It's the Rumble In The Jungle! Except, there's no two heavyweight boxing icons slugging it out at each other. Moreso, the only fighting done was me trying to maintain decorum after guzzling high ABV beers without dinner in my belly.

The "Rumble In The Jungle" was the showdown between two heavyweight boxing juggernauts George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.

On sober hindsight, maybe I was a bit too excited to try this beer.

The Rumble In The Jungle was a three-way collaboration between Singaporean brewery Brewlander, hawker-stall turned beer tap watering hole Smith Street Taps and the uprooted Jungle Beer, which has since shuttered it's operations in Singapore.

Source: Brewlander

The beer pays tribute to the Kiasu Stout from Jungle Beer, which won a slew of impressive awards in Beerfest Asia 2013: Best in the World, Best in Singapore and Gold in the Stout category. The word "kiasu", in layman Singlish terms, describes the "fear of losing out" attitude that many Singaporeans grew up in within the hyper-competitive environment. Think FOMO, but in terms of your kid's academic grades, the latest vouchers and food promotions, career status, and anything the rat race deemed important.

Source: Reuben Brenner-Adams on Untappd.com

So what happened to Jungle Beer?

The dramatis personae of this story is co-founder and brewery Aditya Challa - whom a decade ago was known as a pioneering figure of craft beer in Singapore. Aditya, as a child, often visited the city of Goa - but first became acquainted with craft beer during his work at UK, and the US. Taking up a course in Scotland, Aditya returned back to Goa to get a brewery set-up with friend and business partner Nikhil.

Aditya Challa. Source: Brewer World

Unfortunately, the Goa brewery didn't quite take off, and Aditya set up Jungle Beers (under Barefoot Brewing Company) in Singapore, sometime near 2010 to 2011. Two years later, the Kiasu stout would bag multiple awards at Beerfest Asia 2013.

Source: SpritedSG

Jungle Beer and Aditya has since moved from Singapore in 2015, planting its roots back in Goa in 2017 under the Susegado brand - after laws and legislation has made it favourable to set up a brewery.

Source: Vogue India

Here's the official description from the Brewlander site:

"Rumble in the Jungle, a 3-way collab stout Brewlander x Jungle Beer x Smith Street Taps, offers a velvety-smooth mouthfeel with a well-balanced blend of roasted malt sweetness, hints of dark chocolate, and a subtle coffee-like aromas from both the roasted grains and chicory.

The chicory imparts an intriguing complexity to the beer, contributing a mild earthy bitterness and a touch of spice that lingers on the palate. A delightful choice for those seeking a satisfying and slightly exotic beer experience."

Brewlander x Smith Street Taps x Jungle Beer Rumble In The Jungle Foreign Export Stout, 8% ABV - Review

Nose: A mild milk chocolate aroma floats on the surface at first. There's a roastiness to the beer, reminding me of roasted malt and toasted oat crackers. There's just a hint of cacao powder as well.

Taste: it's quite complex in flavour, while being quite thin in texture. The initial flavour I get is an americano that has had half a packet of brown sugar stirred into it. On subsequent sips, it loses some of that coffee flavours, getting more chocolate - specifically 60% milk chocolate. A tinge of roastiness presents itself, like toasted buttered brioche.

Finish: there's a tiramisu flavour to the finish - there'd a butteriness of the mascarpone cheese, the tinge of alcoholic flavour from the rum, and that distinctive confectionery coffee taste.

Rating: 8.5/10 deliciously refreshing - deceptive even. You don't really get the alcohol burn from the beer, instead you get pleasant coffee flavours that are both rich but not cloying. The intensity is just right - it really feels like a cuppa early in the morning. Highly recommend catching it!

I wonder if there's anymore Kiasu Stout in the wild... maybe that's just my FOMO speaking.

@vernoncelli