Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

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

(750 ml bottle via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=2 target=blank>OhioDad, thanks Scott!, cellared for 10 mos. after trade) Citrusy, tart...Pours cloudy orangey yellow with a couple inches of meringue-like soft white head. Foam oozes out of bottle after pour. Aroma is heavy yeast and citrus. Mouthfeel light and soft, yet somehow not quite as good as some of the other bottle-conditioned Belgians. Flavor is quite citrusy (lemon, orange peel) with yeasty funk, some gluey overtones. Tart and dare I say sourish. I didn’t get any pepper. A quality beer but I just wasn’t up for the taste.

Pours cloudy yellow/gold, with a medium white head. Aroma is yeast, lemon, and spices. Flavor is spices, yeast, lemon, and oranges. Not really sour, like the aroma leads you to think it might be. Carbonation is high. Nice. Thanks to dsnowden for this bottle.

A 750ml. bottle supplied by Retro42, pours a hazy golden brew with a thick white head. Aroma of spicy and yeasty character with hints of papaya. Taste is medium bodied, highly carbonated, mildly tart flavor with pepper spices, yeast and some citrus. Finish is sweet with some yeast aftertaste.

750 from Julio’s. Hazy golden in color with a nice large frothy off white head that lingers for a long time. Aroma is excellent- alot of funk (brett) tart citrus, lemon rind, pineapple, oak, spices, and musty basement. Taste is nice and dry, with lemon rind, light notes of orange and pineapple, a good amount of spices- pineapple, all intertwined nicely with brett funk. Finishes tart and dry. Carbonation is heavy but not overbearing. Excellent farmhouse ale.

Hazy yellow orange with dense white head. Aroma is spicy with a hint of pineapple. Taste is cidery with a musty band-aid (brett?) funk. Interesting, but not great. $7/750ml

750ml bottle from A-1 To-go. First off, this bottle is a gusher! Even after pouring much of the beer out, the fizz still creeps out of the bottle... Not a fan of that. Having said that, Light yellow, hazy but fairly clear body with an inch or so of white head. Smells citrusy, pithy, yeasty, and sweet. Citrusy, pithy, and slightly sour as far as flavor goes. As with other Jolly Pumpkins I’ve had, alcohol is not present in either the aroma or flavor. Lighter in body with a lot of carbonation. Pretty drinkable for the ABV and flavor combination. Pretty good, though not their best offering. Definitely the best biere de Garde i’ve had though.

nice hazy golden appearance. flavor is composed of hints of oak and fruit tied together by a little tartness. the beer doesn’t finish particularly well, leaving you hoping for a little more depth. overall a nice beer, but i was hoping for a little more

Hazy golden-yellow with a big gushing head. Aroma has lots of citrus, yeast, some sourness, plus a bit of spice. Flavor is a unique spicy-sour mix of citrus, yeast, and pleasant malts. Just enough sourness and hop bite to tie it all together. Very well done!