Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga Grand Reserve

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

#2400! Life can be funny. I spent the better part of 2 years in the South, where the best beer I could find was right before I left and the cap was lifted. That’s when I found Sammy Impy Pils. Then there are times when great beers seem to come around every night. Not coincidentally, the times when I find a lot of great beers in the fridge are the times when i ramp up my trading, and find great guys like Ohio Dad, who sent this one to me. The beer pours a hazy dark straw color with an off-white, fairly sizable head that reappears with every repour. The aroma is very complex, with a malty oaky biscuity citrus up front, giving way to a plethora of spicy and floral notes, and some oaky, bourbony, mushroomy fruitiness. I call beers like this Dopplegangers, because they don’t fit any particular category, and they don’t need to. They also evolve as they warm, and this one gets a tad more sweet as it warms, then the oaky vanilla cobwebby malt re-appears. The palate is lively, medium bodied, and the complexity is off the charts. If you can find this, find it. I’d drive two hours with a pitstop in Calcutta and another in Harlem (if the 2 were within 2 hours of each other....you’ll have to give me some leniency with my analogies) for another bottle of this! Yeah man!

12-oz. bottle, courtesy of Styles. Thanks Chris!

Lucid, lovely hazy copper-rust in color with a thin, grey sheaf that replicates the shape of a giant’s thumbprint for the head. Aromatic overstock. Brett and grains of paradise pull chardonnay and pinot accentuations front and center. Something’s saying morning fog rolling in off the bay and slowly gracing grass and wheat fields. Cleansing floral accents of lilies of the valley interlinked with freesia. Sour mash from the whiskey blend and a fruity, tart component of apricots and tangerines. And that’s just the aroma.

Flavor intones with instinctual melanin. Spicy and dusty fieldhouse floor characteristics. Whisky warms like an aged pepper flake stuck between the teeth. Whole wheat underbelly trumped by cursive, mildly tart and sweet nectarines, and then splashed with vermouth. Whiskey-sodden pumpernickel flavor stems from the oak undercurrent - still persuasive, but further fueled by an unsalted rye pretzel roll composition. Discarded green grape skin that’s stuck in perpetual motion of turning south on us. Palate prestige is like a shoreline slowly eroding over time. Fanciful weight, yet grace under fire, with smooth, oaky abrasions. I’m in love with the honed carbonation that merely lifts the socket spurge to a flavorful equilibrium. Finish revels in field posts, white peppered grains, oak control and single malt scotch.

If I had all the time in the world at my disposal, I’d easily run out of ink before I’d run out of things to say. Either way, I’m still at a loss for words.

Bottle.Pours a hazy orange with a stubborn white head and generouse lacing and carbonation. Smells woodsy with fruity notes and some sugar. Tastes of subtle bourbon and oak with more nice balanced fruity notes. A stand out among standouts!

Thanks Styles! The beer pours to a hazy deep amber body. A very creamy white head sits atop the beer. Nice lacing is beginning to form. The aroma is yeasty yellow apples, delicate flower aromas, light and mellow. Hints of oak and an ever so slight bourbon. Very delicate floral aromas are the major selling point. Almost like there is lavender, roses, mums, gardenias, and pineapple in this. The flavor is also very floral. More lavender is apparent here. The mums and pineapple are still there, but the rest of the floral bouquet is replaced with some butter, golden raisins, and thyme. Perhaps saffron? The bourbon notes that would normally be apparent are nowhere to be tasted. There is a slight "burn" to the palate but it seems like it’s just the carbonation and light acidicness. Lightly warming. This is a very interesting beer like no other tasted before. The flavors and aromas are so delicately balanced.

Bottled, thanks to Mr. Styles! Poured a medium, hazy shade of autumn orange/brown with a couple minutes worth of looser off-white headage. Nose was as if the delicate Miss Luci found her way into daddy’s liquor cabinet and spent some quality time with some clean and powerfully complimentary bourbon... all of the underlying components remained (funky and tart bacteria, lemon-laced cobwebs and caramel, and juicy fruits)... plus vanilla and a more pronounced barrel impression. Soft, yet higher carbonation gave a fantastic feel to this one.. and the cobwebby funk and citric tartness couldn’t have been placed better. Flavor department found tart lemon and orange zest, funky old barn, caramel, herbal notes, must, vanilla, older oak, and a subtle bourbon feel. This was a real treat! Thanks Chris!

Bottle. Tasting session with omhper and ante. Thanks to MI2CA for the bottle!
Big cheezy aroma in a positive sence, plus barnyard and cress. Taste realy surprised me with its big complexity dominated by a certan Brett sournes, fruitiness, woodsy bourbon-ness, rhubarbness, and a bunch of other nessies. Lovely acidness and, as I hinted, complexity. Where do I order a box?

Bottled. Hazy amber, brief head. Complex aroma of cheese and raspberries. Tart, yet buttery. Medium sweet with soft mouthfeel and some whiskey-ish oak barrel character. Notes of vinegar, berries and grass. Complicated, ultracomplex and superbly excellent. This beer is so fun!!

Bottle provided by brother Styles. This wonder pours a hazy medium amber color with a compact white head that fades slightly to a ring and layer. Great lacing is left behind. Aroma is suprisingly not full of bourbon to me. I am reminded of a beer full of coriander, light Brett. character. Light oaken notes. Medium bodied with a lifting effervesence. Flavors are estery with a dose of bananna. Oak and vanilla play a role along with a pleasant tart bite towards the finish. Another wonderful creation from Ron in Dexter!!!