Madrugada Obscura, Dark Dawn Stout - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Tone

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a black color. 1/4 inch head of a tan color. Decent retention and decent lacing. Smells of sweet malt, hops, hint of alcohol, and strong spice. Fits the style of an American Double / Imperial Stout. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of strong sourness, slight roasted malt, sweet malt, and a hint of hop. Overall, the body of this beer is the best attribute. The sourness dominates, but still blends well with the roasted malt and slight hop. I can't wait to try this in bottle to compare.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2012 16:46:52 | More by Tone

rootbeerman

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch #995 Bottled on 2-14-2012

A: pours dark black with a finger and a half thick two tones of brown head. Head color was lighter brown on top and darker brown through the glass. Falls to a thin halo.

S: almost a sour chocolate, coffee and dark malt. The sourness seems to lend out to anise aromas as well.

T: stout upfront, dry and sour in the back. Chocolate, anise, and a hint of coffee. Dry finish is oddly pleasing, as most stouts are very sweet and coating.

M: to restate, dry aftertaste, medium to light carbonation.
O: only the second time trying this. I really like the sour stout idea. I've had this on tap as well, over a year ago.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 01:48:46 | More by rootbeerman

david18

New York

3.4/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a small glass of this at the Public House on a recent visit to Las Vegas.

Appearance was a very dark color, but pretty clean looking with a non frothy head, like champaign.

Aroma had both a roast and fruit sour elements as well as the flavor, which was surprisingly easy to drink considering the complexity.

Good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2012 19:42:49 | More by david18

andrewrockwell

Washington

4.48/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap in a snifter. Fantastic. Multiple stages to the taste. At first almost raspberry, fruity, then rather hoppy and sharp, with a dark, clean finish. A nice fruity noise, nice dark complexion. My first Jolly Pumpkin beer, though much anticipated, and very much enjoyed.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2012 03:27:18 | More by andrewrockwell

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap at Avenie Pub in NOLA. Ppoured into oversized snifter; black amber with no head. It looks thin. Smells of sour dried fruity roastedness. Taste is very very unique...deff sour up front but mixed with roasted malts/coffee/ and a bit of dried fruit or nuts??
Easy drinker for a sour style brew and for the abv. Overall a really good brew and a very drinkble sour style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 23:00:10 | More by DrinkSlurm

BeardedBoffin

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This sour beast is an enigma. The dark color and distinct tan head indicate that you are about to imbibe a stout. One whiff of the aroma you something else. The sourness is present in the aroma but it nicely complements the chocolate notes. The flavor confuses your tastebuds with sourness and hearty stout mixed into one. Confused or not, the combination is delightful.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 23:30:57 | More by BeardedBoffin

Naugros

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Stout-colored. Tan head...well, not so much of a head as a ring.

One whiff and you know you're not dealing with just your run-of-the-mill stout, despite how much it looks like one. There's some sourness in the nose that seems to be working with the bitterness inherent to a stout, without clashing, as I thought it might.

The taste doesn't quite follow. The best way to describe this is to imagine a cherry cola and turn it into a beer...with a splash of sour mix and some roasted elements. That doesn't really do it justice though. It's got a nice roasted flavor to it with some dark fruit (in the form of black cherry) coming through. There's a sour tang that doesn't marry as well in the taste as it did in the nose, but it still works pretty well.

Far too thin for a stout for my liking and really effervescent, hence my comparison to a cola. The yeast did its job in the second fermentation, but it's too much. Maybe it was this keg that did that, since second fermentation is hard to keep consistent, so I'll see if I can locate it in the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2012 01:45:02 | More by Naugros

stakem

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft offering at the Boiler Maker. The brew appears a color similar to chocolate milk but a bit darker. It has a clouded haze with very thin cap. A hearty swirl doesn't produce much visual carbonation.

The aroma is tangy with a dark fruity scent like sour cherries. Chocolate and coffee essence is present from the roast of the grain. Across the back is a hint of leather and earth. A tangy alcohol inclusion also makes itself known.

The taste is sour like cherries with some earthen flavors a bit like leathet, chocolate and tobacco. There is some woodsy quality present adding some depth to the brew. The barrel character comes out more as really evolves as the brew gets warmer. Overall this is quite tangy.

