Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

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

bottle thanks to thirdeye11. deep chocolate brown with a cream head. nose is yeast, spices, wood and a slight tartness. nice on the palate with a semi tart dry flavor tagged with spices, wood and yeast.

On tap at Ann Arbor cafe. Dark brown, almost black color with thin, fine bubbly head. Dark toasted aroma with fruit and light spice. Flavor totally different from aroma. JP signature sourness with tartness of cherry or cranberry. Nice, tart finishing the cheeks with a light sweetness on the palate. Very nice!

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle. Blend 2, 2009. Pours dark brown with a large beige head. There is some sourness in the aroma. Some tart citrus and some caramel malt. The flavor has some tartness and a little bit of funk. Medium body and very drinkable.

750 mL bottle (Batch 342, whatever that means) from Knightly Spirits - Hiawassee Rd in Orlando, FL. Dark brownish pour with a thick foamy tan head. Aroma of bready yeast and citrus. The sourness hits you first but underneath there is cinnamon, clove, oak, and figs that really give this beer some great unexpected complexity. Too bad this only is released once a year, this is a great offering from Jolly Pumpkin.

Whew! I am in the minority here, but this stuff was aweful. I tried it, tried it again, and still did not like it. Way to much going on, spices, carbonation blah blah. The smell, taste, oh yuck.

Blend 2, 2009: Strong tall head, ruby brown body unfiltered, aroma is strong brett stank mild acid and a hint at where there once was a malt body, flavor is brett, bitter hop layers without hop flavor, citrus sour tart, mild acid, more sour than I had expected but by no means on the level of geuese, sharp bitters and edgy sours, pilsener malt flavors stand out as well, brett dominated strong ale, very very funky

Blend 3 2009. Pours a very dark mahogany color that is almost solid brown. Odd grayish top massive sized puffy head. Nose is strong oak, vanilla, and malt vinegar, yarn, and a weird outdoorsy smell. Taste is pepper corns, bitter nuts, balsamic vinegar, horse blanket, and some sort of wild cherry thing. Gusher. Mouthfeel is acidic and tart with a long mouth coating finish.

In the bottle from Beertopia. Explosive head that could not be contained by 3 goblets. Dark mahogany with a towering beige head. Intense freshly sawn oak boards to the aroma. Flavor is at first unpleasantly acidic, but then the grapefruit and cranberry emerges. The oak flavors become deliciously mellowing as you drink it. Remarkably quick finish to such a complex beer. Only a very mild tinge of sweet malt and I’d like to see a bit stronger thickness to the palate.