It wasn’t that long ago that the first beer from Jailhouse Brewing began fermenting here in Georgia (October of 2009 actually); even more recent has been the arrival of their beer in bottles. I made a trip to the brewery in Hampton, GA back in June of 2010, and at that time their three staple brews (Mugshot IPA, Breakout Stout, and Slammer Wheat) were draft only and quite scarce. I had yet to see them on tap in the Atlanta area, though there were a few places that had them.

When I visited, I chatted a bit with the brewer, who already had visions of one-off bottlings of specialty brews dancing through his head. And why not? Such releases are a great way to cater to the ever-fickle tastes of beer connoisseurs, who are always in search of something new before moving on to the next big thing. Terrapin and Sweetwater, two of Georgia’s most renowned brewers, already regularly release such brews, with much success.

In keeping with the prison-esque theme that all their beers share, Jailhouse has titled their one off bottlings as their “Solitary Confinement” series. The first of these is Midnight Special India-Style Black Ale, named for an old prison tune that you’ve probably heard performed by Credence Clearwater Revival. If you’re really lucky, you saw Dan Aykroyd sing along to it in Twilight Zone: The Movie.

India Black Ales aka India Dark Ales aka Black IPAs (don’t call them Cascadian Darks) seem all the rage these days, and I have gone on record as being a big fan of them. They combine the best of a hoppy IPA with the roasty delights of dark malts to very good effect, but one must tread a careful line to keep them from becoming too much like stout.

Jail House Brewing Midnight Special India-Style Black Ale pours to a jet black color with a thick, very creamy tan head formation and a dark chocolate and pine nose. When pouring, the liquid appeared thick and viscous in texture; a sip quickly confirmed that observation. Midnight Special India-Style Black Ale is very thick and full in the mouthfeel, and as I rolled the liquid around my tongue I found this one to be more stout-like than IPA-ish. The big body, licorice notes, and intense roastiness all contribute to that impression, but emerging notes of chewy caramel do temper a bit. The hops don’t take long to hit: very resiny, citrusy, huge and piney and in the finish, intensely bitter like a good IPA should be.   The immense alcohol warmth is hard to miss, too.

Stylistically, I think this is more a very hoppy Imperial stout than it is an India Black Ale. It’s just too big a beer to be an IPA in my book. At 10% alcohol by volume, this is the biggest IBA I’ve come across. It would really have to be a double India Black Ale, and when you approach that degree of gravity in a beer with a lot of roastiness, you’re getting dangerously close to stout.

That said, it’s a truly fantastic beer, one of the best I’ve had in quite some time. If this is the caliber of beer that we can expect from the Solitary Confinement Series, please lock me up and throw away the key. Hedonistically, I give this one five stars, but I have to remove a half star for being off style and another half for the price. At $8.99 for a 22-ounce bottle it’s quite a bit higher than the rest of their line, and $1 to $3 more than the limited releases by Terrapin and Sweetwater.

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