Weizen Bam Bière - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Avagadro

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Weizen Bam is slightly hazy, and displays exceptional lacing through its straw colored body.

S: Heavy hints of lemon, granny smith, and barnyard funk. I am happy with how strong the bouquet is. You don't have search for it.

T: Bone dry and sublimely sour. All of the flavors suggested in the nose are present, along with a touch of black pepper, lemongrass, and wet hay.

M: Crisp, clean, light bodied, and delightfully effervescent.

D: Another great brew from the best sour beer brewer in America. This is everything I had hoped it would be, displaying amazing character through its tartness. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 19:08:56 | More by Avagadro

SpoonMeForkMe

Illinois

5/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Well I had written up a review for this but Gosox8787 wrote exactly what I wanted to write.

Appearance: Champagne, light, golden, straw. Excellent carbonation that shoves the funk up your nose. Gorgeous white head retires to a nice lacing

Aroma: Funky, brett, barnyard, wet wool, lemon, cherry, tart fruit, grass, herbs.

Taste: Grassy, tart cherry, lemon zest, yeast, funk, funk, fun k, a slight herbal quality. Balanced and complex. Very complex!

Mouthfeel: light, crisp, refreshing, the carbonation dances in the mouth. Yeah, I typed that.

Very sessionable, refreshing, cool, crisp and complex brew. I paid $10 for a bomber of this and I'm certainly happy with the purchase.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 01:25:41 | More by SpoonMeForkMe

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.85/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow, this is incredible! Never had a sour beer that was this well balanced and modest. Poured at a good temperature with a nice sized, off-white, foamy, head that soon subsided and no lace. Color is a clear yel low with lots of bubble trails. Aroma is yeast, grass, malt, sour, floral. Flavor's like nose, fairly dry, bitter is superbly balanced to carbonic tang. Body reflects that balance and in spite of the potential for extreme, there are no high points while carbonation is exactly where it should be. Finish is like flavor, has good length, and is surprisingly drinkable. Outstanding brau!!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 21:57:01 | More by drpimento

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Split between two standard pint glasses with yeast dregs divided somewhat evenly.

Straw color with a white hue. Thin white head with tiny bubbles.

Funky wheat and lemon aroma. Very, very nice.

First couple of sips - dry and tart with no lacing. Solid, flavorfull mouthfeel.

Exceptional beer. This is one that ranks among my favorites. I wish I picked up more.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 04:13:53 | More by Yetiman420

CoalCellar

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This serving was poured from a 750ml bomber into my chimay sifter.

A: This is one sexy looking hefe, poured a light cloudly gold with a nice frothy white head.

S: A nice nose of wheat, lemon, banana, and some good old barnyard funk.

T: This is the best hefe I've ever had. A nice lemony funk flavor begins your taste journey, this is followed by cloves, banana, nutmeg, and delicious sour wheat.

M: Bubbly and well carbonated, this stuff dances on your tongue.

D: To date this is maybe the most drinkable beer I've ever had. Its gentle on the alcohol content, and manages to be complex, flavorful, and incredibly thirst quenching all at the same time. The sour bacterial flavor is absolutely perfect when mixed with the naturally sour taste of a hefeweizen. Hats off to Jolly Pumpkin, I think this is my new favorite brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2008 21:15:02 | More by CoalCellar

nickfl

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - One finger of white foam and large bubbles on top of a clear, straw yellow body. The foam recedes rapidly and leaves only slight lace.

S - Spicy wheat with moderate acidity, both acetic and lactic, as well as some earthy wild notes. There are also some banana and vanilla notes and perhaps a little bit of earthy hop aroma.

T - Surprisingly light, clean malt at first with light, clean acidity following quickly in its wake. The light malt and wheat combined with the peculiar acid quality is very reminiscent of a berliner weisse. This initially clean impression quickly gives way to a more funky sort of sourness with some vinegar notes and a hint of roquefort cheese. Finishes with moderate acidity from wheat and bugs as well as some vanilla malt notes and a hint of grape and black cherry fruit character. All of this clears off the palate fairly quickly leaving only a bit of wheat and lactic acid lingering in a reprisal of the initial flavors.

