Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, MI
A brown ale inspired by the monastic brews of Belgium, as well as the jungles of the tropics. Brewed with real cacao, and spiced with cinnamon and sweet orange peel.
ABV: 7.5
ABW: 6
COLOR: 37
BITTERNESS: 25
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1062
AVAILABLE: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WV, WI, WY
Described as brown, it is more tarnished copper, like sun shining on a well worn penny. Head of minute bubbles leaves cloud-like designs on the glass as the beer disappears. The nose is yeasty, pleasantly acidic, more cider than beer like.There is an underlying barn yard character, like a well ripened cheese, which is exactly what we sampled it with.The round fruitiness, nicely balanced with tart, sour flavors married beautifully with soft ripened washed rind, “stinky” raw milk cheese.
Light amber, big apples and fruit aroma explode. Maybe it’s the Brettanomyces taking me to apples. Never mind. The Brett expresses as an overture woven into the fabric of this complex brew. Acidic flavors splash brightly onto the palate calming down to settle in for the savored duration of this philosophic brew. Another go and I’m taken to the forest—woodiness of a barrels emerge. The soft moss of the forest is damp and musty, this beer continues to grow in the liquid nourishment it defines itself. A fantastic thought of carpaccio or steak tartare swings through my mind—what if? A refined and very complex beer. One for the ages and one I’d have shared with Michael Jackson.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com. Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
