Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial

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

Bottle Batch #253 on the bottle Pours out a amber topped with a tall foam head. Aroma was of spice, yeast and some malts. Tast was pretty good. More of the spice and plenty of sweetness. One fall back lots of carbonation.

I think I may have gotten a slightly extra-carbonated edition but then again, this brew does offer some unique flavors. Spices fill the mouth as the Maracaibo Especial splashes the mouth with an almost champagne presence. If you let this beer warm just a bit, the flavors of the cocoa and cinnamon will rise like a young sapling in a Caribbean hillside.

Bottle. High creamy off-white and lasting head. Clear dark red brown body. Sour malt aroma. Spicy sour malt aroma with caramel and notes of lemon. Heavy carbonation. Long bitter sour aftertaste.

Batch #349. Pours clear amber color with big off white head. The aroma is JP funk and cinnamon. Slightly sour flavor with hints of sweet chocolate and some cinnamon in the aftertaste. Medium body with effervescent carbonation and a dry finish.

Pours a murky, deep brown with a ridiculous sized head that is simply relentless...I wonder if I could turn my glass upside down and have this head keep the beer from spilling! Anyways, aroma is yeasty and spicy with a hint of chocolate in there...maybe a bit of citrus fruit and a general sour feel. Flavor is intriguing - typical JP sourness over a mash of other flavors, and this one works pretty well. Good level of sour, dark fruit, roasted malt, a touch of cinnamon, and a good level of chocolate...much more than I expected to come from this one. Pleasant as it warmed...I did enjoy this beer. Slightly overcarbonated, but not offensive. Can JP start selling more of their beer in smaller bottles though...hate always having to crack a 750, which keeps me from revisiting many of their brews...oh well, guess that’s for another time!

Pours a full dark amber’ish brown with a frothy head that settles to one finger. Very spicy with a strong, brown-ale-like finish. Even over the palate and the carbonation is just right. Aroma is even spicy on this one. Batch #349, & I just read Floback’s comment about it being a gusher when I popped the cap & had plenty of the brew crashing all over the bar & floor. My mistake was that I tried to stem the tide with my tongue, but it just went right up my nose until I got the bottle over the sink. Ouch. A very full beer, though, & for someone not normally a brown ale fan, very pleasant.

Bottle from Knightly Spirits. Batch #349. This bottle was a gusher and I couldn’t get it to stop for quite a while. This poured a typically massive head that is commonplace for JP brews and a murky brown color. The nose is sour yeast and dough. Flavors are coppery, full of sour Brett, and include subtle spices like cinnamon, apples, and evergreen. Quite malty with a bit of vinegar character. Lively carbonation and medium body. Good beer.

Subdued Belgian character, spices meld well together, very warming, some hot alcohol, light body but still some sweetness