This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Jailbreak Brewery's Big Punisher IPA.
Unfamiliar with the Jailbreak Brewery? So was I until mid January when the Star-K published a new batch of LOCs which indicated that Jailbreak Brewery was under their kosher supervision. Not longer after I learned that they were certified kosher, I received an email from new papa Kasey Turner who invited me to stop by the brewery and sample some of their brews. As we happened to be in the Virginia area for our kids Yeshiva Week/Winter Break, we made plans to stop in for a quick look-see on our way back from vacation.
The brewery is located in Laurel, Maryland, midway between Silver Spring and Baltimore. Although it is located in a nondescript office park, the brewery is modern, clean and extremely well thought out. There is also a beautiful tavern-style tap room which was hosting a private function for a group of nearly 150 people when I arrived on Tuesday night.
As Kasey was otherwise occupied with the responsibilities of fatherhood, I was given a tour by Heather Newman, who managed to show me around while also juggling the technical aspects of the private function being hosted in the taproom.
But enough about my experiences, I am sure that you want to know about the beers!
This microbrewery pushes the envelope with some very interesting flavor combinations as well as a limited number of more traditonal beers. While I was there, I sampled the Amber Ale as well as the Feed the Monkey Hefeweizen. The Amber Ale was smooth, but had more of a backbone then I would have expected in a beer which has a 5.0% abv. More impressive to me was the Hefeweizen as the phenols were present and the citrus aftertaste was reminiscent of a high grade euro hefe.
Since the party was in full swing, I could not bring Mrs KB or the kids in with me, but I did bring back one can of the Welcome to Scoville (Jalapeno IPA!); Ryemin & Schemin and the Big Punisher IPA.
As you can see from the picture above, the Big Punisher poured a golden orange with a nice amount of foam. The beer has a strong kick (8.6% abv) and while there is a barleywine type alcohol flavor, it also had a nice amount of pine and citrusy hops. Mrs KB really appreciated it too, so I may have to ask my brother in law to bring some from Baltimore the next time that he comes up to NY.
The Big Punisher IPA is certified kosher by the Star-K and there is a Star-K on the can. Click here (www.star-k.org/directory/comp-k.asp?src=&compid=SEEDVZ8M )for a copy of the LOC showing which of their products are certified kosher. You can also click here (jailbreakbrewing.com) to see their website and to use their locator to find their products. At present they are only selling in the MD area, but I am hopeful that we will see them in NY/NJ area before too long.
Although this brewery is less than a year old, they already have a following on Beer Advocate and you can click www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34426/118522 to see their thoughts on the Big Punisher IPA.
As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.
If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).
Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
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