Black Rye Ipa Wookey Jack
Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA. Firestonebeer.com.Expect to pay around $12 for a four-pack of 12-ounce bottles in stores, or $8 to $9 per glass at bars. Also, as with the original Wookey Jack, Wookus is brewed with five percent rye malt. The result is an imperial black IPA that is wickedly hoppy, righteously spicy and fearsome in flavor. The result is an imperial black IPA that is wickedly hoppy, righteously spicy and fearsome in flavor.
PASO ROBLES, CA – From the wilds of Firestone Walker Brewing Company comes Wookey Jack, a new release that Brewmaster Matt Brynildson calls “gnarly on the outside, yet refined on the inside.”
Black Rye Ipa Wookey Jack Beer
Starting today, Wookey Jack is available in 22-ounce bottles in select markets across the U.S. The suggested retail price is $5.99. Wookey Jack is also now available in draft.
Classified as a “Black Rye IPA” by the Firestone Walker brewing team, Wookey Jack is a riff on the familiar Black IPA style. MaltedRyeand a dash of Cara Rye impart a spicy grain quality to the palate. Wookey Jack is double dry hopped with Citra andAmarillohops, which bring a citrusy dimension to the aroma profile. The brewing team claims to have incorporated a bit of “Wookey Dust” as well. Wookey Jack is unfined and unfiltered to retain its woolly natural texture and character.
According to Brynildson, the vision behind Wookey Jack was to push the Black IPA style in a fresh direction. “We wanted it to be intensely flavored and hoppy, but also balanced and complex,” he said. “The rye malt makes it interesting, bringing everything together with a rustic edge.”
He added, “Wookey Jack is black in color, but if you close your eyes and taste it, you’ll say it’s a true IPA. The roasted character is about as light as you can get in a beer this dark.”
The origins of the name Wookey Jack are uncertain. Some say that it’s related to Brynildson’s favorite band, Phish. Co-proprietor and British expatriate David Walker suggests a connection to Wookey Hole, an English village noted for its dark caves and resident witch.
“Wherever the name came from, it fits,” Brynildson said. “This is a beer that tastes like its name.”
Wookey Jack Stats: ABV: 8.5% IBU: 60 Brewing: 100% Stainless Steel
Hops: German Magnum (bittering) Citra & Amarillo (flavor and aroma), Citra & Amarillo (double dry hopped)
Malts: Pale Malt, Malted Rye, Dash of Cara Rye, Midnight Wheat from Briess, De-Bittered Black Malt (sourced from Weyermann, Germany and Patagonia Malting, Chile), Dash of Wookey Dust
OTHER FIRESTONE WALKER NEWS:
Parabola and Solace Return This Spring
The spring season brings other beer releases from Firestone Walker Brewing Company—notably the limited-release Parabola, which returns in mid May in 22-ounce bottles; and Solace, a spring-summer seasonal beer available across the brewery’s distribution markets starting now.
Parabola is a barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout that starts out “as thick as a cookie,” requiring the brewers to manually stir the two-ton mash. The Parabola recipe is unchanged from previous years. However, the 2012 release will still reveal its own distinct nuances compared to earlier releases. Brynildson notes that Parabola is typically composed of five to six batches aged in a variety of spirits barrels. No two batches or barrels are exactly alike, resulting in subtle differences as the final blend is assembled from year to year. Retail production of the 2012 vintage is limited to 3,500 cases of 22-ounce bottles, as well as very limited draft.
Solace remains a “fusion wheat beer,” merging the qualities of a Belgian pale ale with a Bavarian hefeweizen to create a craftily unfiltered ale for those lazy warm summer days ahead. This time around, however, the ABV has been lowered to 4.8 percent, down from the 6 percent of earlier releases. “It’s a small change, but something that we feel refines Solace and enhances its drinkability,” Brynildson said.
Firestone Walker Opens The Taproom in Paso Robles
Firestone Walker Brewing Company recently opened The Taproom restaurant adjacent to the brewery in Paso Robles. The Taproom menu blends traditional Californiacuisine with other influences to create what co-proprietor David Walker calls “brewhouse bistro cooking.” The Taproom focuses on locally grown ingredients and wines as well as a broad selection of fresh-brewed Firestone Walker beers. Ingredients from the brewing process will also be incorporated into select dishes, such as spent grains used to make pizza crusts, and “beer honey” made with sweet beer from the early stages of fermentation.
