The word “triplets” kept coming to mind while drinking Jekyll Brewing’s three new releases.
Each of them possess similar easy-drinking qualities, but they’re all just a bit different.
Mama Pajama, a light cream ale, reminds me of the kind of guy you’d bring home to dad. Not overbearing, but reliable and easy to introduce to your friends — or your folks.
Josh Rachel, brewmaster and co-owner of Jekyll Brewing in Alpharetta, describes Mama Pajama as a “gateway beer.”
“It’s an easy-drinking beer that a craft beer drinker would appreciate and enjoy, but it also helps all those other people who are trying to break into craft beer,” he said.
Vibe, a New England-style IPA, is the type of person that comes to your party, but you have no idea who invited them. After you keep hanging out, you realize that you click well with them — you might even say they give off a good vibe. Before you know it — boom, friendship.
When I first tried Vibe, I wasn’t that taken with the beer, but it started to grow on me the more I drank it. The beer has a pineapple-citrusy flavor that builds with every sip.
Nard Dog — a personal favorite among the brewery’s staff — isn’t afraid to slide into falsetto when singing a cappella. This sweater-vested pale ale went to Cornell University and uses every chance he gets to remind his coworkers of this accomplishment.
Mama Pajama
Alcohol by volume: 4.2 percent
Style: Cream ale
Bottom line: The kind of beer you’d drink after mowing the lawn
Nard Dog
Alcohol by volume: 5.8 percent
Style: Pale ale
Bottom line: Up-front hop flavor with tropical notes fit for Cornell grads and those who work at a paper company.
Vibe
Alcohol by volume: 6.7 percent
Style: New England IPA
Bottom line: Soft-bodied beer that builds with a vibrant pineapple-citrus flavor
If you haven’t already guessed, the brewery’s staff felt inspired by the “The Office,” naming the brew after the show’s beloved Cornell grad — Andy Bernard.
“A lot of us here are ‘Office’ fans, so we came up with Nard Dog,” Rachel said. “I like the Nard Dog the most because the mouthfeel is really awesome across the palate, it’s not uberly thick and it’s not bitter by any means.”
Nard Dog has an upfront hop profile tied in with fresh citrus and some small floral notes.
If I had to rank the beer on my personal preference, I’d choose Vibe as my unexpected favorite, closely followed by Nard Dog, then Mama Pajama taking up the fleece-lined rear.
Rachel said the three brews were released to not only provide more options to the brewery’s customers, but as a means of rebranding Jekyll’s image.
The can design for the new beer offers a different look compared to the brewery’s typical style with a cleaner, more minimalistic appearance.
The new brews are currently on tap and sold in cans at Jekyll Brewing, which is located at 2855 Marconi Drive in Alpharetta.
