Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

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

(750ml bottle thanks to ballewblake) Pours a dark brown opaque beer with little to no head. Lacing is nice on the glass. Smells a little bit funky, but not overbearing or too powerful. Some dark fruits are here, maybe raisins and a low amount of Brett yeast. This beer lacks any fruit characteristics that I generally prefer in the style. No lemon, dark fruit flavors, or crispness at all for me. It is quite sour, but no sweetness to balance it. Not my favorite saison. As some others have stated I don’t taste as much of the barnyard funk or brett that others seem to, but it is sour with what feels like no purpose. The carbonation and mouthfeel were fine. I had trouble drinking anything beyond 2-3 oz of this one.

Batch 340/341. black, thick, rich beisge head. Tart cherry and oak and children’s aspirin in the aroma, although The Bride disagrees with me on that last one. Great flavor - tart cherry, oak, some winey notes, maybe a touch of coffee, but very refreshing and easy to drink. Great stuff.

Bottle. Pours dark brown coloured with a big light brown head. Vinous aroma with notes of wood, sour fruit, malt, caramel and some musty basement. Dry flavour with notes of caramel, sour cherries, brett, spice and roasted malt.

Pour is a black with a small white head. Aroma is lots of funk with some berry and liquorice. Flavor is some earth and oak with a cherry and molasses. Finish is sour and very tart. Probably not a saison but more of a sour ale than anything. Still this is a tasty beer and one that has something different happining in each sip.

Oh how I do love the original Bam Biere. My expectations for its darker kin is set accordingly. Dark ruby brown, nearly opaque with a quickly vanishing light tan head. Citrus, brett, some wood, a little spice. Promising. Caramel flavor with no apparent sweetness is an interesting experience. Sour, surely, like a summer cherry. Refreshingly quaffable. A dark summer beer. It might even take the grassy edge off after doing battle with the lawn.

Pours dark amber, without much aroma. Slight funk. Flavor is a nice understated funk.. decent JP.

Bottle (batch 327/328) purchased at Perry’s in Livermore, CA. This definitely has some funky Bretty and bubble-gum like aromas. Lightly musty. Definitely does not smell like a "dark beer". Moderately transparent mahogany body with a pretty fine, frothy, manilla colored head. Nice lacing and the head is persistent. Well, this is definitely different...lots of Bretty funk present. Some lightly chocolate and roasted flavors make a slight and brief cameo to start. It then becomes astringent, acetic, and full of brett character. There’s really not a whole hell of a lot else going on here. It’s pretty boring actually.

Bottled. A deep red beer with a huge brown head. The aroma has notes of brettanomyces, citrus, spices, malt, and caramel. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, roasted malt, brettanomyces, spices, and berries, leading to a somewhat tart finish. Thanks to my secret well-do’er in Hood RIver.