Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
We will probably not see this particular Jester King or the below Gigantic beer in our neck of the SoCal woods but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’ treat yourself afterward doing your civic duty this year. I would suggest posting your beer photos along with a quick note about voting once you have filled in your mail in ballot. And if you find an LA brewery with a vote themed beer, buy it.
This tri-state collaboration certainly set my Pavlovian response into hyperdrive. De Garde which is highly regarded in Oregon with their California equal in both esteem and small quantity of beer, Sante Adairius and noted Texas brewery Jester King.
Then blend their beers together for one super beer. Then create a super cool label with a lovely starry sky type of graphic.
I have left whale hunting behind but I would travel for this one.
Each month, I focus a spotlight on breweries from a city, region, country but this month, I am throwing a change-up. There are quite a few big, burly beers that are described as having a fig like flavor to them. But oddly enough not a large amount of beers actually have Figs in them.
We head to Texas and Jester King for the next fig taster, Figlet.
“Figlet was brewed in early July of 2014 with Hill Country well water, barley, oats, and hops. It then underwent a long-term fermentation over the course of four months, first in stainless steel and then in bottles, kegs, and casks. As is the case with all our beer, the aromas and flavors are largely created by giving a diverse array of microorganisms, many of which are native to our land in the Texas Hill Country, the ample time they need to work with each other (or against each other!) to create unique characteristics inexorably tied to our land. During the last few weeks of the stainless steel portion of the fermentation, the smoked figs were added to the beer and allowed to referment. During this process, the sugars in the figs were broken down by yeast and bacteria. Through refermentation, the aromas and flavors of the smoked figs were transformed, integrated, and elevated in a way that we believe is greater than the sum of their parts. Figlet is 6.2% alcohol by volume.”
Then on to Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta for Sykophantes, a fig sour.
“In ancient Greece, “showing the fig” was a vulgar hand gesture, and Sykophantes means “one who shows the fig”. Earthy and full of dark fruit flavor from hundreds of pounds of figs and dark candy syrup, but with a sourness that cuts the gentle sweetness, Sykophantes is our fall beer.”
Not a huge fan of the artwork on the Jester King labels but I have to admit the liquid within is usually pretty tasty and I like the chutzpah of the extremely long name. Which translates from German to English as, “collaboration beer with Czech hops, wild yeast, and bacteria”. The partner in this farmhouse beer is Live Oak from Austin, known for their German/Czech beers. And I also like that this was brewed in one brewery and the yeast added in another. I know how hard logistics can be with beer so the fact that they added this extra step is pretty cool. And as I mention, repeatedly, I hope to see bottles in LA if Texas doesn’t buy it all up.
from Jester King in “weird” Austin, Texas comes one of the best beer names that I have heard this year… Commercial Suicide.
It is an Oaked Dark Mild. A somewhat forgotten style with a twist.
“A true “session beer”, Commercial Suicide is an authentic English dark mild with notes of caramel, coffee and chocolate. A portion of each batch is aged in medium toast American oak barrels, lending very subtle toasted, oaky notes to the finished beer.”
