Jester King Brewery's Commercial Suicide

You know what I like less than a beer that foams out? Nothing. Not a damn thing. It ruins the beer, strips the body, and in a beer already listed as mild there;s simply no room for this sort of thing.

Poured about 1/8 of an inch of beer, and several inches of foam. When that settled down, the beer was a coppery brown like a bock, with a head that would never go away. Which is usually a good thing, but not now.

Smells like a light Belgian beer. Like I could like it, if not for the weird yeast esters that Belgians put off.

There's something wrong with this beer. The empty taste and feel have to be because it foamed out. The cardboard bitterness, however, is most likely where it should be. But it really shouldn't be here. And it's awful bitter for a dark mild, or any mild. Like they're monkeying with the style as much as someone monkeyed with their stupid labels.

I'll probably try it again sometime just because I question whether or not something happened to this batch or this bottle. I think it was stored ok for the small amount fo time it was out of the store, but it cannot be this way on purpose.

Despite the stupid brewery name, label art and dumb beer names I've always wanted to like this brewery. They make it hard.

Jester King Brewery's Black Metal Imperial Stout

Alright, this is what made me think of posting again. I recently had this beer at lunch in a pretty nice restaurant in Houston, and thought I should start putting things down here again. I remember when this brewery just announced that it was opening, and I thought it was a stupid name. Still do. Like someone couldn't let go of the Renaissance Festival or something. Then I looked up the website, and their artwork is the same. A mix of Renaissance Fair and goth, with a little steam punk thrown in on one logo. Whatever it is, I don't like it.

But this is a damn good beer. And who am I to criticize someone else's work and creativity, anyway. Especially when they're doing it right where it counts.

This one pours an inky black with a thin, dark tan head head. Very low carbonation, which I think is just fine in this style.

Great smell. Deep roasted and coffee flavors. Website says "aggressive bitterness," but at 60 IBU the bitterness isn't so aggressive in a RIS. That's OK too, I hate Victory beers and overly hopped styles remind me of them. This one is just right though. Despite the 10.4% ABV, the alcohol is virtually imperceptible. Perfect.

Excellent beer. I hope it makes it to Spec's soon, because it will compete with any RIS out there. Maybe they can ramp up production and distribute more widely so I can try the rest.

Or maybe I'll have to make a beer trip to Austin.