This is a medium bodied brew with a low level of carbonation. For 9% this was fairly easy drinking and something I would have again. Worth a try if you get the chance...like all JP offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2012 19:12:02 | More by stakem

maximep

New York

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

great beer from the masters at JP.

however, DEFINITELY for the drinkers out there more inclined to the sours.

as the BA community says, this one's a real sipper if you're not really stoked about sours. i'm an anomaly in the sour community as i enjoy drinking multiple pints of sours, so this review is highly subjective.

let me say as well, i'm not much of a fan of boozy brew, more into the sessionable stuffs but this one really hit the spot. it reminded me of a gueuze or lambic in the sense that such a wide range of flavors was achieved in a short space of time, which was greatly helped and enhanced by the sourness of the yeast. additionally similar to the gueuze and lambic cause the sourness counteracts the sweetness of the malt. it's a pleasantly sweet beer that starts sour, turns sweet, malty, caramel, raisin flavor and ends on a toasty sour note.

mouthfeel was not good, but i tend to feel JP's mouthfeel is not too great... just a bit thin for me, but that's the name of the game with wild yeasts, it's real tough to balance. this one's worth seeking out if you like the sours.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2012 05:33:18 | More by maximep

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A sipper,but a good one. Wild yeast aroma and a tad of sour. A stout, a wild, a sour. Very brown to black coloured body and lacey. The sour, or should I better call it tartness, makes it so drinkable.The sourness does build up, so share this with another sour fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 22:55:19 | More by northyorksammy

robboyd

Indiana

2.8/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Popped a 2010 vintage and poured into a snifter, then a pint, then another pint to stop it from spewing foam all over my kitchen. This beer was a gusher even after resting peacefully for a day after bringing home from the vintage cellar of a local store. I honestly have never seen anything like it so my first impression left something to be desired. It didn't get much better from there. The smell is interesting enough although it doesn't much remind me of any stout I've had to date. There is sour fruit to it, a bit of barnyard, some licorice, a bit of malt.

The taste is in your face with the sour fruit but unfortunately the fruit itself is indistinguishable. There is a touch of malt, some bitterness, and a fairly dry finish.

It's surprisingly light bodied for how dark it pours. As I mentioned before, this bottle was spewing foam for what seemed like several minutes. Based on that initial reaction, I thought it would have a highly carbonated mouth feel, of which it did.

Overall, I can't say I'm impressed although I will say that this just isn't my thing and would show promise if I was more into belgium styles.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:19:21 | More by robboyd

drtth

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a large snifter glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As poured the beer is a dark brown, almost black, with a 1 ½” brown head made up of bubbles of a variety of sizes. The head recedes slowly leaving some bits of lacing. Sipping leaves speckles and small legs of lacing that slowly slide back to the liquid. The ring around the glass is fairly thick and the surface has an irregular thin covering for much of the beer.

Smell: The aroma is an interesting mix of Belgian yeast and stout. There are traces of fruity mustiness and of chocolate and roasted malt.

Taste: The flavors are quite interesting, with some traces of fruitiness, chocolate, roasted malt, a touch of sweetness. There is only a bit of alcohol showing with no burn but a passing bit of sweetness before things turn dry.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is medium bodied and the gentle, persistent carbonation gives it a nice ability to lift the fats from a Gorgonzola cheese from the tongue. The finish is relatively long, beginning in the sweetness of the malts and then changing into the fruitness (cherry and maybe a touch of apple) that changes into dryness and a mix of sweetness, slight tartness, and dryness, mostly in the back and roof of the mouth.

Drinkability and Overall Impression: So far in my experience this is a unique interpretation of what a Belgian Stout is like with an interesting mix of fruitiness and roasted malt. While there are Belgian stouts I’ve enjoyed more I find this is the most interesting in the sense of a range of flavors and complexity as the flavors mingle and dance around on the tongue. I’ll probably have this one again. But that said it won’t be a regular and its more than I’m curious to keep trying to sort out the flavors and aromas. I have the feeling that this is a beer one could grow to love.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 02:00:49 | More by drtth

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 360/362 no date.

A- Pitch black pour with a two finger dense, creamy tan head. Lacing is wonderful.

S- Definite sour (flanders style) cherries, grapes, cranberries and I get a wonderful grapefruit aroma. There is the slightest roast smell that takes a far back seat to the sour wonderland.

T- Cherries, coffee, cranberries and dark chocolate. There really is not other way to describe it. It's sour and roasty.

M- Medium bodied, great carbonation, lingering finish.

O- I got my first bottle of this this summer and enjoyed it so much I decided to savor it and not review. I liked it so much I needed another. This is a odd/different sensation that I can see not everyone would appreciate. I just can't get enough.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 00:04:07 | More by korguy123

Gushue3

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Blend 11: Bottled o 2-17-11. Poured into ill Farmstead bulb.

A Pours very dark brown and black that can be sen through. The head i a nice 1+ finger with a light brown head. Nice retention and leaves little lacing.

S Some sweeter cherry on the nose along with a tart acidity.

T Acidic cherries jump out at me on the first sip. A light roast and subtle chocolate come out toward the end but the acidic cherries are the main character here. As it warms tartness comes out.

M On the lighter side of a medium mouthfeel with a lot of carbonation.