Invitational Beer Fest Set for June 9
Some of the world’s top breweries will pour their finest beers at the inaugural Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest in Paso Robles on June 9, hosted by Firestone Walker Brewing Company in partnership with the Paso Robles Pioneer Day celebration. The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest was spearheaded by Matt Brynildson, brewmaster for Firestone Walker Brewing Company, who invited his friends and peers across the international brewing community to help create California’s premier annual beer festival. The festivities will include 40 breweries, more than 20 restaurants and three live music acts on separate stages. Legendary cult folk-rock band The Mother Hips is the live music headliner. For more information, see: www.firestonebeerfest.com.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a regional brewery founded in 1996 and located in the Paso Robles wine country on California’s Central Coast. Firestone Walker Brewing Company is driven to produce the world’s finest pale ales. Firestone Walker Brewing Company has been awarded Mid-Sized Brewery of The Year honors at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 Great American Beer Festivals as well as Champion Mid-Sized Brewery at the 2004, 2006 and 2010 World Beer Cup competitions.
Last year I lost a dear beer friend of mine. The Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA from Firestone Walker. Firestone discontinued the beer last fall and I went into full-on prepper mode hoarding any bottles of Wookey Jack that I could find. I collected a small stash that kept me going for a few months. My last Wookey Jack was enjoyed on May 18th, 2017.
And while moving on is never easy, it was now time to gave another brewer a shot and see if I could fill this loss with a new beer.
I walked into the Quonset hut that houses the brewery and taproom knowing nothing about Hunga Dunga Brewery. It was a rarity for me as I usually vet out breweries before I go to ensure there will be beers there that I like. Contrary to belief, I don’t like them all!
Tasting flight at Hunga Dunga
Wookey Jack Clone Recipe
I found myself a seat at the bar and ordered my traditional flight of beer. The last beer of my order was Hunga Dunga’s Black Rye IPA. The beertender’s eyes lit up and she said: “that one is one of my favorites”. And like a kid in a candy store (or a middle-aged woman in a brewery), I became excited for what I was about to consume.
Firestone Wookey Jack Ipa
Because I like to torture myself I saved the Black Rye IPA for my final taste and started first with the Dry-hopped Pale Ale. This beer has a 5.8% Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and a 60 International Bittering Unit (IBU). I love dry hopped beer. Hops are added after the brew is complete, but the beer is still fermenting. It adds a real punch to the aroma of the beer. And who doesn’t like a fragrant beer? The Dry-hopped Pale Ale also had a nice bit to it.
I moved on next to the Oatmeal Pale Ale. I was fascinated with this combination as oatmeal beers tend to lend themselves to the darker beers: browns, and stouts. This beer had a 5.2% ABV and a 38 IBU. I picked up a light malty flavor but the overall flavors were more of a hoppy pale ale style. It was an interesting combination that if you ever see, you should give a try.
Because I love rye my next selection was a no-brainer. The Red Rye with a 6.3% ABV and a 59 IBU that came rolling in with maltiness and a bold showing of rye flavor. There really isn’t a better combo for a red beer than adding rye in my opinion. I enjoyed this beer a lot as it was flavorful thanks in part to the higher IBU.
The Imperial Stout was up next with a 7.6% ABV and a 65 IBU. This beer has all the characteristics you want with your stout. Smokey, check. Dark and rich, check. Slight coffee note, check. The IBU is bold enough, but not overpowering giving this beer a bit of sashay.
Up next was the Hopnipotent IPA with a 5.8% and a 73 IBU. The flavors of this beer are fearless with a heavy mix of grapefruit and pine creating a tasty combination that will leave you wanting more. And it did. If I lived in Moscow Idaho, this beer would be consumed often.
Because I could not wait any longer I decided it was time to jump headfirst into the Black Rye IPA. I took a sip and let the roasted notes and rye roll over my taste buds fulling them of delight. It was a defining moment and I felt that this was it, the beer that would help me get over my beloved Wookey Jack. With a 5.8% ABV and a 54 IBU I checked this beer in on Untappd and was satisfied with my new favorite black rye IPA.
My last taste of the day was the Sasion with a 5.9% ABV and an unlisted IBU. I don’t like to admit that I make mistakes often, but when I do, I like to rip the band-aid off and get over the shame as fast as possible. My mistake was drinking a sasion after a whole plethora of heavy IBUs. My palate was pretty much wiped out, resulting in me not being able to thoroughly enjoy this beer. Although I could pick up the spicy and earthy notes they felt muted which if this beer was at the beginning of my tasting flight, I may have felt differently. I’ll have to give this one a fair trial the next time I am at Hunga Dunga.
Taproom at Hunga Dunga Brewery
Rye Ipa Recipe
In addition to beer, Hunga Dunga offers up upper scale appetizers and meals with a bit of flair. The presentation was pretty and the food looked delightful. Speaking of pretty, be sure to check out their tap pulls, each one uniquely different playing up their jungle-inspired logo.
I ended my visit to Hunga Dunga Brewery with the satisfaction that I had started to take the appropriate steps to get over my loss of Wookey. I would always remember Wookey fondly, but it was time for a new beer in my life to take over and Hunga Dunga’s Black Rye IPA was there for me.
Hunga Dunga is located at 333 North Jackson Street in Moscow Idaho and open Tuesday – Sunday from 4 pm to 11 pm.