Uinta Jacked - Oak Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale (2011)
Limited Autumn Seasonal.
25.4 fl. oz. / $12.99 USD / 10.31% ABV
About: "Uinta Brewing Company introduces the newest addition to their Crooked Line of beers, Oak Jacked Imperial Wood Aged Pumpkin Ale. “Jacked” is a very limited, seasonal beer, only 850 cases were produced (in 2011).
Jacked is brewed with fresh pumpkin and fall spices and has been aging in Oak barrels for 6 months. The oak barrels add subtle nuances of toasted vanilla and bourbon notes. With an ABV of 10.31% (a play on the date of Halloween), Jacked is a big, unique pumpkin ale.
Continuing with the spirit of the Crooked Line, Utah artist Trent Call was commissioned to design the Jacked label. Each bottle is a work of art. Pop the cork and pair Oak Jacked with flavors of the season!"
Thoughts: Decided not to struggle with the cork on this one and took the scissor claw to it. Why? Because my hand hurts from doing manly things... like plowing (if you know that I mean), and jerking (if you know what I mean), and strangling bitches to d... (if y...), and on top of that, it's drinkin' time! Not time to break a sweat on some impossible to open brew. Hell, it's hard enough cracking thighs op... I mean, things open, while tying rope (if you know what I)
Jacked poured a dark and sinister, hazy burnt orange. It's got a bit of some reddish-brown tones to it, maybe even a little auburn. It is really, really cloudy, and the colors are shadowed and / or shining off the light from whichever angle I view this glass. The yellowy orange head was huge to fluff up and eventually left a half moon ring around the edges.
Smells fan-fuckin'-tastic! It's rich and spicy, very boozy, tons of malt... it's like layer upon layer of circling aromas. Gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake doused with rum(!). It smells like a frosty cold night in front of a bonfire. Kinda makes me miss those old times I would make a rainbow connection at the beach and leave with sand crabs (if you know wha
First gulp, and yeah, me happy. Up front it's got a rich malty sweetness that's slowly chizzled away by a mini -onslaught of cinnamon, pepper, clove, nutmeg and ginger, finally giving way to a slightly sour mash of pumpkin and some falling leaves. This beer is incredibly flavorful, and tastes really good too... but it seems to fade just a little fast. That could just be the oak barrels though, as that woodsy flavor creeps in and takes over just as the spice boom dies off.
The feel is super smooth and just a little watery. It's sticky and coating, and that cinnamon leaves a dust in the mouth, but it's not really drying at all.
Overall this is a great representation of a pumpkin ale. Drinking the final few gulps straight out of the bottle and I'm really loving that harsh, oaked and boozy feel about the whole brew. I wonder what this years version tastes like? After all, there's nothing like a fresh, ripe pumpkin... if you know what I mean.
I was really hoping the beer store out here was going to get this, but they wound up with the Unita barrel aged Barleywine instead. I drank a bottle of Punk'n last night and enjoyed it as much as I did last year. The best part about it is all that real pumpkin flavor. I was trying to "taste" the oak and pumpkin flavors mixed together.
ReplyDeleteOverall I was pretty disappointed with the selection of pumpkin beers. They mostly had the same beers as last year, with a few new ones. None of which were very interesting... no barrel aged ales. The best new edition was Midnight Sun's Treat. It's an Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter. If you find it, grab a bottle or two. It's delicious.