Leelanau Good Harbor Golden

Leelanau Brewing Company
Brewed at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Bière de Garde
Lake Leelanau, Michigan USA

750ml bottle. pours hazy golden with big foamy white head. aroma is classic jolly pumpkin bretty funk and sourness. initially rather spritzy, lemon and orange, oak, with a spicy and acidic finish that mellows on the back of the throat. spritzy high carbonation. light body. this is right up there with the other JP brews.

Bottle from Maxbauer’s After Hours.
Pours a foggy yellow, like a lighthouse giving hope to seafarers from afar. Aroma is a blend of zesty lemon peel and lemon candy, with a touch of champagne (or is it sparkling wine). Flavor is a mouth-puckering blend of lemon, coriander, lemon, and lemon. Lively mouthfeel from a brew that simply won’t die on the tongue. A fantastic biere de garde; almost good enough to take my mind off my dog’s passing.

But there ain’t a beer in the world that can make me forget my Buster boy.

Bottle, shared at Cole’s. Gold, light chill haze. Thin white head. Nose is sweet tarts, lemon, honey, lavender, peach, brett. Flavor is light brett, lemon, a bit tart with wood, bretty cherry. Tartness grows as it warms. Finish is sweet tarts & brett, floral. Wonderful.

Bottle (750ml). Shared by rudolf with blankboy, biegaman and swoopjones. Thanks for the share, Rudy! Poured pale cloudy yellow with a small white head. Near-heavenly aroma of funky yeast, lemon, sour citrus up front with plenty of heavy fruit/sweet malt in behind (8+). The taste followed right on, but lighter than the aroma, sweeter, with honey more than balancing the lemon/citrus tartness, but still a long acidic finish. Sticky mouthfeel, nicely carbonated, plenty of tingling acidity in the aftertaste - ultimately a tad light, but a terrific drinkin’ sour.

Bottle with Rudolf, HogTownHarry, Blankboy & Biegaman. Thanks Rudolf for sharing. Aroma is full of barnyard funkiness & spiciness. Some lemony citrus also. {Pretty basic pale yellow color. Taste is funky, slightly sour & tartness. Taste was decent but didnt live up to the great aroma. Refreshing tasting & very easy drinking

750ml bottle. Aroma: Lemons, cherries, light funk and pepper, oak and vanilla. Really nice. Appearance: Pale gold in color and hazy. White head was full and frothy with good retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Some light graininess, lemon and green grapes, dusty funk, oak. Really nice tartness throughout. Tartness and dry finish make it refreshing. Palate: Medium-light bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: Really tasty and a pleasure to drink. This would be a great beer to quench the thirst after a hot day.

A great Biere de Garde. Not as sweet as most. Aroma of funk, lemon and sugar. Pour was a nice cloudy gold with a 2 finger white head. Taste was nice and dry. A tart beginning with some lemon and yeast in the aftertaste. Mouth dries after the swallow and leaves a nice saison like tartness. Great beer.

Totally tart, but not sour per se. Nothing acetic. Is this just lactic, or maybe just pedio? Whatever the case it is an unusual taste, a unique beer. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to sample this. Incredibly refreshing and tastes nothing like 7.5%; I would have thought 5%. Delicious! Beautiful color and slight head, thinnish body.