Ale Asylum - Satisfaction Jacksin Double IPA Review

[indyfrisco]

First off, thanks Goober for the shipment. Sauce will be shipped back soon.



From their website:

9% ABV - With over 3 pounds of Centennial hops per barrel, this double IPA has a slightly punishing yet entirely pleasing bitterness that dances on the tongue. Part of our Limited Asylum seasonal series, Satisfaction Jacksin is available on tap and in six packs at your favorite craft beer outlet from September through December-ish.

I don't use the fancy words beer snobs use when describing the taste of beer. When I read that shit, I don't "envision" how the taste is myself. So, in layman's terms, here's what I thought of it.

I used a 1/2" thick 20 oz. mug that I keep in the freezer for beer drinking. I popped the cap and poured about half the beer in the glass. I swirled the bottle in case there was any sediment left in the bottom and poured the rest in. I keep my fridge at 32 degrees and freezer is at -4 degrees. Since this mug is so thick, the beer actually forms a nice slushy layer where the head forms after pouring a glass. The first two drinks are like shaved ice with beer.

I did the smell thing first. My first thought was, "Hmm...smells like beer." Yeah, the odor was pleasing, but I have no flower, plant or fruit to compare it to. It smelled good, unlike Bud Rice.

Now, I like IPAs and hoppy beers. I have been hitting Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Double IPA a lot lately. Mainly because that's all I really have access to here that is really hoppy. Satisfaction Jacksin DIPA's hops level made Sierra Nevada's Torpedo taste more like a Sam Adams Boston Lager from a hops standpoint. It wasn't so strong that you felt like you were eating a bud of hops, but it was strong. However, not too strong. The "bitterness dancing on the tongue" description was right on in their own words.

Now, drinking a 9% ABV beer I wouldn't think was a big deal. You can't "taste" anymore alcohol than you normally do in a beer. However, for a brief moment, towards the end of the glass, you could FEEL the 9% just a little. Kinda like when you do not use tobacco for a long time (for those tobacco quitters) and then you get a taste of it later, you get a short warm buzz for a moment.

At this point, I really wanted to pop the top on another, but I abstained. I have a party tonight at the house. I have two buds that will be allowed to have one. Everyone else can drink the Coronas and Sam Adams Noble Pils beer or help themselves to the wet bar. [Dins Heart Attack]This stuff is $13/sixer[/Dins Heart Attack] so I'm not sharing a lot of it. I will say it "fills you up" and that I could probably only drink two before I crack open the whiskey or Zinfadel.

All in all, a great tasting beer. I have 6 of these at home I brought home from Hawaii last week. It was $8.50/sixer in Hawaii so I don't doubt Dins when he says that stuff is $7 or less in the U&L.



Inversion IPA is a fantastic beer. Ale Asylum Satisfaction Jacksin Double IPA is better.

[Dinsdale]

All in all, a great tasting beer. I have 6 of these at home I brought home from Hawaii last week. It was $8.50/sixer in Hawaii so I don't doubt Dins when he says that stuff is $7 or less in the U&L.

$5.99 (on sale, but it's always "on sale")

I'll drop the beer-snob routine (for just a moment) -- it's just like when I help my buddy out with wine-pouring events... invariably, someone (or several someones) will come up and have a taste, then mention the bottle they had with dinner last night. I always goes like this...

"We had a nice bottle with dinner last night... but I guess it wasn't very good, we only paid $8 for it."

Our response is always the same -- "Did you enjoy it? Did it go well with your meal? Yeah? Well, I guess it was good wine then, wasn't it? That's determined by your taste buds, not the price tag."

Maybe I've been at it too long, but anymore, it's rare I'll like any beer with an ABV of 9. The alcohol is generally undetectable, but it's the nuts-and-bolts... when those big ABV numbers come up, some things went down in the making that make flavors I don't like. You get into entirely different types of yeast, which they can call whatever they want, but they're essentially morphed-out wine yeasts, and wine yeasts give "winey" notes (consistantly). And to get to that ABV in a beer, it's some seriously cooked-down malt, and by the time the ferment is complete, there's all kinds of residuals -- glycols, all sorts of esters... it's kinda carved-in-stone, just a matter of how the rest of the palate masks it.

But the normal Dinsdale persona aside,... if you enjoyed it, then rack the brewery.

