Arbor Jackhammer Old Ale

Pours a deep hazy brown with a very thin cream head. Faint smell of chocolate and toffee. Slight esters. Chocolate and caramel malts dominate flavor with roasted notes. Alcoholic finish. Medium mouthfeel. Slight hop flavor. A decent, if unspectacular beer.

Mildly hazy caramel brown with a creamy and rather large beige slowly dissipating crown – it took a few minutes to pour the whole bottle. Aroma of caramel, dark fruit, cereal grains and mild alcohol. Taste of caramel, chocolate, dark fruit, raisons and alcohol. Mostly malted but enough of a hop presence to keep it from being too sweet. Creamy and a shade over carbonated but not too bad.

Suspecting that it might gush, I chilled the bottle down to 32 degrees before opening. No luck, I had to wait 30 min. for the foam to settle before I could even consider drinking it. I’m not sure why Arbor hasn’t figured out this problem yet. They generally make good beers. Phat Abbot Triple is one of my favorites. Bad experience with this one. Big waste of money.

Carbonation was extreme! Cold from frig and still 90% foam. More ended up on counter than in my glass. Some sweet carmel taste, but total experience was very negative!

On tap at the brewpub. Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Aromas of dark fruits with some caramel. Flavor is very nice dark fruit, caramel, a bit sweet, and a nice dose of smoke. Not too strong, but not too weak either. I really enjoyed this old ale.

Way too carbonated...maybe a bad bottle. Flavor of the beer was a bit unbalanced...harsh in the finish. Strong hops and sweet malt, but not the best balance.

Way too carbonated...maybe a bad bottle. Flavor of the beer was a bit unbalanced...harsh in the finish. Strong hops and sweet malt, but not the best balance.

Of course this shit fucking gushed when I opened it. A chocolate, raisin aroma, kind of like a dubbel. Aroma is insanely sweet and then dirty. Kind of a nutty, brown sugar taste. Pretty weird. Im trying really hard to choke this down.