Noel De Calabaza - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

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BA SCORE
90
outstanding
-
646 Ratings

rAvg: 4.05
pDev: 11.6%
Reviews: 369
Hads: 277

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Brewed by:
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 9.00% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (342), on-tap (27).

Notes:
"Belgian Christmas Ale aged in oak barrels."

View: Beers (28) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Parrotshake:

Parrotshake

Australia

4.13/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a ruddy brown with a monster off-white head. Held up to the light, the reddish highlights look lovely.

Going in I knew nothing about this beer so the nose is quite a surprise. Herbal biere de garde type funk. Cherry and plum, burnt brown sugar, wood. Not at all what I was expecting, and mighty appealing.

The taste is similar. All the big Belgian notes of dark and dried fruit, raisins, Christmas spices, caramel. A bit of vanilla, lemon, sour cherry. A funky tang to it. Big, big flavors. A friend of mine brought this bottle back from the States and was saving it for a special occasion, yet when he finally got around to it declared that he didn't like it and drain poured most of his glass. Myself and the other guy he was nice enough to share it with sat on ours for ages and both really enjoyed it. It's that kind of beer. Works well in smaller doses, as a sipper or probably with food. Full-on, strange and... pretty great.

Medium bodied, fairly high carbonation. Lighter than an other 9% Belgian Dark Ale I can think of, but not exactly easy to drink - really gives your palate the business. Drinkability is more like a 3.75. I'd definitely have it again if the opportunity presented, this time maybe not as a nightcap at the end of a fairly long tasting.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 04:01:04 | More by Parrotshake

More User Reviews:

SpongeRuiner

Michigan

4/5 rDev -1.2%

06-15-2013 02:26:50 | More by SpongeRuiner

bmoney

Ohio

3.5/5 rDev -13.6%

06-15-2013 01:27:17 | More by bmoney

vermilcj

Ohio

4.5/5 rDev +11.1%

06-15-2013 00:54:59 | More by vermilcj

doremite

Massachusetts

4.25/5 rDev +4.9%

06-13-2013 21:29:23 | More by doremite

dbossman

Nebraska

4.09/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Mahogany hue with a steady, thin cream-colored head; decent lacing

S: Dark fruits and spices with lingering oak notes; lots of musty, woody dark fruits: cherries and raisins but also bananas and apples

T: Slightly tart, especially on the finish; roasty bready malts; this is extremely balanced and so delicious especially as it warms because the fruits and spices--cherries and apples, especially--become more pronounced

F: Creamy, medium body--a touch thin on the finish

A: A really pleasant oaky, fruity, spicy, slightly tart beer--nice

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 18:11:14 | More by dbossman

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4.75/5 rDev +17.3%

06-12-2013 01:49:55 | More by randylangford

bmwats

Louisiana

4.13/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into s snifter.

A: Medium dark brown. Pours a 2 finger, foamy, brown-white head. Disintegrates slowly, but far from completely. A giant foam blanket remains for the duration. Thick blanket lacing.

S: Pungent malt, orange zest, a little nutmeg, and coriander.

T: Syrupy malt, with some fermented raspberry, and a little orange citrus.

M: Thick and syrupy. Slightly sweet and a little bitter in the front, pungent and dry in the finish.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is really good here. Great head, and some great lacing. Nose is malty, fruity, and spicy. Very complex and well-balanced. Syrupy malt, with some fermented fruit, and some triple sec. Overall, this is a great quaff.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 05:51:33 | More by bmwats