Dinsdale's occasional-employer-with-no-compensation-but-free-wine winery's budding motto -- "Drink what you like."

Zinfadel[sic]

The backyard vineyard is close... after a very late start with the wacky weather this year. Thoroghly inappropriate climate for zin here, but we give it a whirl (it's south-facing, against a reflective wall). Soooo close to ripe, and we've had lots of early-fall heat... which is set to come to an end in the next couple of days. Zin is kind of a fascinating grape -- but has huge berries with delicate skins. Rain as it finishes can cause berry explosions, and a couple of blown berries ruins the whole cluster (as does one peck from a bird). But what makes zin so interesting, is it pollinates unevenly, and ripens unevenly, even within the same cluster. This gives zin its weird character -- when left to hang, there will be some underripe berries, next to raisins -- makes zin pretty complex. But here in the backyard, it's unfortunately generally a little wet for zin/primativo (same thing) during ripening, which may lead to something different being grafted on the vines.

Zin is such an underrated wine.

[indyfrisco]

Zin is such an underrated wine.

Concur. I got a case of this in Napa 4 years ago:

Rubicon Edizione Pennino Estate Zinfandel



Only drink it on special occasions for obvious reasons. After 4 years, I still have 7 bottles left.

My every day zinfandel is about $12/bottle, CVS has it for $9 or so sometimes on sale. Very good wine at a very reasonable price.

[Dinsdale]

I could have sworn that you busted my balls a couple of years ago for preferring zin over other varietals. Anyfuck.

Not that I recall, unless you mentioned "white zin," in which case I'm sure I said something like "Oh, does your husband golf?"

Doubt I'd bust balls, since it's what I personally grow (with pretty fucking limited success, might I add). Then again, I'll bust your chops for saying the sky is blue, so maybe.

And if you want awesome wine, look no further than:

[The Seer]

slightly punishing / pleasing bitterness that dances on the tongue / I don't "envision" how the taste is myself / I popped / I swirled / is so thick / a nice slushy / the head forms / like shaved /I did the smell thing first.

Beer snobs /

[indyfrisco]

Is that how you speed read? Must make for some entertaining reads ignoring the context.

[mvscal]

I used a 1/2" thick 20 oz. mug that I keep in the freezer for beer drinking.

Frozen mugs are for tasteless, shit beer and soda pop. You don't even know what that beer really tastes like, so you should have skipped the review.

And why the fuck would you keep your refrigerator at 32 degrees?

[Truman]

God damnit, Indy.

Your beer-faggotry made me thirsty for some beer with, well, some beer in it...

Went to the market today in search of Goober's Hopslam (still a bit early per their Website), and came home with this:



Gonna save it for tomorrow night while I watch Wisky reap the Corn. Cheers, Goobs!

[The Seer]

No, the moral of the story is your tastebuds are temporarily fucked until you learn to NOT always play by the rules when it comes to the govt (jam). Drink away.

[Dr_Phibes]

I used a 1/2" thick 20 oz. mug that I keep in the freezer for beer drinking.

That's a disaster right there, unless you're planning to get drunk and bludgeon your guests. Why would anyone drink out of something like that? Shitty German lager alright.

[Dinsdale]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that wine is available in Ohio. So, I'll probably never taste it, damnit.

Oh, I'm sure something could be worked out... like jam, or something.


And it's truly amazing how many government bureaucracies stick their grubby greedy mitts out when you start making/selling alcohol. It's like painting a bullseye on your wallet.

[indyfrisco]

I used a 1/2" thick 20 oz. mug that I keep in the freezer for beer drinking.

Frozen mugs are for tasteless, shit beer and soda pop. You don't even know what that beer really tastes like, so you should have skipped the review.

And why the fuck would you keep your refrigerator at 32 degrees?

Like I said, I shy away from the beer snobbery. I like my beer cold so I keep the fridge cold as hell. I use a thick glass mug To keep the beer extra cold as well. Keep your room temp frog-like beer to yourself.

By the way, the fridge I have in the basement bar is for beer only so that is why I keep it that cold. The other fridge in the basement is the in house backup fridge. Of course, there's the wine fridge in the basement bar as well. Fridge in the kitchen serves its purpose. Fridge in the main garage has sodas and backup for inside fridge. Box freezer in main garage keeps all the bulk shit we got frozen. Man cave garage has its own fridge stocked with beer as well.

