Leelanau Good Harbor Golden

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

In short: An extra-sharp semi-funky blonde ale. Very Good.
How: Bottle 750ml, about 5 months old
The look: Cloudy yellow body topped by a medium white head with medium retention
In long: Nose is medium funky, this is nowhere as wild as Leelanau White Whale. From the nose this is more like a farmhouse Saison than a funky/bretty Jolly Pumpkin/Leelanau beer. Taste is rather hard-hitting for such a low abv beer. Aggressive carbonation, sharp spicy bitter hops, crisp honeyed biscuits, pineapples, strong minerals sensation, some lemon, a little oily. That beer felt like a Sprite™ blended with a semi-funky ale. The beer is rather dry and tart. As it warmed up lemony meringue was becoming a dominant flavour. This is a very good beer but considering Leelanau/Jolly Pumpkin line-up I was expecting James Brown funkiness but I got something that was well executed, effective, straightforward, and as funky as AC/DC.

750ml bottle from west lakeview....golden hazy yellow brown pour with a thin white head... the nose comprised up of citrus and pineapple aroma with a light tartness... crisp, lively lemony citrus flavors with a tart dry finish. good carbonation and very drinkable to say the least. 8/4/7/4/14-15

750ml Bottle: Aroma of Brett yeast, tart fruit, slight funk, and lemon-lime citrus. Aroma tart enough to make my mouth water. Poured pale yellow/light gold/flaxen in color with no head. Cloudy. Very sparkling. Some medium-sized particles. Flavor is very tart. Tastes like a sour ale. Flavors of citrus, tart fruit, and hints of blueberry and bubblegum. Medium body. Tingly, effervescent texture. Lively carbonation. Tart, saliva-producing finish.

A hazy, yellowish-golden body is topped with a mountain of dense, craggy foam that sticks around for ages. Thick, foamy sheets and flares of lacing coat the glass very well. Abundant, effervescing bubbles constantly feed the foamy crown. The aroma shows a pilsner malt base, sweet and doughy, along with chardonnay grapes, lemongrass, orchard fruits, lavender, and heaps of bready yeast. The oak influence is soft, imparting more of a light woody scent than the typical vanilla notes. Similarly, the bretty funk is on the mild side. Flavors are very similar, vinous chardonnay, sweet bready malts, crisp lemongrass, and musty oak all showing through. Apples and grapes lend tartness, while flowers and herbs add perfumy, spicy depth. The mouthfeel is substantial and lightly fizzy, with a semi-dry, bretty finish that lingers. This might be the most herbal of all the Jolly Pumpkins, and the brett presence milder than most. Interesting brew. Quite nice.

(750ml bottle) Pours a hazy golden body with a medium white head. Aroma of mustiness, floral, grass, citrus, chardonnay grapes, butter, and apple. Flavor of chardonnay, grass, yeast, lemon, some funkiness, and light herbs with an oak finish.

Bottle. Pours a hazy, dark gold with a thin white head that lingers. Sour, sharp aroma, with malt and fruit. Taste is sweet and sour then finishes clean and a little watery, with yeast and malt, a hint of preserved lemons. Light lingering sourness. Tasty.

bottle at Beer Exposed, thanks to Phil_l. Lovely aroma, really lovely slightly lmeony lime and very tart orange. pretty awesome. Bit too much citrus acid in mouth, too tart, and lacks a bit.

bottle thanks to bu11zeye. murky yellow pour with a thin white head. slight sourness on the nose with some spices. very smooth on the palate with some sour notes and a very carbonated finish.