Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (The Firefly)

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

750mL bottle courtesy of my summer Secret Santa, no date. Pours a cloudy golden brown with a rocky four finger yellowish white head. Very spritzy looking, a fair amount of chunked brown yeast. Aroma is quite yeasty with some lemon zest, spicy grapefruity hops with some slight powdered sugar sweetness There is also some apple skin and pear. As I update this I saw someone said something about Orval, and I agree with some similarities. Taste has more of the oak and acidity that I normally get with the other JP brews, though this is more highly hopped--that’s not to say that this is highly hopped though. Slightly bitter finish. Light to medium bodied, high carbonation. Excellent.

In short: A soft but complex brett and barrel marriage.
How: Botle 750ml, various vintages, various aging.
The look: cloudy dark golden body with a medium off-white head
In long: Super marriage of Brettanomyces and barrel. Extra-comfortable cushiony body. Some dried fruits, a few orange peels, a little woody caramel and a pinch of white pepper. Overall barnyard sensation. But it’s really the Brett and barrel that makes this beer. Despite being very bretty the Luciernaga doesn’t come with any of the sourness of other brett bombs (Bam Biere, Sanctification, etc.). Think Orval without the hops. This is a soft beer but what it lacks in intensity it more than makes up with complexity and originality. Drinking that thing makes me feel happier than a redneck in a sheep-fold.

750ml bottle. Good aroma with decent spiceness surrounding it. Great appearance of a fluffy white head that stays and cloudy look. Great flavor that is well balanced and smooth but mild with no strong taste (which is fine). Great aftertaste that keeps me thirsty for more. I really enjoyed this brew and it has the quality to be year round. Cheers!

Bottle. Pours a cloudy neon yellow with a big white head. Aroma is yeasty and spicy with a lot of different fruits - peaches, bananas, some citrus, even an ambrosia-like aroma. In the tasting, the sweet fruit notes fade into the background as the spiciness takes over. A nice beer.

Bottle. Pours hazy golden amber with fizzy off white head. Aroma is musty, funky, and sour. Flavor is spices, bleu cheese, wheat, rye. This is sort of like a gueuze, but less harsh. Very good.

Hazy light orange in appearance with a nice white head. The nose is all about potpourri spiced apple cider, strong, complex and layered. Very pleasant and I don’t even like apple cider. The carbonation and acid are a bit much IMO. The flavor is a bit strange, I think this beer might be off. It has a funky bitterness to it, reminiscent of stale hops, that dominates everything else going on. Will try again.

Sour aroma (J.P. Suuuure does love themselves some Brettanomyces), pours a lovely golden color. First sip is vinegar with bittering hops. Smooth, refreshing pale ale underneath. Although the Brett is not in your face like some of the other J.P. beers, it is still there. This was pretty good. Although I can tolerate sour beers better these days, I still dont care for them, and I dont see myself liking this style anytime too soon. I still say beer should taste like beer, not vinegar.

25.4 oz bottle. Amber honey with a slight haze. Thin layer of white foam. Spicy apple nose; cedar, lemon and faint barnyard. Peppery pears poached in coriander with a light tartness. Tangy carb with a pillowy body. Mmmm ... nice.