E. S. Bam - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

rapidsequence

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle. $12 from Bruisin Ales.

Appearance: The body of the beer is a somewhat hazy dark orange color. The head and lacing are second to none. The thickest, creamiest, rockiest head with furry lacing all over my La Chouffe tulip.

Smell: Its got a nice tartness and barnyard funkiness with wet hay and stable aromas. Lemon and grass. Spicy yeast phenolics aren't like cloves, but almost like bandaid without seeming off. A little sweet apple and pear and a whiff of underlying pale malt.

Taste: Hops come through much more in the flavor. Grassy, spicy, and bitter. Much less funk in the flavor, but it goes well with the hops, as does the tart lemon flavor. Nice crisp, dry finish.

Mouthfeel: The beer is highly carbonated, but still soft rather than sharp. I love the dryness from high attentuation and how the carbonation and bitterness accentuate it.

Overall: This is close to being really great. I love the idea of a hoppy saison, but this one has too much bitterness, and not enough good hops flavor. The bitterness covers up the funk and tart. Good, and different, but needs a tweak.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 00:35:57 | More by rapidsequence

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is hazy yellowish amber in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are moderate earthy aromas of spices and yeast in the nose along with some notes of sourness. The sour aromas become stronger as the beer warms up.
T: Like the smell, the initial taste is quite spicy; however the sourness is stronger and persists into the finish. Notes of the underlying grainy malts are also detectable.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a bit dry on the palate with a high amount of carbonation.
O: The spiciness and dryness make the beer feel rather refreshing and the sourness adds a unique twist. Drinking a full bottle of this was a breeze.

Note: Batch 763, Bottled March 30, 2011

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 00:56:00 | More by metter98

ehammond1

California

2.8/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

A hazy auburn. Bubbling white head. Nice lacing.

Incredibly tart and tangy. Spicy and biting yeast. Really nice...

...though the flavor seems off. It's way too bitter, and not in a pleasant way. It hides everything else in the beer, and I'm sure there's a lot of wonderful funk, but it's all hidden by this murky, muddy one-note, unpleasant bitterness.

Medium bodied. Highly carbonated.

Perhaps a good beer somewhere hidden behind an unpleasant, murky, dirty tasting bitterness. An unfortunate miss.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2011 02:16:42 | More by ehammond1

Bendurgin

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Andy shared this one with me. Full looking honey amber colored body with a big creamy beige head. Nice retenion here. It's been sitting in the glass for a while now and I've still got a solid cap. Really nice soapy lace.

Lots of grassy hops right up front on this one. A little bit of lemon grass; certainly a bit tart in the aroma. A little bit of white pepper in the flavor but still a good amount of lemongrass and grassy hops in this.

A bit dry on the feel. Very crisp and light bodied here. But to reidderate, a little dry on the finish and a little sour. Cool beer here. I like this one is interesting to try; as are most Jolly Pumpkin beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 04:07:37 | More by Bendurgin

andrewinski1

Maine

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip. Nice light amber color with a touch of haze. The head is about 2 inches and leaves a lot of sticky lacing.

The aroma is slightly sweet and malty with a heavy dose of lemongrass from the extra hops and the signature Jolly Pumpkin Yeast.

The taste is full of nice peppery hoppy zestyness. The funky yeast flavor is very subdued relative to other Jolly Pumpkin beers.

This is light and crisp. This is quite refreshing on this warm summer night.

I like this one. The hops are noticeable and well integrated. Drink fresh.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 04:01:23 | More by andrewinski1

womencantsail

California

3.33/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Provisions

A: The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a big off-white head.

S: A mild to moderate tartness with notes of apples and lemon peel. A mild spice to the beer with a nice breadiness and sweetness. Some earthy and floral notes with just a little bit of oak character.

T: Unfortunately, the flavor is far too bitter. The bitterness and very high carbonation drown out the other flavors. Negligible tartness, which just isn't right for a Jolly Pumpkin beer. Floral and earthy tones as well as some light grass and oak.

M: Medium in body with a lot of carbonation.

O: This was a rare miss by Jolly Pumpkin to me. I don't think I'll bother with this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2011 19:42:15 | More by womencantsail

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark hazy orange body with a super sticky and rocky white head.

Slightly tart cherry note and some musty funk show off the Brett in the aroma. Spicy and a bit lemony as well.