M - Medium body, high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - This is one of the most interesting beers I have had from Jolly Pumpkin (and that is saying a lot considering their typical brews). The weissebier yeast is much less prominent than I expected it to be. While I can definitely detect it in the nose, it is quite subtle in the flavor and the wild character really overshadows it. Nevertheless the weizen base adds a layer of complexity and the high attenuation combined with sourness creates something that would be best described as an unusually complex and drinkable Berliner Weisse. It is a bit more subtle than some of JP's brews, but that may be a good thing becasue it is extremely easy to quaff, and I am really enjoying every sip.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2009 06:25:06 | More by nickfl

ALESwhatCURESya

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Batch 315/316
750ml $9.99

I bought this bottle not only to enjoy but also to use the yeast dregs to add to a sour belgian blonde that I am brewing.

A-Super pale hazy cider appearance with airy white layer of foam. The head is loosely packed with large carbonation bubbles which are somewhat spectacular.

S-The smell is loaded with sour lemongrass and oak tannin. Big shots of green apple and fresh pear. I am not picking up much from the hefe yeast as the lactic and pedio cultures take over.

T-The taste is acidic and sour up front, but floral and dry in the finish. Wet oak and with lemon juice flavors. Quite familiar to a dry cider, yet maintains a high level of refreshment

M-The highly attenuated body comes across a bit thin, yet the flavors within are amazing. Very high carbonation, yet seems to have a sense of creaminess to the mouth.

D-Ok, I admit that I love this brewery with a passion and love that they hit the oak heavy, but this one is up there on the drinkability factor. The combination of low alcohol, huge flavors, and sour factor makes this phenomenal. Why couldn't this be about $5.99 six pack?

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2009 02:13:32 | More by ALESwhatCURESya

LadyOfMuchBeer

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Much, much thanks to muskabeatz for this one, a surprise in a trade.

750 into two stemless red wine glasses, splitting with my bf.

Pours a hazy gold, not quite cloudy, but certainly not clear. Heavy visible carbonation. Good one inch head, white, decent retention.

Aroma-wheat and sour citrus, lemon, lime, grapefruit. certainly sour on the nose.

Taste-Sour, tastes like fresh lemon juice, yeast, hops on the back, just enough funk to love, especially hoppy when I lick my lips...rather interesting. Clover. Nice true belgium flavor. Definite wheat-y grain and pleasant lighter spices.

Mouthfeel-thin, refreshing. This could be the one brew that is thirst quenching.

Overall-I could drink a lot of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 01:46:14 | More by LadyOfMuchBeer

bamadog

Kentucky

4.55/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jolly Pumpkin is easily becoming one of my favorite breweries. Review is from notes taken on 8/18/2010 and poured from the bottle to a tulip.

Appearance: Pour is a lemony yellow/straw color; starts with a huge, billowy white three finger head with massive retention; body is perfectly clear and shows tons of quick carbonation; lots of thick and billowy webs of lacing are left behind. Looks very inviting and crisp.

Smell: Typical JP offering -- lots of light and tart green fruitiness; bit of a musty wet wheaty/mulchiness to it; bit of a sourness in the end due to the brett.

Taste: Outstanding -- a nice blast of that special fruity tartness with hints of green fruit like apple or pear, but also a smoother tropical bit to it; mild hints of a peppery spiciness linger behind the stronger acidic aspects; bit of a sweet mulchy maltiness lingers far into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Very active -- love the slight pucker the sour funkiness creates; body is light and crisp and has strong and prickly carbonation; a thick semi-dry stickiness is left hanging around; sadly, I would have given this a five but I find the acidity kind of makes the belly burn a little bit.

