Fat Jack was among the armload of pumpkin beers I picked up a couple weeks ago.
I have a love/not-so-much love relationship with Samuel Adams beers. I've said before and I'll say it again, I think it's really hard to be a craft brewer when you're so freakin' large. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don't.
I think they did here, with Fat Jack, but I don't think it's their best effort. It's good but I think it could have been so much better.
Fat Jack (8.50% ABV) is a strong ale brewed seasonally with real pumpkin and spices.
The aroma has a big hit of pumpkin pie spices and sweet caramel.
Compared to the smell the flavor was a bit of a let down. The taste was pretty shallow. I detected almost no pumpkin, if any, and the spices were subdued. Caramel was the strongest flavor and was quite nice. The alcohol could be felt as a tingle on the tongue but not tasted. The finish was clean with the lingering ghosts of spice.
The mouthfeel was full, but lighter than expected. Smooth and drinkable.
I thought Fat Jack was a bit of a let down. I was expecting something bolder and more flavorful. It's not a bad beer, by any means. If you're looking for a gently spiced beer, then this will work nicely for you.
Overall: good
