Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars

Brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Bière de Garde
Dexter, Michigan USA

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow and tupalev, my bottle. Hazy orange-amber, small head. Perfumy-sweet malt/hop medley, still sour and funky. Decent body, acidic - doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Not bad

750 ml bottle from Steve (punkrkr27) Thanks dude! An interesting twist on this style, as it is much darker than I was anticipating it would be. Almost brown in color, with no head at all. Smell is rich and fruity, with hints of oak and a touch of whiskey. A little sour notes on the nose as well. Taste is rich and flavorful, oakey and sour. Goes very well with goat cheese though I am not so sure about the blue cheese I had as well. Wait, I just had a large chunk of blue, and it does go really nicely with it. A very pleasing beer to drink as are most of these JP beers. This one gets mad points for the label though, it is so fucking cool. This is a bottle I will save. Thanks Steve!

750 ml botttle


This was a very interesting take on the Biere de Garde style. It has the typical hallmarks of a Jolly Pumpkin beer while still staying true to its roots. If you can get your hands on this one, give it a try. I was lucky enough to get my bottle from someone at work.

Aroma / Appearance - Sour cherries, oak, vanilla, plums and cotton candy are the primary factors in an interesting nose. It invites you to keep looking for more even though there is not much more depth to be found. The cloudy brown body was mildly carbonated with a one finger off-white head and sticky lacing which clung stubbornly to the sides of my glass.

Flavor / Palate - This is among the more interesting beers I have had a chance to sample. The typical biere de garde flavors are obvious but along with them you get some funk. Starting from the first sip I picked up sour cherries, oak, vanilla, peaches, raspberries and a general fruitiness. Next come a slightly wheaty note combined with caramel and sourness. The finish is both bitter and malty. Overall I felt that it could have been perhaps a little more dense but on the whole it hits all the right notes. You can also tell this is a Jolly Pumpkin produced beer. Get your hands on a bottle if you can.

Rerate, 750mL bottle, Batch 256, courtesy of Ryan. Thanks! Pours a clear orange-amber color with golden edges; light khaki head with good retention and fine-bubbled lacing; very nice pour. High amounts of acidity, tart citrus, tannic grapiness / vinous notes, and ripe cherries in the aroma; pleasant, complex, mouthwatering aroma; some light toasty oak and vanilla in the background. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: a lot less overt acidity than I remember from earlier batches, probably because it’s so young; toasty oak and malts, tart citrus, lots of pitty / tannic grape notes and cherries; some breadiness and just a touch of graininess mid-palate; very generous, drinkable soured ale, and a nice chance to try this at a young point. Medium finish: breadiness, toasted malts, and some lingering sour citrus. 8.4.7.4.15=3.8 ... Pours7 a medium fluffy head with light retention and minimal retention; large bubble formation around the edges; head regenerates nicely with a bit of effort; clean, translucent honey-brown color with yellow edges. Plenty of brett in the nose, with some citrus and honey. Upfront sourness, medium-high acidity, some hints of lemon and vanilla toastiness - but everything seems hidden behind the strong tartness and acidity, falling away to a medium, crisp finish. I seem to really notice the acidity here, as in the Roja & Oro. I enjoy the other, less-acidic JP offerings more. 7.4.8.3.16=3.8.

pours a clear ruby red with a nice little white head minimal lacing. aroma is a little bit cherry, yeasty dust and a little sour. taste is spice, yeast and wood.

750 ml bottle poured a clear orange amber with a minimal ivory head. Aromas of orange, cherry, spice and a bit of wood. Palate was light bodied and dry. Flavors of orange, lemon, wood and spices with a dry tart finish.

The pour reveals a hazy amber color with a thin bubbly head. Very good sweet and malty aroma with fruits and a sturdy dose of acidity. Very good flavor of fruits, malt with some farmhouse character and a crisp acidity, it finishes sweet and dry. Superb stuff, JP does it again !

The aroma is very musty and cellared - sour, with hints of wood and raisins...not sweet at all. Looks decent, but not really like a bier de garde, with a reddish orange body and nearly no head at all. This is very typical Jolly Pumpkin - very sour, very little sweetness. Some caramel. It kind of leaves me longing for just a little something more of something...its very drinkable, though, even somewhat interesting.