Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars Grand Reserve

Formerly brewed at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Sour Ale
Dexter, Michigan USA

Batch 65, from Styles, thanks a lot man. Color is dark copper almost brown, very clear. Aroma is light cherry sour with fruit vinegar and very stingy on the nose, the vinegar grows strong. Taste is very stingy vinegar with light fruity tints. With a long sour, tart, and acidic finish. There is just a bit of buttery barrel essence throughout but not enough to interfere with the beer. Long tart dry finish. Much better than the other GR beers I have had with the least amount of barrel and particularly barrel sugar in it.
12oz bottle in a Cantillon copita glass.

12oz. bottle, batch 65, with a HUGE thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing! Pours a cloudy dirty brown with a thin tan head, minimal retention and lacing. Aroma is sour, funk, and a bit of butter. Flavor is more of the same, with a little more butter. Again, no good words from me,, not quite as nuanced as I’d hope, but did find this enjoyable. Thanks again Eugene!

Shared by a friend from BA. Pours amber with a small head. Aroma is tart and has distinctive bourbon and wood notes. Flavor is Jolly Pumpkin all the way...sour and funky. Very nice with a dry and lasting finish. I enjoyed this one.

12 oz. bottle. Batch 65. Aged 27 months on oak. Pours a very lightly hazy, burnt auburn-amber color. A small, foamy, cream colored head settles to a wispy film with a fat edge. Minimal, spread out, spotty lacing marks the glass. The aroma is fantastic. Sour, lightly pungent, funky wood notes permeate each and every nook and cranny in the nose. Vanilla and dried out caramel work beautifully with wisps of sour mash bourbon, while tannic apple skins and sweet-tart Calvados elements add fruity depth. Flavors are vinegary, with a big sour apple component and notes of tannic fruit skins. Again, massive, funky oak plays a big role, with just a hint of bourbony twang lending some heat. The finish is semi-dry and quite sour, with green apples lingering for ages. The palate is substantial and puckering, if not just a shade overly carbonated and dusty towards the back of the throat. Such a minor flaw can certainly be forgiven in a brew of this caliber. This was an outstanding choice to ring in the new year. Easily Jolly Pumpkin’s best beer.

Zeeland 08’ tasting. I had been really looking forward to this one. Poured a copper color with very little head. Aroma is huge vinegar and funk and wood. Very inviting. Taste is much the same, a nice sharpness to start and a very round finish. It sort of stuck to my teeth. Well done Ron.

Bottle: Again a big thanks to notalush and his generosity. Nice muddy, rusty copper pour with a thin lacing off white head. The aroma is fairly funky- tart fruit notes of passion fruit, grapefruit, oak, very subtle vanilla/cask notes, and lactic tartness tingles the nostrils. Nice lively feel with a sharp acidity. The flavor has a great oak presence- both acetic and sweet simultaneously. Has a vanilla nuance in the background, sharp fruit skin notes (tart apples/white grapes), tannic qualities and a solid lactic sour presence throughout the palate. Pretty nice.

Thanks to notalush for sharing another sour gem. Hazy golden beer. Aroma is very funky and juicy. Loaded with classic JP funkiness. Soft sourness with a touch of rich fruity/pineapple and baked apple sweetness with a soft barrel oaky character. Chewy and fruity with excellent integration of the oak and vanilla with the soft tart fruitiness. Lactic and sour but it’s still quite restrained. Funky and earthy with a lingering leathery dryness and a bit of minty herbal character. Wow... this is awesome stuff.

Batch 65 - thanks to mibirder for this - very turbid amber beer, with a thick, fizzy lace - the stereotypical JP funk is there to greet the nose, in oh such beautiful proportion to the other characteristics of soft oak, fruit skins, vanilla - soft carbonation - funky and acidic, but never to the point of being overly acetic, which is tough to do - just mouth-watering tartness - some strong oak and vanilla sit on top of some tropical fruit and baked apple sweetness, adding a nice balance to the acidity, and light leathery character on the back end - the sweetness wears off in time for the finish, with lingering oak and tannic character rounding things out - this beer is fantastic - certainly the best JP beer I’ve ever had.