Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga Grand Reserve

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

12oz bottle. Deep murky orange color, but really this has no head at all our of the bottle... bit of a sweaty BO brett nose, with sweaty, pulpy oranges and some lighter tobacco and medicinal basil scents. Leafy and pungent, sweaty hops. Undercarbonated, moderately viscous, moderately thick but not thick enough to make up for the low carbonation. Nice sourness, though light, with more of a heavy orange and grapefruit and old, moldy oak flavor, finishing lightly grassy with some sweaty hops. A strange beer for sure, and I thought I would love it based on the style and description... it didn’t blow me away but it was nice to try.

12 oz. bottle via trade with Pailhead - Pours a hazy amber color with a thin bubbly white head. Thin spotty lacing. Aroma is strong esters and light spice. Flavor is slightly sour (lambic like) and again, loaded with esters. I’m not picking up the oak like the IS’s. Medium body. Slight lingering sour aftertaste. If I tasted this beer blind, I probably would have called it a Lambic. Just not real wild about sour beers. Thanks Kevin.

Bottle. Hazy amber colour with a off-white heaqd. Malty, fruity, wood aroma and a sweet malty, fruity, wood, light acid taste. Medium body with a dry light acid finish.

Batch 2. Hazy orange, viscous in appearance, with soft carbonation that results in a thin off-white head. The body has pink and red hints mixed in. Lacing is thin and oily looking. Pretty, looks like many matured barleywines I’ve encountered. Hints of the original beer linger, but for the most part this is an entirely new conceptual realization. Toasted grain seems enveloped nearly totally by a funky farmhouse character and leather notes. Brettanomyces and other yeast strains wrought from noble practices spring forth in a gentle and captivating nose. Oak barrel is evident and refined in its sensory delivery. Light fruit and subtle citric hoppiness complete a circle of intriguing proportions. For such a lengthy slumber in a whisky barrel of any sort, this has surprisingly mellow bourbon and general alcoholic notes, a positive to these senses. Flavor is audacious, tantalizing and palate destroying all at once. Upon first sip, tannins rip into the sides of my cheeks. What starts initially sweet speedily blossoms into an oaky, sweet and sour monstrosity. The base taste here is lemony sourness paired with lightly charred oak. Atop that, must and funk interweave an join notes of ripe oranges and unripened grapefruits, rinds included. The oakiness now seems bold, perpetuating a long drying effect that accelerates the onset of the finish. The finale is oaky, nearly too dry and lightly sour. The palate is lowly carbonated, sweet then quite dry, medium bodied. I think I’d prefer the regular Firefly on a regular or even semi-regular basis. This is a very tasty beer, perhaps a little too dry for the combinations of flavors presented within. I don’t even wonder if I’ll ever have a Jolly Pumpkin beer I don’t like any more, I have decided that is a distinct impossibility.

Bottle. [Many thanks to Sk8viking for sharing this one] Average off-white fizzy head that mostly diminished. Cloudy orange-golden color. Fair lacing. Grapefruit, elderflower, citrus, caramel and a very fruity base with notes of oak/wood. Medium to full bodied with a light alcoholic texture. Flavor was acidic from the Brett and good balanced sweet notes from the malt. Light sour dry and wood lingering finish.

This beer poured a very deep pale ale tawny golden hue with a virile, jumpy white head. Hoppy, soapy, spicy sour nose that follow well into the first taste. A bitter/sour complexity with noticeable coriander piquancy. Perhaps one the darkest and full bodied pale ales in a while. Sour Belgian funk that was quite original. I would definitely buy another one of these. Great presentation.

bottle-thanks to Vyvvy for sharing and Hopscotch for trading it to him! pours cloudy orange with a small white head. nose is pretty nice-lots of bretty notes, but the barrel age is not that distinct-faint woody notes, but no bourbon really to speak of-more oaky than anything, but definately not overbearing. lots of funky breaty notes along with some musty tones. flavors show over-ripe grapefruit not in the hoppy sense. definately not what i was expecting. lots of soft carbonation which is a flagship from this brewery (must be the Dexter yeast?). distinct and enjoyable, but not the rave beer i was expecting.

Bottle shared by sliffy, thanks! Orange-red pour with a short white head. Aroma of oak, bret, sour, and some light pale malts. THe flavor was also oaky, with some sour elements, but they were quite controlled and not overwhelming....this all on top of very light pale malt. Light body witha woody quality throughout, dry/bittersweet finish. Awesome brew.