Drinkability: I could seriously drink this beer all day if it wasn't for that bit of burning it's creating in my stomach. Great flavors with a very refreshing and tart set of flavors and an extremely moderate ABV -- a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 02:14:32 | More by bamadog

Risser09

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750mL bottle poured into a snifter - Fridge temp - 2008 - Batch 315/316

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow, urine colored shade with a 2" tall, white foamy head. The head activity is noticeably from Jolly Pumpkin, with lots of rise and tons of effervescence going on inside the beer itself. Great retention and lots of lace.

Smell: Sourness is quite aromatic and instantly noticeable. Typical hefeweizen aromas of wheat, clove and German malts. I suppose there is some banana and perhaps some coconut milk.

Taste: Crisp, refreshing flavors of tart lemon hops, which are very light. Mild flavors of Hefe yeast, clove and banana. Pretty tame.

Mouthfeel: Very frothy and effervescent. Slightly bodied and not too much sugar. Alcohol is not noticeable.

Drinkability: Awesome. I love a funky beer, especially of the Hefe variety. The body of the beer is so light and refreshing you could drink it all day long. Another great JP beer. Probably one of the better hefes.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2009 13:17:17 | More by Risser09

tayner

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml brown bottle.

Poured a cloudy, fresh squeezed lemonade color with a white head that stayed awhile but did not lace much. Looks very tasty.

Smells funky, barnyard-y, wheat, straw, slightly dirty, a bit like musty wood. Very interesting and complex.

Taste- Wow. It is citrus, wheat, funky hay, spicy clove, spicy hop, over-ripe mashed banana, musty wood, and tart wild-like finish. Very complex on the palate. I wonder how, over time, the wild yeast/sour cultures in the bottle will make this an even more tart and complex beer over time.

Mouthfeel is very crisp and refreshing, light and airy, for being such a complex beer with so much going on.

I am not much for farmhouse ales, but this one has such a complex, full realm of flavors I cant stop drinking it until the bottle is gone. With such a low abv it is easy to drink a full 750 by myself. I am glad I got more of these to drink in the future. If you can get this one do try it, worth seeking out in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 02:37:45 | More by tayner

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale hazy golden body with a bright white head, fine scattered lacing forms nicely. Aroma has lemon zest spice and a nice acidity running a bit wild with hints of perfume like funky yeast driven tones. Flavor has a super lemon/zest/spiced saison combo with acidic but pleasant sour hefeweizen action. No real banana clove traditional hefe characteristics just more of the citrus zest/spice raining down on the palate. Mouthfeel is spritzy prickly with acidity coating the palate but I'm okay with that, light to medium bodied with the wild yeast this balances creamy hefe notes and acidic lambic/brett infused characteritistics. Drinkability no problem emptying itself another creative take on the Bam biere lineup, thanks to Ron Jefferies and other Belgian style eccentric brewers across the US. BTW, this was batch 574 from 6/24/10.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 15:22:45 | More by WVbeergeek

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a MJ tasting glass. Pours a hazy straw with a big fluffy stark white head that begins to drop rather quickly.

Aromas of banana, tart lemon, a sour edge, light nutmeg.

Flavors of banana, nutmeg, lemons, lactic sourness. A light chalkiness. Finish is short, with tart lemon fading quickly.

Mouthfeel is not-quite puckering sourness. Good level of carbonation, with a spritzy mouthfeel.

Overall, an excellent brew. A novel approach to the farmhouse style, but I like. Very refreshing. More of a cross between a berliner weisse and a farmhouse. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 00:20:06 | More by JamnesCameron

DovaliHops

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly hazy, bright golden color with a large, frothy white head that takes some time before it goes down completely. Scent is packed with barnyard funk and some lovely lemon and citrus notes. A bit of Belgian yeast with some tart scents and just a hint of clove and green apple. Taste is initially bitter hops, immediately followed with tart lemon flavors. Some brett flavors with some wheat and green apples. A little bit of oak as well. Finishes lemony and funky. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated, dry, and crisp...champagne-like. Drinkability is very high. Overall, this is another amazing beer from Jolly Pumpkin. I very crisp, sessionable, refreshing offering that I could drink every day. Very tasty!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 07:12:37 | More by DovaliHops

grittybrews

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled 6/29/11, opened 7/13/12. Poured a brilliant, clear gold with two fingers of bright white head and just a few dark brown yeast floaties. Slightly tart aroma of clove, apple, and lemon.

