Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

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

Bottle: Dark amber color with a very fizzy head and lots of carbonation. The nose is tart and fruity with some apple and raisin, chewy caramel along with the bright yeasty qualities. Earthy and tart, light alcohol and a snappy yeast estery tail. Nice contrasting qualities for a winter beer, i’m over the hoppy english strongs or malty english bitters. This is what I need!

Blend 1, 2009. Nice bretty Xmas beer! Defintely better than the other Xmas offerings from breweries. I have to give a heavy high kudos for JP not putting in nutmeg - - hate that stuff! Anyway, pours brown with white soapy head. Nose is brett and lemons, with a touch of must. Flavor is sour and bitter, with some gentle sweetness in the tongue. Finishes clean.

2009 bottle (750 ml) from Holiday Wine Cellar ($14.99). Pours a very deep muddy brown with ruby hints along the edges. The beige head is gigantic and dissipates only very slowly -- it took me forever to fill the glass! Aroma of Belgian yeast, spices (nutmeg), fruit (cherries), and some funk (brettanomyces?). The barrel aging comes through immediately in the flavor with a big tartness and wood flavors. Other flavors soon emerge: fruit (citrus, cherries), spice, and malt tones. The finish is tangy but not puckeringly sour. Good stuff, but too pricey. (195, 354)

Bottle shared by pinball. Hazy reddish brown with a creamy off white head. Dry bretty aroma with lots of dark fruit and spices. The flavour is spices, brett, caramel, medicine, oak and slight vanilla. Creamy texture. Wow great.

Bottle from citywide. Pours a dark brown with ruby red highlights with a nice frothy tan head. leaves some tight lacework on the glass. Aroma is citrusy hops, lemonzest, a little funk, earth, and dust, and chocolate. like a chocolatey gueuze or something goofy like that. flavor is a weird tart, earthy, prune, spice, apricots, sherry, medicine, and cereal combo. Pretty neat and tasty beer. The earthy tart medicinal note was a little offputing as it warmed, which reminded me of new glarus old english portert. Anyways, this is worth trying. give it a shot.

pours a semi-clear very dark brown with a red tint, a large bubbly tan head, and some lacing. smell is of dark fruit, caramel, spice, a touch of cocoa, and a little malt in back. taste is tart, sour malt, some caramel, spice, and some cocoa, ends somewhat dry and tart.

cloudy brown, huge smooth light yellow head. aroma is clear citrussy, crispy, brett, sourish. flavor is sour, oak aged sour, brett, faint citrussy. delicious and well balanced.

Thnx Skortila. Orange colored brew. Aroma is yeasty, fruity and hoppy. Flavor is hoppy, a bit vinous, sourness, sour berries. Nice balanced and complex brew. Good x-mas beer.