We’ve got something very different for today’s review because it’s not one, but two beers! I’m doing this as a double bill because in essence the two beers are the same. The selection is, of course, from Tiny Rebel and is their jam doughnut pale ale ‘Pump Up The Jam’. However, they have also released an imperial version of this beer, which in essence means it is often a fair bit stronger. That beer is called ‘Turn It Up To 11’ and as the name suggests is an absolute whopping 11% ABV! I mean that’s heading into wine territory in my eyes. So this post will compare the two and see which is the better version.

Starting off with the original ‘Pump Up The Jam’. The beer pours an apricot colour with a big, slightly off white head. The nose on this is incredible and smells exactly like cooked jam with hints of vanilla mixed in. Absolutely incredible right off the bat. This simply translates amazingly well into the taste. A slight jammy sweetness with a touch of tartness on the front end that genuinely works brilliantly with pale ale back end. The two flavours, the sweet jam and vanilla front and the hop, mesh together very well to create a balanced and tasty beer. Impressively, for me, according to the ingredients on the back of the can, nothing additional has been added to the beer to create this flavour except your typical beer ingredients. They must have worked wonders on the malts to create this flavour and deserve all the credit.

On to number two ‘Turn It Up To 11’. Visually the beer is certainly darker than it’s lighter ABV counterpart pouring a deeper red almost treacle colour. Due to the high ABV you wouldn’t expect the head to last long and it doesn’t. Aroma wise, there is a bit of jam but certainly not as punchy as the original. Flavour wise the front of the beer has an overwhelming sweetness but not in the same jammy vein as Pump Up The Jam. The back end is very boozy as to be expected from an 11% beer. For me this drink is almost not a pale ale and verging on liqueur or barely wine in terms of taste. Mainly because of the way the sweetness interacts with the alcohol flavour.

A quick note on the can art: A joint can art review because they are identical. I like it. It’s fairly cute and simple, certainly tells you what the flavour is! I will say I like the ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ reference in the latter beer!

What an interesting pair of beers. Firstly, if it was me I’d have swapped the can sizes around. If you’ve got no one to share with ‘Turn It Up To 11’ is simply to big. The beer needs to be really cooled down, but because the alcohol levels are strong you’re sipping the beer, so by the time you get to the end it has warmed up unfortunately. Secondly, if the ingredients are correct, Tiny Rebel have managed to produce a better and more accurate jam taste from the original which has nothing added to it. ‘Turn It Up To 11’ has lactose and raspberry puree added to it which has actually made it taste less like a jam doughnut and served to simply make it non-vegan. On the flip side ‘Pump Up The Jam’ is an incredible feat of brewing capabilities and Tiny Rebel deserve all the credit for it. By far the best ‘funky’ beer I’ve had and I will certainly be on the look out for more of it. While a bit disappointing I would have ‘Turn It Up To 11’ again but in much smaller dosage.

‘Pump Up The Jam’ – Score: 9.5/10

‘Turn It Up To 11’ – Score: 6/10

Thanks for taking the time to read! Cheers!

Additional Information (Pump Up The Jam)

• Hops: Cascade
• Malt: Munich, Barley, Melanoidin, Wheat
• IBU: 22
• ABV: 5%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!
• Purchase Location: Tiny Rebel Web-shop

Additional Information (Turn It Up To 11)

• Hops: Cascade, Willamette
• Malt: Barley, Wheat, Biscuit, Crystal
• IBU: 45
• ABV: 11%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: No
• Purchase Location: Tiny Rebel Web-shop