Barrel-Aged Framinghammer

Barrel-Aged Framinghammer

Jack’s Abby Brewing

Framingham, MA

Founded in 2011 by brothers Jack, Eric and Sam Hendler, Jack’s Abby Brewing specializes in lagers. Barrel-aged Framinghammer is a Baltic porter aged in bourbon barrels.

ABV: 10

ABW: 7.96

COLOR: NA

BITTERNESS: 55

ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1094

AVAILABLE: CT, MA, NY, VT

The smell makes me giddy. A well-made barrel-aged beer always starts with the aroma, and when the brewery nails it, I can’t help but get a wide smile. Vanilla, toasted oak, warming brown liquor, it’s all there along with a deep sugary sweetness, not unlike a rich cola. The beer is deep brown, almost black, with a perfect mocha head. It drinks like liquid velvet and the molasseslike sweetness dominates, but doesn’t overwhelm a slight hop bitterness. The beer leaves just a hint of astringency from the wood on the finish.
- John Holl

Mahogany in color and with a head that dies almost instantly upon pouring, it is evident from a single sniff that this is one boozy Baltic porter. The nose is like a chocolate-whiskey-plum float, with a roasty hint of black licorice lurking in the background. On the palate, it is first sweet and lusciously chocolaty, then boozier and more vanilla and mocha-accented, finally warming and soothing and fudgelike. This is bottom fermentation done big, bold and lovely!
- Stephen Beaumont

John Holl
John is the editor of All About Beer Magazine, the host of The Beer Briefing on iHeart Radio, and the author of three books, including The American Craft Beer Cookbook. Find him on Twitter @John_Holl.

Stephen Beaumont
Co-author of both The World Atlas of Beer and The Pocket Beer Guide (with Tim Webb), Stephen travels the world sampling beer, hosting dinners and tastings, and eating too much airport food.