Left Hand Brewing’s Good JuJu
Left Hand Brewing Co. has some pretty interesting beers in their lineup. The Milk Stout, the Smoke Jumper Smoked Porter, Fade to Black (a favorite of mine) and then I ran across Good JuJu, a beer brewed with Fresh Ginger. This one peaked my interest for a couple of reasons. First: the label is really cool. I know, “Doug fell for the old label trick?” Yeah, just like you suckers out there that fell for the Coors can with the blue mountains that tell you when the beer is cold…who’s the sucker now? Sorry…rant. Anyways, the label is one that is attractive but also the fact that, secondly: It’s brewed with Ginger. Yes, that pink crap that comes with your sushi that is zingy and hot.
As some of you may know, I not only am a fan of craft beer, I am also a home brewer. For those of you who are too, then you know you are always looking for new stuff to try. New inspiration to provide fuel for you to brew too. That perfect IPA, that interesting and complex Stout, the “wow they used that ingredient in a pale ale?” I have been working on my own Ginger ale for a while and when I ran across the Ju Ju, so I picked it up to get an idea of what a professional version of my beer would taste like. In short, it’s okay.
The beer is clean and crisp, but what I imagined in my “beer loving” mind a ginger beer should taste like is not this bottle. The ginger is hardly present, even after the bottle warms up a bit the ginger seems to hide somewhere under the malt. Balance is always an important aspect of any beer, but I also like to have a variety of flavors present and not submissively hiding out. Especially when you take the time to think how a flavor like Ginger could improve on the malt sweetness of a beer, much like the zing you get with a Ginger Ale.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying the beer is a bad one, it is just not what I expected from a bottle that says “A Refreshing Frivolity.” I expected a bit more volity I guess in my Friv? Perhaps my own struggles and trails with my Ginger beer have tainted my opinion of this beer from the start? Perhaps it’s living with a fridge full of hop bombs and expecting the flavor to scream at me, here I am fool!? Perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe our opinions should always be based on a set standard to judge all new things. What a novel idea.
I would recommend this bottle for anyone wanting to have a good refreshing beer on a warm day. Hell, on any day for that matter as long as they are looking for a beer that really doesn’t take risks with an ingredient, is low in Alcohol Content and IBUs. Much like the Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema, this one is another safe play, but not the surprise that the Crema provides after a bit of drinking. In short, if you are looking for an introduction to craft beer but don’t want to take to much of a leap of faith, this one would be good for you.
Cheers.
23 Jun 2010, 12:29 am
My wife is not a big beer drinker. She has a wierd taste for beer, but she loved this one.