Leelanau Good Harbor Golden

A softer pour produces an almost three-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a light honey / gold color that shows a hazy, straw-gold color when held up to the light. The head leaves a layered lacing pattern on the sides of my glass as I work my way through this beer. The aroma has a bright, grassy grain character to it, a certain soft mustiness and even a hint of something like barnyard funk (though only the beginning stages of this last). Fruit aromatics of pear and tart, slightly under-ripe plum also play a significant role as does some floral and herbal aromatics that add a nice edge to the nose. This has quite a complex nose to it that makes this quite interesting and quite enjoyable to smell.

Still well carbonated, despite losing a quarter of its contents en route to me (which really means it must have started out excessively carbonated). The carbonation provides a nice textural component as well as accenting a peppery note that adds to the overall spiciness of this brew. This is quite spicy too with fermentation derived notes of ginger, white pepper and higher alcohols which all combine to give this brew a sort of piquancy. This has a nice, light tartness to it, but not much in the way of sweetness; the tartness accentuates fruit flavors of pear, melon and a certain character that makes me thing of some floral honey varietal. The higher alcohols provide a touch of heat to the finish at times, almost a bit like a spicy ginger or horse-radish would. This is highly quaffable and in fact drinks lighter than your typical 7.5% abv beer would.

This is a very enjoyable brew, I wouldn’t really characterize it as a Bier de Garde, but many of Jolly Pumpkin’s style designations are by inspiration only anyway. Still this is quite a tasty brew, one which I am happily quaffing. This doesn’t seem to have anything beyond a normal Belgian yeast strain funkiness to it (despite the notes in the nose), though it is certainly a characterful strain at the very least.

Bottle (750ml) shared with HogTownHarry, biegaman, rudolf & swoopjones -- courtesy of rudolf. Pours a cloudy pale yellow with an average size diminishing white head. Aroma: Oh yeah! Funky, citrusy and spicy! Awesome. Flavour’s funky, tart and spicy along with some bready malt, wood, sweetness and a slightly odd, long acidic finish. Average to medium bodied. Very good stuff.

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.