Sergeant Jimmy

A limited release not to miss! Sergeant Jimmy is a barrel-aged Saison which spends a few weeks in Irish whiskey barrels before being bottled. This barrel ageing process ramps up all you should find in a Saison! Sergeant Jimmy is one of our limited stock of barrel aged series beers that you have to taste to appreciate.

The tale goes that Jimmy the donkey was born in 1916 at the Somme in a World War One trench.

As the soldiers of the 1st Scottish Rifles were fighting German forces, Jimmy’s mother was fatally injured, just as she was about to deliver her foal. The German side stopped firing and started to cheer as Jimmy was delivered by the ‘Jocks’ and taken back behind the British lines. The little black donkey was adopted by the 1st Battalion of the Cameronian Scottish Rifles.

As he got older, he helped in carrying food, ammunition and injured men. Jimmy saved countless soldiers’ lives. His dedication to duty earned him the distinction of being given the honorary rank of Sergeant, which was signified by having three stripes marked on his bridle. He learned to raise his hoof in salute from the soldiers who brought him up. After the war, Jimmy raised thousands of pounds for the RSPCA charity.

Sergeant Jimmy was first fermented in an open tank with our semi domesticated, house saison strain, before languishing in freshly emptied Irish Whiskey barrels for a few weeks. It was then refermented in bottles for a truly new take on a very traditional process.

Sergeant Jimmy is disarmingly smooth and crisp for its elevated ABV of 7.7%. It has notes of oak, banana, vanilla and coconut, along with the traditional spicy saison yeast character, and a gentle, subtle alcohol warmth. In terms of food pairing, it’s easier to tell you what this doesn’t pair with, a bowl of cornflakes, that’s about it. From appetisers to dessert, this beer is possibly the most food friendly beer ever produced on the Emerald Isle. Try it, you’ll see what we mean! Sergeant Jimmy ’22 was released in November 2022 and is available in select off licences and direct from our brewery.

With Sergeant Jimmy being a limited release, it’s availability is seasonal and until stocks run out. At Black Donkey Brewery, we try our best to get Sergeant jimmy in to stockists nationwide. If your local doesn’t have our beer, suggest it to the owner or buyer. If you are the buyer please fill out this form and we’ll welcome you to the Black Donkey stockists family. If you can’t get our beer in your county, hit up our webshop or if you are passing through Roscommon, call into the brewery and get directly from the source.

Handmade, Irish Beer from Roscommon!