Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono (Autumn Fire)

4.4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, bottled 9/28/2010. Pours slightly cloudy orange amber color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts forever. Some nice lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big tart apple, lemon, cherry, caramel, nuttiness, mint, hay, oak, coriander, spices, and funkiness. Nice aromas as I would have expected; a lot going on here and it took a while to figure the aromas out. Taste of caramel, biscuit, chestnuts, coriander, pepper, tart apple, lemon, grass, oak, spices, and funk. Slight tartness on the finish as expected; with lingering notes of lemon, apple, chestnuts, caramel, and spices on the finish for a bit. Incredible balance of flavor and funk in this. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly creamy and very smooth mouthfeel. Very easy drinking stuff; with no alcohol noticed at all. Overall this is an incredible autumn seasonal offering from Jolly Pumpkin. So much great balance, complexity, and smooth drinking.

One of the absolute best JP beers I have had to date. A year of age has done great things.

Baudelaire Beer iO Saison

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, Blend 5, bottled 1/26/2011. Pours slightly hazy orange amber color with a nice 3 finger off white head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts. A fair amount of dense lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big tart apple, lemon, floral, grass, spice, a bit of strawberry, and funk. Nice and standard Jolly Pumpkin aromas here as expected. Taste of big floral notes from the flowers; with lemon, apple, spices, grass, hay, and a bit of funk. Fairly dry finish but there is some lingering floral notes with hay and spices on the finish. A small bit of fruity tartness is present as well. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth mouthfeel that goes down smoothly. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is an excellent and very unique saison. The flower petals definitely add an interesting dimension to the flavor and aroma profile.

Another delicious offering from Jolly Pumpkin as expected. They really do put out a great lineup.

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, batch 835 bottled 7/7/2011. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice 2 finger bright white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts forever. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass, with tons of carbonation streaming from the bottom as well. Aromas of big pepper, coriander, lemon peel, tart apple, funk, wet hay, and spiciness. Some classic JP aromas here, the funk comes out a bit more as it warms up. Taste of big pepper, spices, coriander, lemon, tart apple, and wet grass. Fairly dry finish but there are some light lingering notes of tart apple, lemon, coriander, grass, and spices for a bit. Light-medium bodied with a medium high carbonation. Very smooth drinking with a nice mouthfeel despite the high carbonation. No alcohol noticed at all as expected for being under 5%. Overall this is definitely an excellent witbier, with that JP funk that I always love.

Jolly Pumpkin rarely disappoints me with their offerings. I really need to make a trip out to the brewpub one of these days since I am close.

Jolly Pumpkin E.S. Bam

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, batch 749/750, bottled 3-9-2011. Pours hazy golden orange color with a huge 4 finger off white head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap that lasts. Some nice lacing on the glass with tons of carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass. Aromas of big grass, spices, lemon, bread, tart apple, and some funk. Nice aromas with good strength here. Taste of lemon, grass, bread, pepper, spices, and a bit of tart apple in the back with some funk. Lingering notes of big spice, bread, and grass that last. Medium-high carbonation and medium body, with a very smooth mouthfeel. Fantastic drinkability with no alcohol noticed at all. Overall an excellent and enjoyable saison as expected.

Yet another delicious offering from JP. I should really make the drive to their cafe some time.

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela No. 1 Pumpkin Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, Batch 855, bottled 8/18/11. Pours very hazy orangish golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly dense off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Lots of nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of tons of tart apple and funk at first; then spices, cocoa, and light pumpkin begin to appear as it warms up. Excellent aromas here, as I have come to expect from JP. Taste of big spiciness, cinnamon, allspice, bread, pumpkin, cocoa, and a bit of light fruitiness. Slight bit of tartness on the finish, with lingering notes of spices, bread, cocoa, light fruit, and pumpkin. Medium-high carbonation and medium body, with a nice fairly creamy mouthfeel. Super drinkable stuff, with no alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Overall definitely an excellent brew from JP. It is interesting because most of the spiciness is definitely from the yeast, in contrast to most other pumpkin ales.

