The first time I went to the Brisbane German Club almost a decade ago, I saw a beer on the menu that had “banana bread” listed among the tasting notes. As someone who’d had very limited experience of wheat beers up to that point, I was intrigued, and ordered "the banana bread beer". I hadn’t known exactly what to expect, but I certainly got impressive banana bread flavours and a new memory.
I’ve since tasted plenty of wheat beers with "banana-y" flavours, and have become quite acclimatised to the flavour from the yeast esters. So imagine my surprise when my experience of Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro was similar to that night at the German Club years ago.
I didn't know exactly what to expect from Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro (yes I’m going to write it out in full every time), but it sure intrigued me - the brewery’s description of a brown ale that tastes like a “caramel banana thickshake meets chocolate cake” sounded like something you could only get in an American diner. But while it’s certainly a dessert beer, it’s not your run-of-the-mill tastes-like-confectionery dessert beer.
The nitro pour gives a glorious thick head, really putting the "nitro" in Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro. It also released the thick smell of mushy brown banana, a spicy yeast aroma, and a waft of freshly-baked cinnamon donuts. One sip of Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro coated the tongue with a gentle caramel sweetness - restrained, not gooey - with subtle chocolate only arriving at the last minute.
Expect something like your first experience with wheat beers - even moreso if it's your first time with a dunkelweizen. Expect a soft, fluffy blanket for the mouth. Expect Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro to taste like few things other than Bridge Road’s Jimmy’s Bake Shop Isolation Cake with nitro.
Mick Wust
Published June 4, 2020 2020-06-04 00:00:00