High carbonation and a dry, crisp mouthfeel. Tart lemon and hints of apple up front with a wheaty backbone, light spice, and some hints of oak on the tail end.

Extremely refreshing and packed with flavor for such a light brew. Really excellent.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 01:27:06 | More by grittybrews

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a Hennepin tulip. Batch 563, bottled on 6/9/10

A- pours a faint shade of yellow with a two finger pure white head. Lacing is gorgeous, head sticks around for awhile....quite nice

S- faint banana and faint funk. Eh

T- very light tartness, nice lemon, light clove...this is amazing

M- medium bodied, on the thin side...I'd say it's a little thin for a saison and a little thick for a weizen

O- this is a fantastic beer. Perfect blend of two styles.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:40:06 | More by bigfnjoe

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750 ml bottle, thanks to grub for picking this up for me in Detroit.

Pours a very clear light yellow, very pale looking, big and thick bone white head forms, very rocky, great retention, takes forever to settle down to a thick layer, nice lacing on the glass. Smell is very nice, lots of funky, sour lemons, apples, honey, wheat, yeasty, orange peel, oak, pepper and coriander, very nice yeasty spiciness, bretty sourness, really nice. Taste is similar, very sour at first, almost a berliner weiss tartness, lemons, wheat bread middle, biscuits, very spicy finish, pepper, coriander, oranges, very lemony, really nice. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium to high carbonation, insanely drinkable. I could drink this all summer long, very refreshing, I like a lot.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2008 02:42:00 | More by Viggo

brownbeer

Missouri

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy golden with great bubbles and a tightly packed bubbley head.

Funky aroma, as usual for these guys, hay lemongrass, wonderful brett, and clovey esters.

Similar taste, nice tartness while holding true to a weizen, yeasty flavor. Brisk carbonation, light body, and splendedly dry. A little colder is going to be the ideal serving temperature for this one. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2010 03:40:07 | More by brownbeer

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 838. Bottled 7-14-2011

Opens with a wild dose of carbonation, possibly the liveliest I've ever seen, followed by a sizzling, pencil-thin head of white foam. Body is a clear, watery, yellow color, allowing much light to peek in, but not exposing any sediment. It still does show some murkiness, resembling the tastiest of Berliner Weisses.

Aromas includes lemon, banana (i.e. wheat), a slight basement musk, hint of wood and tart, acidic bite. Despite all the big scents at play, it manages to not overwhelm, only furthering a desire to consume.

Liquid is super refreshing and light on the tongue with a taste of lemon rind upfront, followed by a nice slap of funky dryness and banana and clove. The insane drinkability and delightful sourness make it move pretty fast, despite its 750ml bottle. This is certainly one of the tastiest American wheat-based session ales.

Wow! The mouth is so smooth that you barely need to swallow to get this bad boy down. Thankfully, the slight bacterial dryness allows for a nice differentiation of flavors, stopping it from being one-note and leading to admiration of the juxtaposition.

This is a definitely a Summer favorite which would be a fridge staple if it was more readily available. The mild "Bretty" flavors, coupled with lemon sweetness and a light body make for a drinkable beer that doesn't spare complexity. Excellent!

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 04:02:14 | More by deapokid

CortexBomb

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bam is one of the real winners in JP's portfolio: drinkable, tasty, and low alcohol. They've apparently noticed how much cross-over appeal it has, and have been experimenting with variations on it, and of those, Weizen Bam seems like the best to date.

Pour is cloudy yellow, not a lot of head, but plenty of lacing. The smell is the standard funky JP aroma mixed with some light fruits, banana.

The flavour on this is a great combination: take the casual barnyard content of the standard Bam, and then pair it with crisp light fruit aspects. Very smooth on the taste. Extremely tasty, remarkably drinkable.

