Way back in early 2011 I got an e-mail from Hampton, Georgia’s Jailhouse Brewery. These guys have fast become one of my favorite local breweries, and so I was really and truly excited to see that sometime over the summer they would be producing a doppelbock, my favorite style. Dead Man Walking was the name of the brew (all of their beers have some sort of prison theme).

But here’s the thing. Much as I anticipated this brew, I never saw it hit store shelves, or my local Taco Mac for that matter. After a time it sort of slipped my mind, as I figured I had somehow missed it, the beer being so wonderful that it must have been snapped up before I could find it.

Fast forward to October, 2012. I’m looking at the newly added beers on the Taco mac website, and lo and behold, there it is! Dead man Walking Doppelbock lager at the Kennesaw Taco Mac. I just had to have this one, so I headed down 575 a short 13 miles from Canton and parked my butt for the patriots-Rams game in London.

Dead Man Walking was the first beer that I ordered. I was happy to see that it was a full mug pour, despite the hefty alcohol content of 7% by volume. $6.50 seemed quite the bargain for that, too.

My mug of Jailhouse Dead Man Walking Doppelbock arrived a glorious dark brown in color with a moderate creamy head formation and a wonderfully enticing nutty chocolate nose. I sipped and marveled at the soft dark maltiness  of the brew. Lots of dark Munich malt goodness, quite toasty, chocolaty, and gently roasty, nutty. Just loads of dark malt flavors going on. A hint of molasses and dark fruit, perhaps raisin, are apparent, too. The beer finishes slightly sweet with a gentle grassy herbal hop aroma and bitterness, and some warming alcohol to boot.

Jailhouse Dead Man Walking is a real treat, and definitely worth the wait. It looks like I didn’t miss it after all (Ratebeer.com has no reviews prior to October 2012). This brew is also sold in 22-ounce bomber bottles; I haven’t seen them yet, but will certainly buy a few when I do.

One word of warning, though. A beer of this strength should certainly be enjoyed in moderation. A little too much and you just might feel like a dead man walking, yourself.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



Home