Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

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

batch 331 from a 750 mL bottle - not-quite-clear ruddy brown, chestnut color. JP house notes of acid and red wine, discernible oak, and rich caramel malts. some spiciness, but seems more due to yeast than actual spices (cinnamon and nutmeg). slight astringency and not as full-bodied as 9% would suggest; it’s extraordinarily dry and easy to drink. dry and tart finish, acid lingering and a warming alcohol presence. excellent.

Bottle: Poured a deep reddish/brown color ale with a large foamy head with great retention and great lacing. Aroma of oak with some tart notes and maybe light cherry notes as well though that may originate from the oak. Taste is very complex and is dominated by some oak notes with some tart and sour notes also easily detectable. Full body with great carbonation and no trace of alcohol could be detected. This beer was very well done by one of the best US brewer of sour beers.

Bottle. Earthy, funky, mildly sour. A twinge of chocolate and coffee. Smooth and subtle. Nice.

Straw and fresh ground coffee beans hidden underneath cobweb covered earthy funkiness. YES!, that’s what this big dark fully headed beer puts forth into the air. The carbonation is prickly. The mouth is nice and tart. The flavors are firmly malty with coffee frinds and tart grape. and funk. Yes, this was my favorite Jolly Pumpkin beer yet.

Pours with a dark amber hue that sits below an off white head. The head has good longevity. The aroma is of barnyard funk, yeast, wood, and bread. There is a bit of a sour aroma to the beer as well/ The flavor is sour initially, with a nutty/bitter taste at the finish. Overall this beer tastes a little like champagne. Dry to the palate, with fizzy carbonation.

Brown in color with a large off white head. The aroma is bitter and chocolatey with notes of wood, molasses, and spices. The flavor is sour and malty with a bitter finish. The texture is very dry. I don’t like sour beers.

2007 bottle, blend 4. Very good sour. A slow gusher. Pours with a deep, deep, amber body with a light brown head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of Jolly pumpkin wild yeast, funk, mulling spices, wood, chocolate and fuits. Taste is sour, spiced, with dark fruits,m and a nutty (chestnuts) note in the finish. Very dry and fizzy, quite enjoyable.

This is a difficult brew to drink but the sourness of it balances out the high malt content of it so that its a decent sipper. Pour is a dark brown red with a very thick tan head. Aroma is fruit tart, woody, oaky, and has berries as well. Flavor is sour, tart berries, citrus and spice. Palate is slightly tart and boozy.