Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

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

I love this beer! Dark, Sweet, and Delicious! It’s a little expensive at $15.00/bottle, but well worth it.

750ml bottle. Blend 3, 2007. This beer exceeds Murky brown-amber color with a lively head. Funky barnyard aroma and taste rarely captured so well. Sour like an Oud Bruin at it’s best, with a full enough malt backbone to smooth it out. Completely covers the alcohol with the tartness, incredibly drinkable for 9%. This is one of the best beers out there, if you are into beers with a sour edge to them.

Dark mahogany with big, foamy tan head / Tart green apple and caramel nose / Medium creamy, tart, body with long finish / Funky flavors of green apple, caramel, vanilla, oak, nutmeg, and coriander / More wonderful stuff from the delightfully different Pumpkin.

Wow this stuff took me by surprise. Took a recommendation at a store I frequent and have had positive recommendations before, so I paid the $13 for the bottle. Wow was I suprised. Probably the best tasting beer I’ve ever had when I drank it. Dark ruby in color and intensely crisp. Dry bitingly crisp and the brett is harsh in this one, but refined harsh, intended harshness. Great flavors of figs and apple are everywhere, along with some traditional belgiany flavors. This stuff is unbelievable.

THOUGHTS: Reminded me a lot of Rodenbach, but with a touch of spices. The flavor and aroma changed so much as it warmed and time went by. I don’t feel I am doing it justice in this review. It took me nearly two hours to drink a bottle, because I just kept wanting to see how much it would change. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark red that was nearly black in the glass, with a large, off-white head that kept a nice sheet and left good lacing. The aroma was light malt, some horse blanket, leather and earthy yeasts, sour fruit, cask wood, spices. It got yeastier as time went by. The flavor started lightly sweet and acidic, and finished sweet, sour and acidic with slight bitterness that lasted for an average duration. There was sour fruit, yeast, spices, malt apple, cherry, slight citrus, some wood. Then slight hops that might’ve been there just to balance things. The medium to full body was slightly syrupy then dry with fizzy carbonation and a light astringent finish.

Pours a dark iced tea color with a thick carbonated head. Has the typical tart nose of the Jolly Pumpkin brewery. Nicely carbonated with a strong tart flavor. Hints of a deep, sweet syrup flavor compliment the after taste. Perfect amount of carbonation. Great beer.

Blend 5, 750ML bottle
Dirty brown with a thick white head and lacing. Aroma is dark fruits. oak and yeast. Flavor is over ripe fruits. Very sweet cherries and malt. Tart yeasty finish.t

Big thanks to Styles. Drank at room temp and what an awsome beer. Smell of cherries. Very balanced beer. Taste was of cherrries almost like a Flemish with a vinegary aftertaste. Nice malt and spiciness to it also. I thought this beer was almost perfect. WORD