Bearwalker Ale Brewed with Maple Syrup

Review Date 5/25/2016  By John Staradumsky

  Style: American Brown Ale    Brewery: Jackalope   Country: USA   State: Tennessee   $ Per OZ: $.15 (B), $.47 (D)   ABV: 5.1%

Last stop on our Nashville beer tour! Actually, we weren’t here for the beer, though of course I would drink beer while visiting. No, we had come for the New England Patriots-Tennessee Titans game (Pats won!) and had a ball at Nissan Stadium. There, I drank a Modelo Especial, and that was it. As I said, the game was the main attraction, but after it was over we wandered to Five Points Pizza where I enjoyed a Von Trapp Vienna, then to Boston Commons for a Guinness and Yazoo Hopry Hazy IPA.

Though we had walked from the hotel to the stadium and the stadium to Five Points and Boston Common (literally all uphill), we decided on an Uber back to the hotel as it was getting late. We got settled in, and then it was back on foot to Von Elrod’s Beer Hall, just a half mile away. My stepdaughter had advised me about Von Elrod’s, and it was pure luck it was so close to the hotel. I had selected the hotel based on proximity to the stadium, not Von Elrod’s.

The bad news was Von Elrod’s closes at 8PM on Sunday nights, so I had time for one beer, and one beer only. I will definitely be back here again. They feature almost 40 taps and an eclectic menu that offers wings, nachos (their versions), burgers, an extensive barbecue menu and of course, bratwurst. My son went with a Classic Bavarian Pretzel ($9.79), and it was massive. This comes with pub cheese and mustard made with Jackalope Bearwalker Ale Brewed with Maple Syrup.

As it so happens, I had ordered a half liter of Bear Walker. I have enjoyed Jackalope beers in the past, and the description on this one reeled me in hook, line, and sinker.

Bearwalker was inspired by our brewmaster Bailey’s Vermont roots. Pure maple syrup is infused during the conditioning phase, and is noticeable from start to finish. Chocolate malts add roasted notes to the flavor and aroma. It is also more highly hopped than most browns to create a balanced, yet complex brew.

From Native American folklore, a Bearwalker is a sorcerer who can shape-shift into a bear (a ‘were-bear’, if you will).

Jackalope Bearwalker has an alcohol content of 5.1% by volume with 32 IBUs. I paid $8 for a half liter, Von Elrod’s offers all their drafts in half liter and full liter pours. The liters are about a buck less than twice the half liter price. On Tuesdays from 3 to 6 they have a “hoppy hour” and all half liters are just five bucks. Total Wine sells Bearwalker for $10.99 a six-pack in cans at their Knoxville, Tennessee location.

My mug of Jackalope Bearwalker Ale Brewed with Maple Syrup arrived a bright mahogany color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose of chocolate chip cookies and light notes of maple syrup. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body and that supports the chocolate chip cookie notes the nose promised. Toasted nuts pop too, and the underlining maple syrup adds delicious complexity. The beer finishes dry with a lingering earthy bitterness.

I just loved this malty delight, and you know I will be drinking it again.

Glad I tried it?  T