Beer – #983 – Moon Dog – Jumping The Shark 2013
Moon Dog Jumping The Shark 2013. Barrel-Aged, Truffled Imperial Stout. It’s been in someone else’s cellar, it’s been in my fridge and now it’s at the front of me and I’m sitting down with this and some vinyl music from Dire Straits; Alchemy – their live album.
a moment that was quite ridiculous
This is a 375ml bottle, and it has beer that is of 15.4% ABV- which is something around 462 calories a serve size, this is 4.6 standard drinks in NZ
Formerly brewed at Moon Dog Craft Brewery this is the style that is an Imperial Stout and they are in Abbotsford, Australia
Barrel-Aged, Truffled Imperial Stout.
Jumping the Shark 2013 began the launch of what was intended to be a series of annual specials from Moon Dog, “jumping the shark” refers to an episode of Happy Days in which The Fonz jumps a shark on waterskis (while still wearing his leather jacket). It was seen as the defining moment at which the long-running show could be said without a shadow of a doubt to have passed its peak and to be entering decline.
Swam with the fishes
It was also a moment that was quite ridiculous, which is a concept that the chaps at Moon Dog are familiar with, and a concept that they clearly decided to push to the extreme when coming up with the first Jumping The Shark. Inspired, presumably, by the single keg of truffle stout they made for one of their Good Beer Week events at Rockwell & Sons, it does nothing by halves, more by quadruples. It’s huge even by imperial stout standards – 15.4 per cent – has been aged in Cognac barrels and, as la piece de resistance, features $4,000 worth of Tasmanian black truffles. So: ridiculous. Ridiculous and probably the best beer they’ve released. Despite the high alcohol content, it presents beautifully, with a tight brown head and soft carbonation, is as opaque as anti-matter and has enough going on to mask the understandable booziness in the aroma pretty well. Earthy, chocolatey, boozily fruity, molassesy and long and smooth on the palate, it’s as much of a triumph for Moon Dog as Henry Winkler landing his skis
So, What could possibly go wrong?
Dark rich fruity aroma on opening. Pour is, of course, pitch black, and it’s well carbonated and false nicely to leave a brown head that is small but persistent in the glass.
The aroma settles to that deep rich fruit note and hints and the booze to come.
That packs some heat from the alcohol. The aroma continues to be deep rich fruity, not quite smokey.
Taste is immense burst of things that are rich and sumptuous.
Divine.
It’s really way to easy drinking, and this is a properly nice treat of a beer, not difficult to handle at all, just a full rich full flavoured beer that delivers a lot of taste and enjoyment without much that is distracting or out of place.
If anything it gets richer in the glass and the powerful flavours really warm to the task, the only thing that you also notice is that alcohol twang appearing, but it’s all in tune and complimentary.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 10 of its things from the thing. Hard not to like a beer this much, it delivers full flavour, full complexity, fullness in may areas, and is alarming easy drinking and disappeared way too quickly. Also I really like that heat kick that this has. I’m not sad that there’s one less in the world it’s a thing of joy to be enjoyed.
it’s a thing of joy to be enjoyed
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? BeerJerk Beer Club
- Am I enjoying it? This is one of the best beers I have ever had.
- Would I have another? If I could get one I would be all in!
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is an outstanding and stunning example of how to make a high alcohol beer that packs flavour intensity and remains reigned in, approachable, I’d love to share it but it’s too precious, my precious and it’s all mine 🙂
Music for this: Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (Remastered) by Dire Straits on Spotify
Alchemy: Dire Straits Live is a double album and the first live album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 16 March 1984
IMPERIAL STOUT
Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.
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