“JOGR, Reformation’s summer seasonal is billed as “the juicy lager.” And now is now available in cans for the first time. It’s dry-hopped with Loral and Citra hops. The result is a pale, bubbly beer with a feast of citrus aromas and flavors, a soft mouthful, and a lingering grapefruit note in the dry finish. At just 4.9% alcohol, it’s a super summer sipper.”
Cheers to barrel-aged Jude, named a Top Wood-Aged Beer of 2017 by Beer Connoisseur. Check out their expert review below, or click the link to read more about this top honor.
“American oak wafts out of the glass and dominates the aroma. Vanilla, charred oak, and mellow bourbon comprise the barrel profile with an underlying presence of bready malt. No yeast aromatics are present. There is a bit of alcohol in the aroma as the beer warms but is well tempered by the explosive oak barrel presence. This an attractive beer – bright gold with exceptional clarity and a medium sized white frothy head that stands its ground.”
Brewed as part of Reformation’s year-round portfolio of Belgian-style ales, Jude is billed as a “modern” take on the classic derived from the Trappist monastery at Westmalle.
It pours a hazy gold with a soft white head, and at 9.2-percent alcohol it’s dangerously easy to drink. Floral aromas and fruity and herbal notes mix with a sweetish malt flavor and a distinctive Belgian yeast character from esters and phenols that bring out hints of clove and banana.
When it comes to culinary pairings, you can’t get much tastier than a cheeseburger. A juicy patty topped with a slice of cheese — is there anything better? So imagine our delight to find out that Sept. 18 is National Cheeseburger Day. A whole day set aside to celebrate one of our favorite indulgences? We’re in. Keep reading to find out how to pay homage yourself.
ReformationBarrel Aged Jude debuts today, alongside a new era for Georgia craft breweries. Today, you can finally buy a pint directly from the brewery.
Woodstock, Georgia is home to Reformation, who started aging Barrel Aged Jude over 9 months ago. The Belgian-style tripel has been resting in fresh bourbon barrels since late December.
This unique version of Jude has been aged for over nine months in bourbon barrels, with 9.2 percent ABV the beer is described as having notes of bourbon and oak atop a balanced malt sweetness and clean, citrus finish.
“It pours dark, with tan head, and pops with a mix of cocoa and coffee, but not too much. You’ll get notes of mild chocolate, dark toasted malt, and, yes, some smoke. The good dry quality to it allows for a clean finish without the heavy tail of some porters. And according to the folks at Reformation, pair this one with a sweet and smokey barbecue, maybe some grilled beef, or even salted caramel and chocolate. They also recommend listening to Eddie Vedder singing “Just Breathe” as you enjoy a can of Stark. I tried this—it’s a solid suggestion.”
“Reformation Brewery out of Woodstock, Ga. employs 10 people and is redefining what local beer should be. “We built our entire business model on this concept of enjoying well made beer as a gift and sharing that gift with others,” said Spencer Nix, CEO of Reformation Brewery. And Nix wanted to enjoy the process. Many breweries obtain a lot of capital and skip to the largest equipment they can afford, but Reformation did the opposite and started with a few investors and opened a production brewery on a 1-Barrel Brewhouse. They’ve since scaled that equipment to a 3-Barrel Brewhouse, a 7-Barrel Brewhouse, and recently installed the first High Efficiency Brewing System (HEBS)in the State of Georgia.
Since starting in 2014, the company has gone from zero paid employees to ten and saw $700,000 in sales in 2015. But its impact on people and the community is what fuels their business and has launched them into the new phenomenon of “beer tourism.” The brewery has drawn visitors from as far away as Michigan, and theKeeping Room welcomed 12,000 visitors to its downtown Woodstock location in its first year.
So why start a brewery in Georgia? “Because it’s home,” Nix says. “Home to a growing population relocating from other parts of the country. Home to great small communities where small business thrives. Home to world-class resources the city of Atlanta attracts. And home to where I’m from, and all meaningful adventures start at home.”
The Cherokee county community is raising a toast to a local business in celebration of their hard-work and accomplishments. Reformation Brewery has been recognized as one of Georgia’s “Small Business Rock Stars,” a program that recognizes outstanding, unique and impactful small businesses in the state of Georgia. Created in 2013, the program is a joint effort of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) and the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Companies with up to 50 employees were considered for uniqueness and innovation, as well as for their involvement with their local economic developers and state resource providers.