The first of many.....

Bubblejack

I’ll admit when I first started buying beer the Viking pride I have in me made it a struggle to enjoy Wisconsin craft beer. However, much to my dismay Wisconsin has some great breweries that produce tasty products. In the last few years craft beers have greatly changed my beer preferences, two years ago I would be the guy buying twenty four packs of Keystone Light (16oz, of course) never really understanding that I was drinking water with a little yeast and hops thrown in a can of nasty, nasty light beer. Then I took a tour of the Shells brewery in New Ulm, MN. My beer taste buds were never the same. I’m so excited for the opportunity to review beers for an actual school assignment, never thought that would be an option.

Enough of me babbling on about my boring story let’s get to the task at hand. I went to the store earlier tonight and browsed the shelves for a good forty-five minutes searching for some beer I had never tried before. Then, BOOM the Bubblejack IPA from Rush River Brewing caught my eye. I immediately grabbed it and headed for the register. Alright, let’s get started!

   

              My first impressions of the beer after pouring it into a cold pint glass was that it had a nice level of head after the pour, head being of course the top layer of foam in the beer glass. After the beer was poured I smelled the aroma of the beer and observed that it had an almost fruity hint along with the hop smell. After a few sips of the beer I noticed that it isn't the most “hoppy” IPA, probably because it’s an American Style IPA. However, while I was enjoying it I was impressed that the first smell I got of the beer complimented the flavor very nicely, there was a little hint of fruit flavoring, as well as a small bite of citrus. Here are the facts of the beer:

(Bubblejack IPA)

Style: American IPA

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.5%

IBU (International Bitterness Units): 60 + Dry Hopped

Color: Light Amber

Brewery: Rush River Brewing Co. (River Falls, WI)

Look: Brown Bottle, Green and light tan label.

Rating: 7.5/10

             The color of the beer isn't as dark as one is used to having with an IPA, it’s more of what I would describe as a light amber color, which is fine don’t be worried the beer still has plenty of flavor. The IBUs in the beer is around 60 which mean it’s on the less hoppy side of an IPA which explains my first impressions of the beer being a less hop filled IPA, and not having the typical IPA “bite” to it. Another observation after my second glass of Bubblejack is the beer has a really nice and smooth taste to it. One negative I have is the label of the beer, it isn't quite the most interesting beer label I've ever seen. To me it just seems pretty bland and boring not the most exciting colors, my advice would be to start over on the label and work on something that will bring attention to the beer so people look at it. (Remember I searched for over 45 minutes on the beers shelves at Cash Wise before I actually noticed it) 

             My overall conclusion of the beer is that if you’re looking to get interested into craft beers, or micro-brews and find that some IPAs are still too bitter for you to really enjoy, I would recommend this beer. It is a lighter less hop filled American style IPA that I think is more mild mannered and could be a beer that would pair well with a burger right of the grill from home, or at your local favorite watering hole. However, be careful because they 6.5% alcohol content does creep up on you because of the smooth drink-ability this beer has, so in that regard make sure your limiting yourself to just one or two of these if you have anywhere to travel.  (Below is a few of the pictures I took of the beer for you to get your on glimpse of the bottle and what it looks like in a glass!) Writing continues after images

             

Thank you for your time reading this blog, and my first beer review, I’m excited to get better each time I do one of these, so if you don’t see some information you’re looking for, post a comment for me and I will try and find that piece of information for you, as well as include it in my next review which will be up Sunday! (Below is a few of the pictures I took of the beer for you to get your on glimpse of the bottle and what it looks like in a glass!)

Happy Thanksgiving!!