Mouthfeel is heavily carbonated, good bitters, all around solid. The drinkability is wonderful, it's not an altogether expensive brew, but it's easily amongst the best in its class. It's also extremely sessionable, which is not something I can say for many of my favourite beers.

The bottom line: If you like funky beers at all, then give Weizen Bam a try if you run into it, you'll not be disappointed.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2008 19:50:02 | More by CortexBomb

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Batch 315/316. Hazy, bright straw yellow with a thick white collar. A little sticky and streaky. Good head retention. Sour wheat and lemon aroma with light acidity and faint spice. Fairly mellow though. Flavour was more of the same, a bit sour from the wheat, lemon zest, with more pronounced acidity. Fairly fruity mid-palate through to the finish, citrusy and tart. Some oak and earthy character, nicely balanced. Slight vinegar component to the acidity and a bit of pepper in the finish. Quite refreshing. Light bodied with ample carbonation, off-dry. Extremely drinkable. I can imagine drinking this all summer long and I'll probably look for more in a few months.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2008 02:17:35 | More by DrJay

afksports

New York

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jolly Pumpkin... What have you done? I like wheat! I like bam! (What's bam?)

This beer looks like cloudy straw, with pillowy sustaining head without much lace around the goblet. Smells tart, bretty, funky, and smooth. Maybe watery, the citrus an pepper aspects of the yeasts don't come out too much in the smell, but it tastes so clean, so tart, and so sweet. Interesting, funky, classy, understated., and slightly sour to keep the finish clean. This beer is great.

I called my beer "classy". WTF, Jolly Pumpkin?

It's drinkable, it's refreshing. I'm enjoying it at Jimmy's 43 on a Tuesday night. Weizen Bam is... appropriate.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 02:24:45 | More by afksports

Imstillthegman

Delaware

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This one pours a cloudy, light golden color...kinda like a pale fresh pressed apple juice or a murky light Long Island Iced Tea. Decent head of tight, tiny white bubbles.

The aroma is something different, to say the least. I get some wheat, some banana, some funky barnyard yeast, citrus, and some cloves. I also detect a hint of sour apple in the background. Sorta leaves me intrigued, yet wondering what I am about to get into.

The flavor is fruitier than I thought it would be. Sour lemon stands out more than bananas, but the wheat is right up front, as well. Citrus fruits run around in my mouth along with some sweet, funky yeast. This is a totally new take on the style and I like it!

Crisp, light mouthfeel. Some sips taste and feel almost like someone snuck a citrus AlkaSeltzer into my 1809. Wow. This is a friggin' awesome summertime brew. Very easy drinker. Great job JP!

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 23:06:05 | More by Imstillthegman

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very light gold in color. Nice pillowy white head sits atop the beer. Smell is the typical JP tart and funk. Taste is more of the tartness with a good amount of lemon flavor. Full and creamy on the mouthfeel. A very light and refreshing offering from JP. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 23:59:03 | More by FtownThrowDown

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled on 6/9/10. Batch No. 563.

A: Pours an EXTREMELY hazy orange-apricot color, with a nice foamy head that sticks to the brew and stays there throughout the session like white on rice.

S: Sour lemon zest, cloves, a hint of banana (but not much) with very fresh filtered water notes.

T: Wow, what a complex brew! The lemon zest, Brett-like character hits the palate first, followed by a complete wash away by the yeast. The finish is about as dry as it gets. As a matter of fact, it's so dry, I can almost taste pepper after a few sips.

M: Lots of taste in this mother! However, don't expect a monster "Sour Patch Kid" experience. This is a German Hefeweizen after all and the sourness is in that context.

D: Fantastic summer beer, bordering on ingenious! In my opinion, summer brews kind of get a bad rap for not being complex and too straight forward....this one definitely breaks the mold. This is a summer experience for the craft beer drinker looking for something exquisite. This will be in my top 20 "summer seek-out beers" for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 00:43:02 | More by Chaney