© 2015 popsonhops

Tasting: December 15, 2015
Style: Black IPA
ABV: 10.5%
Beer #: 871

Project Pam

Project Pam is the fourteenth and latest installment in Founders Brewing’s Backstage Series. This is the same series that brought us the likes of the legendary Canadian Breakfast Stout and Curmudgeon’s Better Half. Project Pam has an interesting label. The brewery offers this explanation for the label and the name of this beer:

From Founders Brewing: As for the origins of Project PAM’s name, it will forever remain a bit of a mystery – but, we will share that it’s a nod to the cellar coding system used by Jason Heystek, the head of our barrel-aging program and star of the dark and brooding label that adorns its bottle.

Even though my Star Wars prediction of Luke Skywalker really being Kylo Ren wasn’t correct, I’ll keep tossing my theories out there until I get one or two right. This time, my theory is that since it the name Project Pam deals with barrels and aging, PAM may stand for three stages of the aging process, premature, aging, mature. We may never know.

On to Project Pam the Black IPA. My first impression after a few sips is, in one word “odd”. Odd in that the maple bourbon barrel influences dominate the subtle flavored of this dark colored ale. The classification of Project Pam as a Black IPA seems off, seems more like an old style or Scottish ale. I really don’t get much in the way of hop influence. This black ale reminds an awful lot of Backwoods Bastard, maybe just a slightly sweeter version. As I work my way through this bomber-sized bottle, I’ll note that on the plus side the 10.8% alcohol by volume is beautifully concealed. 89 points.