O Taste is pretty interesting and definitely a nice take on a stout

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 02:36:46 | More by Gushue3

denver10

Colorado

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown/black with a small head that did not stick around for long. Smells a tart and a little roasty. A bit acidic in the flavor and you get the sour cherries on top of a roasty, and burnt chocalatey stout. Kinda thin in mouthfeel but it worked. Overall, I liked this one a lot. Enjoyed the sour this one achieved, the stout was a nice interesting backbone but I personally prefer a brown ale base.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 22:06:53 | More by denver10

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Thorpe,

Beer served in a snifter, beer is dark brown hazy, tan head, small bubbles, minimal lacing, low retention, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is a little acetic, cherries, tart, lactic, nice.

Beer is medium to light in body, woody, cherries, some Brett character, a little lactic and a little acetic brightness. I like this beer, tastes good, nice finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 20:00:06 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle picked up at Connecticut Ave in DC.

Blend 6 -- Bottled February 2, 2011. Served in a Jolly Pumpkin tulip.

Pours a very dark brown with a good tan head and a bit of lacing on the sides of the glass as it goes down. Bubbles and a collar around the edges throughout. The nose brings a bit of roasted malt and chocolate, then comes through with mild acidity, a bit of cherry, and some dark fruits.

The flavor pushes the acidity through a bit more, focusing on the cherry with some dark malt in the background. Very slight roast. Light-medium body with good carbonation, a touch of oak, and dry acidity through the finish. Another very high-quality brew from Jolly Pumpkin.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 01:43:38 | More by Thorpe429

kojevergas

California

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into an EKU 28 snifter in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live.

A: Pours a one finger head of nice tan colour, great cream, good thickness, and pretty good retention for the ABV. Colour is a nontransparent solid black.

Sm: Bretts and funkiness. Some fruit ester hops. Not at all what I expected from the style. I'm intrigued. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Funky yeast with fruit esters. Very different for an imperial stout, but still good. Not complex, but enjoyable. There's sort of some layering going on. Some wild yeasty sourness.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Not too thick or too thin. Complements the flavour pretty well.

Dr: Very drinkable for the ABV, and unique for the style. I like it, but I find myself wondering why they chose this style for the base. I'd get it again at a good price.

B-

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 06:38:26 | More by kojevergas

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

105th Review
Bottle to snifter

From notes. Thanks to Mark, Garry, and Steve for the hospitality while visiting HopCat in October 2011!

A: Dark tan; looks like burnt leather. Barely a half (off-brown) fingernail head on medium pour.

S: Sour funk (i.e. Brett) here - mainly dark cherries and plum. Hints of burnt dark malt and oak with sweet dark chocolate. I keep smelling it more and more because I am so interested.

T: Wow - amazingly different! Lactic sourness up-front followed by smooth balance of roasted malt and burnt chocolate (both in a very, very good way). So unique and tasty.

M: Light body and gentle carbonation.

O: A throughly enjoyable beer for sure! So complex and unique that it makes you want more. I love how different it is and that's what kept drawing me back for more smells, sips, and enjoyment until the bottle was gone.

Not sure the vintage on this, but I'd guess it was a few years old becuase it was so well-blended, complex, and smooth. Just my $0.02 here though.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 15:56:59 | More by spdyfire83

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

ST: 750ml poured into a snifter. Blend number ten: bottled 2-16-11. Bottle lists the ABV.

A: Dark and black with a thin brown head.

S: Roasted malt, coffee, earth, sour fruit.

T: Sour fruit, coffee, smoke, earth, and roasted malt.

M: Medium and dry

O: I have not had a beer by Jolly Pumpkin that I did not like; that streak continues. This beer has nice roasted malt, smoke and coffee, but it also has interesting sour fruit which matches the bitterness of slight hops and coffee bean. The beer is a little light though; it could be heavier.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 00:24:54 | More by ianjsullivan

warnerry

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Blend 2; Bottle 1/5/11

A - Pours deep brown/black with three fingers of brown head. By far the darkest beer I've seen from JP. Head has great retention and leaves quite a bit of lacing.

S - Tart and funky up front, with some green apple and tart cherry. Then the stout elements become apparent, with roasted malt, bitter chocolate and a bit of milk chocolate. Nice.

T - At first it tastes like a lot of other JP beers, with a funky sourness, including some apple. But midway through, the chocolate and roasted malts really identify this as a stout. There is some sourness throughout, but it mostly hits up front. The finish is roasty and somewhat dry like bitter chocolate. I think this works well.

M - Medium mouthfeel that feels lighter initially and a bit heavier on the finish. Finish is several types of dry: a bit earthy/funky, a bit roasty, and a bit bitter.

