. The nose overall could use a little boost though. The flavor is quite fruity. And I'm surprised being that this alt is bottom fermented. But esters are definitely evident. The malts give the beer a nice foundation. Somewhat toffeeish and somewhat caramely. Some nutty tones accent and the hops add a dryness and a slight bitterness. Mouthfeel is a little prickly. Moreso than in most alts I try. And the body is checking in around medium or so.

I was hoping to add another alt to my "Mount Rushmore" of alts, but sadly I won't be doing that. While this is good, it's not Top Tier material in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2004 04:33:49 | More by Bighuge

Gusler

Arizona

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer disembarks the 12 ounce brown bottle a nebulous deep amber color with the head portly in size, the texture creamy and the color a toothsome light tan, as it slowly dematerializes the lace forms a thick blanket to cover the glass. Nice malt sweet nose with a bit of yeast and maybe a bit of over ripe fruit, I’d say apples, and start is thick with malt, lightly sweet and the top middling and a bit beyond actually. Finish is affable in its acidity, the hops are judicious in their spiciness, desert bone dry, a fine drinking beer, and I thank Carmen for this “Precious” bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2004 23:45:42 | More by Gusler

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear and coppery, a vigourous pour yielded a thin skim of head and solid ring around the glass. Decent retention and spotty lacing. Malt aroma all the way - freshly milled barley, light sweetness - with just a hint of apple/pear. Fruit is apparent in the flavour, start to finish, and leads into a spicy finish with just a hint of alcohol warmth. Bitterness is strong without being pronounced - malt is still in control here with a bit of caramel rounding out the sweetness. Medium bodied with carbonation on the low side. Nice texture too. This is really tasty. Just enough bitterness to keep the sweetness in check and an interesting flavour profile.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2006 23:04:02 | More by DrJay

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade. Clear dark amber color with a thick and frothy off-white head that lasts a long time. Decent amount of lacing. Earthy malt aroma with some hops present. Medium-bodied but a little thin compared to the better Alts I have tried. Sweet malt and fruit flavors dominate, with some spicy hops. The finish is clean and sweet, if short-lived. All in all this is a pretty good Alt, but I wish it packed a little more punch.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2005 18:39:19 | More by Dogbrick

ZAP

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy mahogony with just a slight head...nose is awesome...walnuts, sweet berries (big-time), and a touch of breadiness....body is about right....medium and tight...more carbonation that the head would lead you to believe...a nice taste to this too....the sweet berries on the nose become more tart on the taste...almost a little acidic...a real tart finish....also some breadiness on the taste but I lose the walnut characteristic..I loved the hell out of this beer the first five minutes but the tartness on the flavor and particularly on the finish has me dropping the score a little lower than I first anticipated.....As I near the end of this the hoppiness of the 48 IBU's emerges nicely and adds a real nice touch...This is a good Alt...the tart finish is the only knock...If nothing else this is worth the effort just to have a chance to smell it...

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2003 21:48:34 | More by ZAP

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 fluid ounce rather stubby bottle with a simple brass colored crown cap. Label as per the one portrayed in the BA Database. Listed as 6.40% ABV and 48 IBU’s.

Appearance: A think cream head forms but soon breaks to a thin covering with a thick halo ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal lacing. The body is however a simply gorgeous color as it radiates rusty-orange warmth from my Lop-Lop flute style glass. A lovely clear copper body which, thanks to the curvature of my glass, appears to ‘thin’ at the base to a lightly burnished orange color. Streamers throughout, nevertheless, it still has average carbonation levels.

Nose: A sharpness prevails initially, akin to the odor of over-ripe and oxidized crushed Cider apples, whilst some light sweetness and warming cooked malts middle the nose. Mingling Brewers yeast and smidgeon of caramel finish the aromas.

Taste: Funny, when I poured this I was, for some reason, reminded of a Flemish Red. Weird. The tastes in the first mouthfeel suddenly reinforced this. A lactic sourness hits at the back as I swallowed. Is this supposed to be here – who cares? – I like it. Rather nice. Malts start the experience with a distinct but light alcohol background. A sharp cider feel, with some dough and a caramel middle lead into the sour finish. Some hops but they never appear in the flavor profile until the super-dry bitter cloying finish long after the swallow. Unusual, and rather Moorish.