Yeah, 6 fridges and 1 box freezer. Add that to my stigmata along with my 27 TVs.

[mvscal]

Like I said, I shy away from the beer snobbery. I like my beer cold so I keep the fridge cold as hell.

That's great when you drink shitty beer. If you drink a lot of mass market beer, then that is definitely the way to go.

I use a thick glass mug To keep the beer extra cold as well.

Keeping beer "extra cold" means you don't want to taste it. You don't serve any beer at 32 degrees and it doesn't have shit to do with "beer snobbery." It's about you not know what the fuck you're talking about.

[Dr_Phibes]

At 9% you're not exactly drinking authentic, freeze away and be guilt-free. I'm sure that if ex-patriots in India had six fridges and a box freezer they'ed have stowed their beer. Indy hasn't broken any beer snob rules except his choice of glass.
What's funny is that Marston's created a perfect replica Victorian IPA (Old Empire) at 5.7% and shipped it to Canada in clear bottles and it all went to skunk at the first try so that was the end of that.

[mvscal]

Indy hasn't broken any beer snob rules except his choice of glass.

And serving ale at 32 degrees. If you drink beer at that temperature, you don't experience the full flavor. It's not a beer snob thing. It's chemistry and it isn't subject to individual preference.

[Dinsdale]

It's chemistry and it isn't subject to individual preference.

Pretty much.

[Dr_Phibes]

Yeah, but pumping so much alcohol into an ale was a matter of preserving it for transport, an IPA came about in a slightly disingenuous sort of way. Pumping in even more nowadays seems wrong. The ingredients were a matter of practical necessity rather than palate, as ales go, it's slightly second tier and not saying it can't be good if done properly.

Putting it in the freezer Is like complaining he put too much ketchup on his Big Mac.

[mvscal]

Yeah, but pumping so much alcohol into an ale was a matter of preserving it for transport, an IPA came about in a slightly disingenuous sort of way.

Hops also act as a preservative.

Pumping in even more nowadays seems wrong.

The American craft brew movement is still in its adolescence. The signature is quality ingredients but LOUD products. Everything has to be 5,000% percent alcohol!!! and hops so astringent you'll swallow your own testicles. Subtlety and refinement is something that comes with age and experience. That's why I'm partial to Brits for ales and Germans for lagers.

[Dr_Phibes]

So is Canadian, it only seemed to come out of the dark ages about ten years ago.

It's better here, maybe because there's less people, less competition, less of a need to stand out, but all the craft brewers are making nice, simple, hoppy pints. There isn't much but what there is - is brilliant. It helps that all the new brewers doing the thinking are British and German.

[Screw_Michigan]

Rack the review, I_F. I have to agree, you don't drink good beers at as cold a temp as possible, but rack the effort.

[indyfrisco]

Rack the review, I_F. I have to agree, you don't drink good beers at as cold a temp as possible, but rack the effort.

You must have been the only one who read my disclaimer of not being a beer snob.

Suffice to say, Goobs asked that I review the beer he sent me. I did in my own way. I can live with being a dumb fuck in a t-sip's mind.

[Dr_Phibes]

Don't get down on yourself, Indy - you didn't drink a good beer so you did the right thing in freezing it. Your beer snob potential is off the scale, don't let the bastards grind you down.

[Goober McTuber]

Glad you liked it, Indy. It has a ton of hops, yes, but it also has a very strong malt backbone, which makes it a very nicely balanced beer. Astringent? Not at all. The only reason I sometimes choose the frosted glass is if I want to really take my time drinking a beer. I don't need my beer iced near freezing, but I don't go for having it at 55 degrees either. mvscal would have made a good Christian. Narrow mind and whatsuch.

[mvscal]

but it also has a very strong malt backbone, which makes it a very nicely balanced beer.

Which Indy didn't experience because it was served freezing cold.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Phibes and mv...agreeing on something?...

[indyfrisco]

but it also has a very strong malt backbone, which makes it a very nicely balanced beer.

Which Indy didn't experience because it was served freezing cold.

Sorry, it was a damn good beer. It was not an experience. No beer is an "experience".

[BSmack]

Phibes and mv...agreeing on something?...

I agree with mv as well. But only when it comes to beer and firearms.