Great Lakes Jabberwocky - Great Lakes Brewing Company

jampics2

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Before I begin, it must be said - this exclusive, underground offering from Great Lakes is indeed a 'Mischmasch', but by no means nonsense. A monster of a beer with jaws that bite and claws that snatch. After 6 years of stewing in its cage, the leviathan has been liberated, never advertised or added to the boards and tapped only on Tuesdays in September 2010.

The beer is an orange color with a little white head that disappears quickly. It's cloudy with slightly noticeable carbonated bubbles and some gold and yellow edges. It's not the prettiest American Wild Ale I've seen, but no one can expect such a beast to be beautiful.

As I take a deep sniff, I'm taken into a dark forest of oak, surrounded by perhaps the most woody scents I've encountered in a beer of this style. Six years has imparted every nuance that oak can add - vanillin, butterscotch, almond and even some slight tannin. There are some sour notes from the lacto, mostly giving impressions of sour cherry and slight lemon. The sweet grape and nutty notes from the Amontillado sherry come through, and there's even a hint of unripe melon.

Immediately, I realize that the first sip has buried me in so many flavors I'm speechless. There most pronounced flavors were on account of the sherry and wood. Vanilla and Moscatel grapes dominate, dry and slightly spicy with just a touch of leather. The sweetness of the fruit (cherry and melon) makes this more of a sweet and sour than a lactic-dominated sharp, puckering beer. There is a sour lactic note but it is quickly fleeting. The malt comes across as sweet toffee/graham cracker/buttered toast combination, and there's a lot of nuttiness, mostly toasted almonds from the sherry/malt combo. When I finish exploring for new nuances, I'm convinced this Jabberwocky is a devilish delight - not overly sour, but considerably colossus and complex like its namesake.

In my mouth, this beer has a nice medium body. The lower carbonation makes it reminiscent of a wine, but adds just enough pep to keep it lively. Finishes sour with lingering fruitiness. One needs to be in the mood to do battle with the wood to appreciate this beer, but it's more drinkable than any other huge ABV sour I've had. Has thou slain the Jabberwock? I have and I lived to tell the tale. And you may too. Just be warned - there is no need for a vorpal blade, just a desire for adventure, a lust for experimentation and 6 years of patience.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2010 17:37:38 | More by jampics2

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a slight tint of gold around the edges. There is a tight quarter finger white head. The aroma is of oak, vanilla, and some tannins along with a slight hint of tart fruits. The taste is very good. The beer starts with a sweet cherry and brandy like flavor. The flavor is rounded out by a big oak presence. The middle part reveals a green tart fruit flavor. Green apples and tart grapes come to mind. The back end comes back with a little more sweetness. The mouthfeel is well carbonated and slightly stingy. Overall it is a very solid beer. There are big flavors and aroma and you are left wanting more.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 18:19:01 | More by goblue3509