O - Definitely an interesting brew from Jolly Pumpkin. I think it works well and is pretty tasty, but it doesn't make me eager to have more sour stouts, either.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 04:07:36 | More by warnerry

Mxzorin

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The label art is what first caught my eye when I saw this slightly dusty bottle tucked away on the top shelf of my local store. Since the majority of the customers around me were carrying cases of Corona or anything that says BUD on it, I understand why this was overlooked.
Honestly, I'm pretty new to learning about craft beers, micro brews, etc., so what I have to say about this comes with limited knowledge.
I tend to enjoy stouts so of course this intrigued me based on presentation. Now, to me it only makes sense that if you're going to try a new beer, that maybe you should investigate what type it is before purchasing. Especially at a cost of $10-$15 a bottle!
The majority of negative reviews were unhappy because they were surprised that this beer starts off sour, then finishes as a stout. From what I understand Jolly Pumpkin's has a reputation for often doing sours. Also there are PLENTY of sites I found that clearly state that this is a "sour stout," and it's quite different that what you may expect.
My point is that most of these dummies, "beer snobs," etc. who gave this brew a poor grade aren't saying it taste good or bad, but more stating that they didn't like it because they didn't get what they were expecting!
This beer is not for most, in fact probably only a select crowd with specific tastes. But giving it a failing score because you didn't bother to research a very specific artisan beer doesn't make it bad, it just means that you're lazy.
I personally thought it was quite good. Very dark, thick head. Pours near black! Starts out very sour ,but not undrinkable. Finishes like a strong stout. Coffee, chocolate, bitter, all the good stuff! Quite thick, and the taste lingers for a while. To me it is very much a sipping beer.
If nothing else, this is worth a try once because it's so unique. Everything from the bottle art, to taste and appearance were different than anything I've ever tried.
So be cool and check out something different, with an open mind!

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 03:09:55 | More by Mxzorin

scoots511

California

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served out of a 22 oz bottle, oak barrel aged, blend #10 bottled 2-16-2011

A: Pours a nice stout head with dark browns intermingling with the bubbles. It settles out to a tan head.

S: Smells of Jolly Pumpkins sour/wild yeast, oak, and a touch of smoke. The smoke may come from the oak barrel or they may have used smoked grains. Its a little harder to pick out the other stout smells due to the wild yeast nose on this one.

T: Lots of flavors going on with this one. It really changes from the first taste on the tongue to after it is swallowed. Tastes of tart cherries from the sour yeast with some chocolate and some tannin flavors from the oak barrel. The smoke is in there very slightly. Doesn't taste like there is much residual sugars left that would make it sweet tasting nice balance into the dry side a bit, likely from using the wild yeast strains.

M: decently carbonated, active bubbling in the mouth especially felt on the front of the tongue.

O: My first taste of a wild yeast stout. I enjoy Jolly Pumpkin for pushing the limits of the definition of beer and doing it with grace. This one is a enjoyable, interesting (due to the depth of flavors), and fun beer to drink. Give this one a try if you're feeling adventourous and wanting to try a sour styled stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 04:30:14 | More by scoots511

Verecund

North Carolina

1.7/5  rDev -56.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Blend 4 (Jan. 2011). Opened on November 11, 2011.

Huge gusher here. Poured as quickly as I could into my glass - managed to get 3-4 ounces in before the head brimmed over the lip. I poured more into a second glass. And guess what? The beer still managed to slow gush out of the bottle, even as only 4-6 ounces remained in it.

The beer itself has a massive lightly-tanned head. Dark, dark purple.

Oak, leather, licorice, and sour cherries on the nose. A tiny bit of chocolate, but this one has a fairly "spoiled" lactic acid plus funk nose.

Immediately tart, with some sweet and tart cherry. A good bit of roasted, bitter malts hit the mid-palate. Not a pleasant transition on the palate - to boot, I don't even like the opening note - with a woody/oaky finish. Some lactic acidity; lots of vinegar/acetic acid. Weird, spoiled fruit with the bitter and sweet chocolate just doesn't work.

Medium full with high carbonation.

I normally like JP, and I knew the style coming in, but this just doesn't do it for me: overcarbonated, too bitter, major sour milk component, disjointed. I drainpoured what the drain hadn't already claimed. I'm guessing this is better "fresh."

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 01:42:14 | More by Verecund

lokiikol

Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft

Color: opaque, deep brown/black.

Head: thick, medium brown, heavy lacing and slow dissipation.

Aroma: briny and roasted flavors, with some fruit and bitter undertones.

Mouthfeel: medium body with some carbonation, fairly creamy but light.

Taste: intense sour flavor up front, giving way to strong roasted flavors and hints of red fruit. Although the wild-yeast (sour) flavor permeates the flavor throughout, and finish is definitely more of a stout quality, with coffee and dark notes outlasting the pucker for a long finish.

Overall: I would not have thought a Belgian-imperial-sour stout could have been pulled off at all, let alone as well as the Magrugada Obscura. Jolly Pumpkin has a created a very unique and distinctive brew here, well worth having once and many times afterwards (if you can find it).

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2011 21:00:31 | More by lokiikol