Moving onto taste, this one take sa definite departure from the norm with a wide array flavors from all aspects of the beer. Hops provide some citrusy lemon notes white the yeast provides peppery spice and musty/earthy funk. Pale malts provide some biscuity background notes. Finishes with a slightly tart and sour note that was a bit unexpected for the style.

Mouthfeel is crisp with a rather lively carbonation. Overall, a tasty and rather unique saison. Brett character plays a much stronger role in this beer than most saisons but not enough for me to confuse this with a sour/wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 22:39:38 | More by Kinsman

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Batch 373 - 3-17-11

Pours 1/2 finger of white head. Good retention with some lace rings. Color is a hazed autumn gold.

Aroma: Floral, herbal, and grassy. Fairly malty. Bready.

Taste: Very bready. More malts show here. Floral as well with a lot of grassy hops. Some light spices mixed in. A touch of oak as well.

Mouthfeel: Fairly bitter. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends kind of sticky.

Overall, a decent beer, but a bit to floral and bitter. Decent drinking. Doesn't really fit the saison category too well, but it's fine.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 13:22:44 | More by mothman

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A further interesting JP. Cherry smell. Good significant sourness in the taste. The smell is hay and garass. Citrus and pine. Dark brown coloured body and bresh. The famyard is in the finish.Thanks ken for sharing. Good drinkability, slight acididty but only to those novices in alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 21:11:54 | More by northyorksammy

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is one of the best looking pours I"ve seen. Used my Chimay glass and the head is what wowed me. Off-brown/tan, creamy, rocky, great lacing. Yum!

For a saison the aroma misses the mark, but still not bad. It's more of a sour than spice blend. Not that I mind, but when I was craving a saison, this isn't what was expected.

Not nearly as complex and delicious as Bam (but of course, not many are). I think this beer is predominately yeast, water and hops. Malt is gone after a very brief appearance by some biscuit. Some spice surfaces and is beat down by sour, same with some earthy and citrus hops.

Not a bad beer at all and quite drinkable. Misses on the style marked here

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 07:47:38 | More by Mebuzzard

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Drank at Craft last Thursday. Pours a mixture of dark yellow and light amber with ample frothy head. Good zesty hop presence, not dry hopped ipa like, but hoppy nonetheless. Floral and mildly citrus.

Taste, hops didn't come through as much, bitterness definitely did, carbonation was up on this one. Very dry. Didn't come across anything I would call anything beyond very mildly funky or sour from this, at this point I was realizing I was having a very different beer from Jolly Pumpkin, but closer to par for everyone else. Didn't pick up really any brett from the beer. Was more like one of those imperial pilsners if anything.

At $9 a bottle, its not worth it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 23:00:40 | More by Beerandraiderfan

THECPJ

Delaware

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

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: dark reddish brown with a 1 finger head

smell: farmhouse, malts, hay, dark fruits,

taste: hay, malts, farmhouse, dark fruits,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body,

overall: a nice crisp refreshing saison. I'll definitely have this one again.

cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2011 17:28:38 | More by THECPJ

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a lightly hazed burnt orangy/amber color with soft dense slightly off-white head. Scent is quite sweet, light fruity tartness, very earthy with grassy and piney notes, all backed by a solid barnyard funkyness. One of the bolder flavored farmhouse ales - full clea, lightly sweet malt profile, solid earthy hop profile, light fruityness - im getting notes of everything from orange to cherry. The funk on this is much bolder then others in the style and gives good charachter to the beer. Medium bodied, dry finnish. Overall a bold and well executed farmhouse ale.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2011 14:41:54 | More by rfgetz

dlmccabe1

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on draft from a Chimay tulip.

Appearance is a nice light amber color with some cloudiness. Pours with a decent head but it dissipated rather quickly. I really like the aromas here with a nice barnyard-y funk to it. Hints of hay earth, not a lot of fruitiness in my opinion.

Those aromas follow through on the palate. It finishes nice and dry with more bitterness than a typical saison, which I suppose is what this beer is trying to do. The brett comes through strongly on the finish and lingers. Nice use of it here.

