Firestone Walker Double Jack
Alcohol by Volume: 9.5%
Find this beer and more at Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown.

Intro: Double Jack is the bigger brother of Firestone’s Union Jack IPA, which is also fantastic. As you might expect from a brewery like Firestone that makes some complex beers, this is not a straightforward “put as many hops in the barrel as we can” type of imperial IPA. Double Jack is part of Firestone Walker’s Proprietor Reserve Series, and the press release indicates that it will be available year-round.

Description: Pours a medium golden amber with big head that sticks around for a while. The flavor profile really does a good job of balancing intense flavors from both the malt and hop spectrum. The hop flavors are tropical and citrus. The malt is a complex mix of biscuit and caramel, with just a bit of resin added in. I get some earthy flavors as well. It finishes moderately sweet, and you can pick up some of the alcohol flavors. This is about as good as it gets for a double IPA that wants the malt to be as important as the hops.

Verdict: Buy it
Available year-round in 22oz bottles.
Click here to see a list of select local bottle shops.

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Commercial Description/Press Release:

Paso Robles, Calif — The release of Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Imperial IPA, Double Jack, is a renewed commitment to providing exemplary examples of ales, true to style. Double Jack brings all the hoppiness you expect from a California double IPA but with a Central Coast sensibility of balance and easy finish.

“Double Jack was thoughtfully and carefully developed much like our beloved Union Jack IPA,” Brewmaster Matt Brynildson said. “The brewing team worked long and hard to create a beer that showcases the extreme side of American hops in a unique Firestone Walker way. The goal was to create hop intensity without causing discomfort. We built a beer that is explosively flavorful and yet integrated and immensely drinkable.”

The Double Jack recipe takes its inspiration of our two-time Great American Beer Festival gold medal winning Union Jack. Using more of the same ingredients that comprise Union Jack gives Double Jack the familiar flavor of its little brother with more malt flavor, hop impact and slightly higher alcohol. This beer rewards drinking in moderation and sharing with friends.

Double Jack will be available in a wider distribution than any other Firestone Walker beer release before. It will be available in 22oz bottles and draft all along the West Coast in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. It will also be making its way across the country with beer coming to New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Chicago and Virginia on the first of the year. It will also be in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Missouri and Kansas later in the year.

Double Jack is part of Firestone Walker’s Proprietor Reserve Series, which is bringing the most unique and interesting beers the brewery has to offer to the country. It will be available year-round along with Walker’s Reserve Porter and the entire Pale Series.

In the interest of full disclosure to satisfy the FTC’s law, this review was of a sample bottle received from the brewery.