A delicious and drinkable brew from JP once again. I have been told this year's batch has more spice characteristics that last years. Luckily I have a 2010 bottle back at home, so I will have to give it a go once I retrieve it.

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

3.9/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, batch 428. Pours clear dark brown color with 2 fingers of dense light tan head with great retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some decent lacing is left on the glass as well. Aromas of sour grape, cherry, apple, spice, a bit of vinegar, and caramel. Taste of big spices, pepper, caramel, tart apple, grape, and pear. Finishes fairly tart and sour in the back with some lingering notes of fruits and spices with a bit of wood. No alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. light-medium bodied with very high carbonation with a prickly mouthfeel. Very nice balance of tartness and sweetness. Fairly smooth drinking despite the high carbonation. Overall, this is more nice stuff from Jolly Pumpkin, I would have this again.

Another very nice Saison from Jolly Pumpkin. I would have this one again in the future. This becomes very smooth if you let the carbonation die down as well.

Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (The Firefly)

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, Blend 5 bottled 5-14-2010. Pours hazy reddish orange color with an insanely large, fairly foamy 3 finger off white head with incredible retention. Thick lacing is left on the glass. Aromas of some sour apple with grapes, spices, and a lot funkiness. Taste of strong spices with some caramel, light fruitiness, and very slight tartness. A little lackluster. Fairly dry finish, but there is some lingering spice notes and caramel, with a slight bit of tartness. Fairly high carbonation with a medium body. No alcohol noticed on taste or finish. Really smooth drinking for the carbonation level as well. Overall, this is a very good brew, the taste was a bit lacking in some aspects though. Was hoping for more tartness. This is much like a saison.

Quite an enjoyable Belgian style from JP once again, but I was hoping for more tartness from this.

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

4.3/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, bottled 10-5-10. Pours clear very dark red color with a small dense 1 finger off white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Very thick lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of sour cherries, spices, oak, apple cider, a bit of chocolate, and some brown sugar. Very strong and complex aromas. Taste starts off with sour cherries and apples, and transitions to a bit of spice and oak with some sweetness of dark fruits at the end with brown sugar. No bitterness was really noticed at all. Fairly dry finish, but some fruity notes do linger for a short period with some sourness as well. Great balance of flavors, and sourness is not overbearing. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. No alcohol presence in the taste but a fairly strong warming is present on the finish. Extremely drinkable and smooth given its alcohol level, and highly enjoyable as well. Overall a fantastic sour Belgian style ale.

I will definitely be getting my sour fix quite a bit soon. I have plenty of Jolly Pumpkin ready for consumption a long with a few Belgian sours and others! Every JP brew I have had thus far has been great.

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle. Pours hazy amber color with a very nice 3 finger fluffy white head with incredible retention and great glass lacing. Appearance is just fantastic. Aromas of sour fruit, spices, and citrus. Taste of sour and tart citrus notes, with spices. Some slight bitterness on the finish, and has lingering tart and sour notes. Medium body and heavy carbonation. Overall, this is another great ale from JP, incredibly drinkable, and highly enjoyable. Definitely need to get my hands on some more of these Artisan Ales.

Another tasty ale from Jolly Pumpkin. Definitely check them out if you can, very highly rated beers across the board on ratebeer.

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle. Pours hazy red orange color with a 1 finger thick off white head with very good retention that reduces to a lacing cap that leaves good lacing on the glass. Aromas of sour fruits, spices, grapes, cherries, and oak. Taste is sour cherries, apples, and some citrus with spices. Tart flavors on the front and a nice sour finish that lasts for a bit, and the flavor envelopes my taste buds. Medium body and carbonation. Wow, I have never have had a sour ale before, but after getting used to the style through the drink, I have thoroughly enjoyed this, and will seek out more JP in the future.

My first sour ale, and it was a great experience. I really want to seek out the Russian River sours though. I have heard they are the best available. Oh and this bottle had an accident because it fell out of my fridge, which forced me to drink it, but it still tasted amazing.