Medium body coats the mouth and lingers. Overall this is an interesting beer. I like the dryness and the bitterness from the hops, but the brett characteristics overwhelm the finish slightly, which dropped it down a bit for me. Very interesting and worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 00:51:19 | More by dlmccabe1

FosterJM

California

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

496th review on BA
Bottle to Oversize Wine Glass
750 ML, Capped

App- A medium yellow with some orange highlights. Huge lacing all over the glass. A nice giant 2 finger head as well.

Smell- A very unique yeasty, peppery, saison with a little bit of hop bitter as well.

Taste- This was very tasty and unique, the balance of almost 3 to 4 flavors was very well done. The yeasty and the pepper worked well with the softness.

Mouth- A very light bodied with a high carbonation and a peppery, funky after taste.

Drink- This was good. It's along the lines of being with a Fantome for making me say, damn this is different and very tasty. Next year, ill grab another one of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 02:05:15 | More by FosterJM

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into Duvel tulip at about 45 degrees.

Pours with a large, rocky, off-white head over a deep (nearly opaque) amber body with a ton of carbonation flowing up the sides.

Aromas are very inviting - sweet for the style, with a nice load of fresh, zesty and piney hops.

Very dry on the palate ... almost sucks the life out of the aromas. Flavor is about what you'd expect from a 5% Saison - Light, earthy bitterness. Lots of green, leafy quality. Touch of citric sweetness. Mouthfeel remains tight and dry throughout.

Overall, not my favorite saison, but a nice interpretation nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 01:46:06 | More by BeerImmediately

bamadog

Kentucky

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

Glad this one is finally back on shelves, especially as it completes the "Bam" series for me... at least the ones that are readily available upon release. Review is from notes taken on 5/15/2011 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pour is a dark, murky cider-like color and it starts with a big 2 and 1/2 finger off-white head that becomes very rocky as it slowly dwindles; body is cloudy, but it still shows very strong and fast carbonation bubbling up throughout; head eventually rests as a huge, fluffy and thick cap with big marshmallowy patches; large swaths of lacing are left behind on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Mmmm... smells super good -- the hops come through nicely and they have a bit of a citric zest to them, reminiscent of orange rind and lemon peel; the standard JP tartness/funk follows the hops and has that unique, saccharine sweetness to it (I'm always reminded of Smarties); slight bit of peppery spiciness to it.

Taste: Bitter and citric hops lead the way, and there's a bit of a grassiness to them as well; the JP funky/musty tartness is definitely there, and it has a real earthiness to it; the peppery spiciness is fairly subdued, but it's got a mild presence in the beer and it melds well with a sweet and grainy malt bill underneath the two dominant flavors. Flavors aren't as big and bold as other offerings from JP, but still good. Bit of lactic and acidic aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Body is light in terms of weight, and fairly drying; there is a cottony dry film left on the roof of the mouth; the gums are left very tingly from the potent carbonation, but it manages to resist being overly sharp.

Overall: A highly drinkable beer, the hopping is a great addition and I'm reminded just a little bit of La Terroir by this one (although I don't believe E.S. Bam is quite as good as the NB offering). The low ABV certainly helps this one out, as it would be very refreshing in the hot summer months with the bitter and tartness; I could easily see this one getting quaffed quite quickly (check out that alliteration!).

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 01:17:28 | More by bamadog

sweemzander

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap pour at Barley House into a snifter.

(A)- Pours a caramel colored amber. Produced a nice cap of off-white foam. Good retention behind it too. Lots of lace left behind.

(S)- Wow, a big dry earthy floral; almost citrus-like aroma blast up front. Hints at a Brett funk in the far background.

(T)- Similar to the smell. A big dry earthy Brett funk up front with a subtle caramel-like sweetness.

(M)- Very funky, dry, and bitter. At the same time its actually almost a bit thin feeling; it totally drops off the palate.

(D)- An alright Saison. A bit one dimensional; heavy on the dry earthy Brett profile with little else going on.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2011 15:00:46 | More by sweemzander

jale

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap at the brewery.

A: Pours acloudy light amber with a finger of off white head.

S: Yep you can tell this is a J.P. beer. Nice funkiness and citrus hops.

T: Light malt, lemon, citrus hops and a hing of horse blanket. Nice balance of hops and light tartness.

M: Light body with good carbonation.