Mouthfeel: Sticky is perhaps not a remote term. It has some cloying feel after the swallow, which if you drink this fast enough, which in itself is not a problem, goes away, but slowly imbibed I found the cloying aspect a tad annoying. The mouthfeel is perhaps the weakest link here.

Drinkability: Easily imbibed, the lactic sourness at the back end invited me to the next mouthful oh-so-easily.

Overall: Superb and highly enjoyable. Very nice with some incredibly fattening Sharp Aged Irish Cheddar, don’t think I’ll ever get the hang of this Atkins crap LOL.

Thanks to a fine young lady BA for this one, it was much appreciated Carmen. Next time you get to So.Cal. bring some more of this please ;-))

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2004 03:38:06 | More by TheLongBeachBum

alexgash

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky ruddy brown with dark copper edges and two fingers of creamy, light tan head. Laces nicely too. Buttery caramel and bread malt aromas on the nose. A little dark fruit, and some roasty, spicy bitterness. Smells like a ramped up altbier...
Taste starts with bready, sweet malts, accented by figs, gingerbread, caramel, and a dry, woody vinous twang. Light bitterness intrudes as the dry, grape flavor takes over. Finish is tangy, lightly bitter, with a strong lingering malt base. Medium bodied, with a lightly creamy feel. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2005 21:46:24 | More by alexgash

merlin48

Kentucky

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nut brown, slightly hazed, body with a small head that quickly collapses into a persistent collar of lace.
Toffee and caramel front a malty aroma, with hints of grapefruit and apples in the background.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation.
Taste comes off well balanced for an alt, with a strong component of citrusy hops to balance the assertive maltiness that is toffee, caramel, and a hint of chocolate. Alcohol adds an interesting touch of complexity.
This is an interesting Sticke alt, with a surprising hops presence that is as assertive as the malts. Very tasty and nicely put together.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2004 00:32:18 | More by merlin48

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a slightly hazy medium copper with persistent tannish head. Smell is sweetish and caramelly. Some alcohol also noted. Taste is very sweet, similiar to a caramel apple. Alcohol also noted in the taste. Each subsequent taste also brings atrong alcohol scent. Has a bit of a hoppy bite to it. Somewhat of a sour finish that seemed to become more enjoyable as the glass emptied. This was a very strange beer to me. When I first tasted it, I really did not like it. But by the time I got to the bottom of the glass, all my ranking went from 3's up to 4's. This is a good example of the problems of rating beers from 4 ounce samples. If I would have only had 4 ounces of this beer, I would of had a completely different impression of it. Turned out to be a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2005 00:54:48 | More by tgbljb

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer poured hazy medium brown with an orange hue. The head was white and fell quickly, but laced the glass.

The aroma was slight Munich malt aroma and slight hop aroma.

The flavor was slightly sweet and nutty from the Munich malt. The hops are restrained, but present. The flavor is crisp, but ordinary.

The finish was dry and slightly bitter. The body was medium.

12 ounce bottle. Would have liked to have seen a more agressive aroma and hopping in both flavor and bittering.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2004 22:55:26 | More by GCBrewingCo

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a hazy, murky brown, with maybe a touch of reddish-orange in the color. The beer has a slight, dull-white head. It’s aroma is a mix of sticky-smelling thick malt (caramel and sugar-like) and an earthy yeastiness. Hops mix in the background as well. As with other Heavyweight brews, this one’s full bodied and full-flavored. It’s forceful and forthright. It’s well balanced, with a sweet front and hop-bitter finish. Not as complex or as fulfilling as other HW brews, but certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2004 00:52:26 | More by Suds

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Geoff.

This brew pours an ambered orange color with a finger of head that falls to coat the brew. The nose is interesting. I get notes of orangey citrus and a bit of roasted, nutty malt. Interesting combination. The flavor is right there with a lemoney/orangey zesty citrus and a light roasted malt. The feel is moderate with a moderate carbonation. I think the brew is rather refreshing and drinkable. I'm just not getting overly excited over the flavor and nose.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2005 23:59:47 | More by kmpitz2