Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Saison
Dexter, Michigan USA

Pours dark brown with a moderate head. Very little of an aroma. Flavor is mildly tart with some hop bitterness. Flavors are warm with some qualities of darker fruits. Thin mouth feel.

750 from batch #250. Horizontal with bam biere and leelanau whaleback white. Clear dark/red that is like a flemish sour and off-white head/beige head. Aroma has a surprisingly large amout of coffee roast with oak and subtle spice. I swear I also get coffee in the flavor with that typical JP oak, cherry and other red fruit and a little sweeter than bam biere. Medium bodied and hotly carbonated. An interesting beer for sure, but not the monumental beer I was looking for.

Pours pure black, until held up to the light, when you see it is actually a muddy dark brown, with some significant haze. Aroma is dark fruits, with the musty, earthiness you expect from a saison or farmhouse ale, only this one is dark. The is also some tartness in the background of the aroma. Flavor is tart, musty and fruity, with very little malt. Some hop character, but subdued. Finish is complex, with a tartness and some fruit and must. A black saison, very interesting change of pace.

12 ounce bottle from Brad
Served in my La Chouffe glass.
Pours dark transparant brown with a thick off white head.
The aroma is saw dust, wet wool, blended spices, and a smidge of citrus rind.
I don’t get much flavor here. Its mostly a touch of brett tartness, but it takes more than that to trip my trigger.
Light body. High carbonation. Dry finish. Easy to drink.
This beer had a lot of potential for me until I actually took a drink.

Bottle courtesy of jjpm74: Poured a clear dark black color ale with a big foamy head with perfect retention and perfect lacing. Aroma of dry hops with loads of Brett is really enjoyable and classic Jolly Pumpkins. Taste is also dominated by some nice Brett flavours with some light sweetness and huge Belgian malt. Body is above average with some great carbonation. Complex beer with some nice controls of the funky aromas.

750ml from Michael Jackson’s Rare Beer Club. I wasn’t sure exactly how the gritty, dry Bam Biere would work in red wine bottles. Overall it’s quite enjoyable. When I first tried this about six months ago it seemed that flavors were clashing too much. But with just a bit of age on it, there’s a deep musky quality, and the farmhouse funk has integrated well with the dark red grapes. Nice stuff, even if not JP’s best.

12 Oz Bottle. Tart vinous red cherry aroma. Dabblings of balsamic vinegar and italian cherry syrup. Really heavy on the fruit. Apple flesh, dense, sweet fruitcake and distant spice. Nice. Pours a shiningly clear deep blood ruby. Excellently sustaining soft soap on top; lightly off-white. Flavor is a generally a wash of the aroma, but then something strangely butter and soft rolls through. A rather confused flavor profile. There’s indecision between bright fruitiness, musky spice, and deep earth. Oak draws out the back end. There’s an off-note in there that waffles between a real gritty pork fat and Frangelico. It’s pretty quiet and seems to fade as I drink, leaving what plays as a lightly spice, somewhat watery oaked JP strain. A nice noble hop leaf crisps out with the woody sensation. I think a little more sugar or tartness would make this feel more rounded and balanced. There’s just a few components missing. Still. Am I complaining about drinking a Jolly Pumpkin? No, not really, just pointing out that this doesn’t hold up to Ron’s other work. Further down the bottle, some dust and yeast bitterness perks up. Always enjoyable to try yet another. Thanks Sean!
Re-rates from 1 year old bottles. Let’s face it, Jolly Pumpkin is underrated. This beer is great. There’s a big flush of tropical fruits, dry cottony brett and interesting malt contributions. It’s supremely drinkable and it’s fresh-tasting. It’s great. I can’t believe I gave this beer a 3.7.

Bottle Pours out a very nice dark amber topped with a tan head. A nice aroma of sweet fruit. Tast was great. Some fruit, wood and yeast. Very good Saison. Thanks Jordan