O: Nice beer for the season. Would drink another.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2011 12:17:33 | More by jale

wschmit

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Batch 754, bottled 3-18-2011, into a Duvel tulip. Enough time for some bottle conditioning, but not a foamer at all, as occasionally happens with these guys. Anyways...

A: A sloppy pour yield a large, vaguely golden, fine head that sticks a-plenty as it recedes. It tops a deep, copper body with just a touch of haze (so far, i'm sure some yeasties will appear later). Very pretty.

S: A soft, warming hop glow emanates, mingling with a citric funk usual to JP. There's a bit of mustiness in the end, too, once the other scents fade in my nose. It reminds me quite a bit of Orval, one of which I have handy to follow this up with.

T: It has, mercifully, a great deal of the flavor profile of Orval as well--a bit of rock candy and orange peel, a distinct hop bite, and noticeable but utterly pleasant brett character. It's definitely hoppier than Orval, and maybe shouldn't be compared, but I'm very happy with this.

M: A bit on the thin side. Much of the carbonation blew itself out in the head, it seems. A quick topping off helps this problem. Still, a thin body with very fine carbonation.

O: Quite pleased with it. At ten bucks for 750mL, this is on the low end price-wise for a JP beer, and yet I'm more pleased with it than some of their beers (for the price--nearly everything they brew is still quite good). A hoppier, thinner Orval--a nice alternative to that, for sure. I'll be back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 04:36:13 | More by wschmit

smakawhat

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured on tap at Pizza Paradiso DC into a tumbler.

Big super foamy bubbles formed for an off white head. Sits on a dark amber brown/orange body that's kind of cloudy but lighter towards the bottom. Not much lacing while drinking.

First initial bouquet is sour, then extremely hoppy and spicy with a touch of salt. A big strange yeast bent is present with hints of almost bubbling acid/sulfurous sense. It does feel like an amped up Bam Biere.

Taste is quite unique, a very big hop bitterness and yeast, but the swallow is all so bretty like, with this sense of crisp acid. Swallow and closure is a feel of sourdough bread and salt. Really unique interesting taste on this brew.

Overall this is a real neat and fun beer, very complex palate and nose, lots of fun to go around.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2011 17:21:15 | More by smakawhat

b3shine

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml. to tulip. Looks good; dark and hoppy for a sour. Bouquet is good, with both the hops and sour present. Taste is it's best attribute. You get both the hoppiness and the flavor of a sour, which I admit, is a combination I'm both unfamiliar with and impressed by. Overall, a good beer that I'll be having again.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 23:53:14 | More by b3shine

output01x

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap in a tulip glass at The Brew Kettle.

A 2-finger cream-colored head rests atop a brown copper body. After a few minutes, the head recedes to an even dusting and thick ring. Thick lacing becomes glued to the sides of the glass.

Funky and sour with earthy undertones. Floral hop aromas and roasted malt aromas can also be detected. The mildness of the nose definitely does not do justice to the taste of this beer.

Acid and sour strike the tongue immediately. A citrus tartness stings the tip of the tongue. Grassy hops appear to be the primary them here. A dry bitter funk aftertaste rests on the back of the tongue. The flavors here are definitely bold and assaulting. I doubt anyone could take a sip of this beer and not notice it.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, this beer has a watery finish that definitely helps the drinkability considering the giant flavors.

This beer is not for the uninitiated to horse blankets. The flavors here are not subtle and are sure to please those that love this style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2011 01:40:28 | More by output01x

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a pokal glass.

A- Huge four finger frothy head, well carbonated, hazy yellow straw appearance, excellent retention.
S- Mild hoppy smell, slight sour, funky farm house aroma.
T- Very mild, hops are apparent, slightly bitter, mellow sourness, earthy notes, funky taste.
M- Very smooth and light mouth feel, lots of carbonation.
O- Very unique brew, I have to say it was difficult drinking this, the taste is very bland and mellow. Was not what I was expecting,

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 07:00:58 | More by Chriscrundwell12

techfed87

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 521/522, Bottled 3-11-2010.

Pours a very big, frothy head. Color is a cloudy amber. Smell is a bit sour.

First sip is a bit more earthy than what I expected it to be. The foam has a completely different quality of hops than what exists in the beer. Then again, the head didn't have any of the wild characteristics that the body does.

A wild, hoppy beer. Me gusta.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 02:29:40 | More by techfed87