Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura

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

750ml Batch #265 bottle from Ann Arbor Whole Foods on November 30, 2008. This is definitely bottle-conditioned! The aroma spewing from the bottle after I opened it was delicious. The first pour netted a mug nearly completely filled with a medium-brown colored head. Definite woody aroma, very resinous and thick. My gosh… amazing on its way in the mouth. Lacing is as thick as the snowflakes falling outside. Chunks a third-inch wide stuck to the inner edge of the glass. Bittersweetness entertains my palate like no other beer has in ages. This is spectacular. Alcohol presence makes it seem less chunky in the mouth and more effervescent. This beer could quite possibly near my personal idea of brewed perfection.

<b>Bottle:</b> Light black pour with a large, tan, rocky head. Dark roasted malts, candied sugar, nutty, oak and some subtle lactic qualities noted in the nose...heavily carbonated yet somewhat silky body...flavor has notes of oak, dark malts, candied sugar and finishes with a subtle sourness. Very good brew and one of my favorite stouts.

Explodes out of bottle five+ finger, thick, rocky brown head that takes forever to fade leaving a good lace. Totally black color. Good carbonation, heavy bodied. Roasted coffee nose. Flavor is roasted coffee and chocolate, the hops are balanced by the malts. Keeps well (at least several months). Pricey at $14.95 a 750ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, MA .

Black with big, foamy cappuccino head / Sour, malty nose of green apple, cigar box, and roast coffee / Medium body, tart and acidic, with good balance and on the excellent, bitter finish / Flavors of malt, green apples, cherries, dark roast coffee, cigar box, bittersweet chocolate, and brett / More brewing genius from JP.

Thin brown lasting head held up by steady rising streams of small bubbles. Black beer. Huge dusty aroma like breathing cocoa and coffee dust carried on an alcohol cloud. Expecting the biggest chocolate coffee stout ever and you are surprised by a wine-like chocolate coffee beer. 3/4 stout 1/4 wine. Chocolate and coffee seem overwhelmed by the wine. It’s a black wine! Cool and unique but I still want to try the beer my nose told me I was going to drink.

Batch #266. Pours black with huge brown head. Aromas of roasted malts, chocolate and sourness. Similar flavors with a dry finish. Medium body with lively carbonation. Decent beer.

Pours completely black with a swirly dark caramel brown head. Very beautiful. The nose has so much going on. I get roastyness, citrus acidity, sour yeast funk, wet rotten hay (or mildew), sour apples, and caramel. The flavor is crazy. All over the place but it balances into a wonderful drinkable beer. It starts out roasty then flows into a sweet fruit flavor, and then finishes with a sour citrus bitterness. The after taste is tangy and pleasant. The palate has everything: great complexity, well balanced flavor, and is very easy to drink. Phenomenal.

Bottle: I opened this one up for the first game of the World Series. Go Phillies! Anyways, this one was a great choice for the game. It started out great as Utley hit the two run homer in the first inning. This beer was just warming up itself. It poured a dark black color, with load of chocolate colored head. The aroma was roasted malts and chocolates. The flavor was chocolate, roasted nuts, coffee, and caramel. The finish was excellent, Hamels gave way to Madsen who handed off to Lidge to shut the door. Great Game! The beer finished with a dry and sour finish, Great Beer!