Style: Wild Ale

ABV: 5.9

86/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	5

Jester King Brewery Spon 3 Year Blend (2019)

What the brewers say

Blend of three different vintages—2016, 2017, and 2018—of 100 percent spontaneously fermented beer.

What our panel thought

Earthy, leathery Brett in the nose, with a confusing blend of roses, banana, cherry, and peach/apricot. Flavor slingshots between floral, fruity, and funky, never quite settling; gardenias and roses wrestle with berries, peaches, and leathery Brett. Earthy bitterness. Never forms a cohesive whole.

What our editors thought

Sharp yet cottony thistle-like floral nose over mildly medicinal earthy citrus. The sip is like chicken on a grill with squeezed lime—charred-earth and slightly bitter undertones, with a bright pop of citrus. Thought provoking.

Review printed in: Brewing Craft Classics (Feb-Mar 2021) (View All Issues)

Print Shelf Talker

How We Review

REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Jester King Brewery 2021 All-Texas SPON

“Pleasant lightly tart nose with some grassy hop character. Bright lemon dominates at the expense of subtle character. Hints of mushroom, musty cellar mid palate. Abrupt finish with hop bitterness.”

Pure Project Lief

Gin-like aroma—herbal, floral—with musty lemons and grapefruits balanced by cellar funk. Enticing, bookish. Flavor brings gin botanicals, woody citrus, grapefruit—oddly sweet and bitter, muddling the acidity. Lively mouthfeel on fluffy carbonation, smooth finish. Sticky tobacco-tar bitterness.

Jester King Brewery 2019 SPON Three Year

Peach, apricot, light vanilla, pineapple, light Brett horse blanket, touches of earth and dust. Medium acidity, light oak in aroma and flavor, sour-musty balance.

FRESH BEERS >

The best new craft beers available in a beer store near you. Sponsored content.

New Belgium Dominga Grapefruit

New Belgium wood cellar blender Lauren Limbach was gifted a new foeder that she aptly named Dominga—a play on the Spanish word for Sunday. She first created a mimosa-inspired golden sour called “Dominga: Goddess of Brunch.” Now we are excited to introduce the cocktail-inspired version, Dominga Grapefruit Paloma. Inspired by the classic cocktail of Mexico, Dominga packs a refreshing combo of bright grapefruit and lime flavors, along with agave and a pinch of salt.

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest

Oaktoberfest is our oak-inspired homage to the great German tradition of Oktoberfest. We go the extra mile of maturing this beer in French oak barrels to create an amazingly smooth mouthfeel. The result is a classic German festbier with a hint of West Coast hoppiness. Grab your stein, don your lederhosen, and enjoy!

Firestone Walker Parabola ’24

Parabola is always a beast of a beer, with intense flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla, and roast coffee—yet each annual release also bears its own subtle imprint. For this latest edition, we aged the beer for a year in 12-year Elijah Craig barrels. These coveted bourbon barrels imparted signature notes of charred oak, caramel, and cinnamon, taking the Parabola experience to new heights. Pour some out in your favorite snifter; behold the impossibly opaque color as you allow it to warm up a bit; and then let the dark magic of Parabola stun your palate with its unrivaled flavor and complexity.

Sierra Nevada Cosmic Little Thing Hazy Double IPA

For the latest in the Hazy IPA series, ride Sierra Nevada’s interstellar wave of tropical flavor in this Cosmic Little Thing, a hazy nebula glowing with Comet, Strata, and Helios hops for notes of citrus, berries, and lychee. Head into orbit with this 8 percent ABV hazy double IPA before the next Hazy IPA rotator hits. Look for Cosmic Little Thing in six-packs and 19.2 oz singles.

Firestone Walker Cosmic Crusher Juicy Imperial IPA

Out-of-this-world flavor that packs a punch—take a journey with Cosmic Crusher. “Cosmic Crusher is our crazy adventure into the realm of imperial juicy IPAs,” says brewmaster Matt Brynildson. Cosmic Crusher is built around two ultra-tropical hops—Galaxy and Strata. The result is a level of flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel that can only materialize at high strength, crossing the line into a whole new cosmos of punchy mango and pineapple character. SKUs available: 12 oz six-pack cans, 19.2 oz single serve, and Mind Haze Variety Pack.

Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion

Luponic Distortion is the Firestone Walker trailblazer that continues to break the rules, back for the first time since 2021. The classic Luponic Distortion base recipe returns with an all-new hop blend to deliver a fresh blast from the past. Brewed with a secret blend of new-age hops, the 2024 edition of Luponic Distortion turns up the volume with mind-bending flavors of lychee, peach, nectarine, and strawberry. Available exclusively in the Beer Before Glory IPA Mixed Pack.