Collababeire Special Holiday Ale - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled 12/29/2010. Slow gusher upon opening as expected. Pours a hazy very dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of tart cherry, apple, raisin, prune, pepper, clove, molasses, red wine, juniper, caraway, herbal, toast, oak, light nuttiness, funk, hay, and yeast earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and a huge amount of complexity. Taste of tart cherry, apple, raisin, prune, pepper, clove, molasses, red wine, toast, light chocolate, caraway, sage, oak, juniper, hay, grass, funk, light nuttiness, and yeast earthiness. Fair amount of tart earthiness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart dark fruits, pepper, toast, molasses, red wine, light chocolate, clove, caraway, juniper, sage, oak, hay, grass, funk, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice flavor balance with huge complexity; nice malt/herbal spiciness balance; with minimal cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and lightly acidic mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice spiced sour ale! Huge flavor complexity with nice balance; and very smooth to sip on. I really enjoyed this one; JP beers always age nicely.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 05:33:49 | More by superspak

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Adam. Thanks man!

Blend 1
Bottled 12-29-2010

Gusher...The beer is dark chestnut brown with a thick, beige head that coats the snifter in lacing. The aroma offers Christmas spices, pine needles, mint. Chocolate mint flavor, a la Andes Candies or a York Peppermint Patty. Pine needles, sweet malt, sage. Aggressive flavor with a tart finish. Still possesses the delectable Jolly Pumpkin yeast character I have come to love. Overall, a solid beer. While not the best offering from this terrific brewery, this is still a solid beer and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 02:20:14 | More by Huhzubendah

FosterJM

California

3.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1067th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
750 Ml

Not sure vintage

Thanks to LouieM23 for sharing
Shared at MrHirschybars tasting

App- Dark crimson mixed with brown in the glass. A small head formed in a tan color and receded quickly. A couple dots of cling were left.

Smell- Very herbal nose to say the least. Like taking a walk in the forest and the running into a cherry stand, with a bit of a liquid candy bar.

Taste- Pretty upfront on the taste. You do get a lot of alcohol burn and then the herbs come in. The fruit is not as pronounced on the flavor and the oak comes out a tad more. Its not the best but not the worst winter warmer I have had.

Mouth- Medium bodied to almost full bodied. Medium amounts of carbonation. Leaves residual booze notes with some oak and herbal notes..

Drink- Never even saw this on BA so cheers to Louie for busting this one out.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 20:53:49 | More by FosterJM

HopHead84

California

2.75/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

11/20/2011

Bottle shared by Ojos Dormidos.

A: Reddish brown with a small beige head.

S: Aromatic sage and juniper with very faint nutty notes. A light tartness is evident. Vinegar is pretty strong and lactic notes are present along with oak. 

T: Lactic and acetic immediately with pronounced juniper. It comes across as medicinal and harsh. Caraway is evident and I get some oak. Sage is pervasive. Alcohol is strong.

M: Medium body with matching carbonation.

Overall: The medicinal flavor was a turnoff. This isn't good. Pass on it.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 00:41:49 | More by HopHead84

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle. Blend 3, bottled 12-30-10.

The beer pours a brownish-red color with a tan head. The aroma is full of toffee and caramel malt, with some strong herbal notes. I get a lot of sage, as well as some other spices which I can't really identify. There is also a big of dark fruit in the aroma.

The flavor is nice. I get some sour cherries and apples, as well as some toffee, sage and caraway. There is a nit of oak in the flavor as well. The combination of sourness and herbal notes make the flavor a little bit harsh.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 04:44:24 | More by Mora2000

rye726

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750ml wine bottle into an imperial pint glass. Not really impressed with this one. Lacks any significant depth or complexity. Flavors that are there, are a real mess. Still drinkable, just nothing special. Fairly droll and one sided. A rare miss for these guys.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 00:17:07 | More by rye726

aasher

Indiana

3.35/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This one pours a dark, muddy water brown in color with a light beige lacing around the glass. It smells very sour, very acidic, with an amount of butter. It drinks very dry and is full of herbal spices, possibly rosemary and sage. It has a tea leaf component which is really interesting. The aftertaste is leafy and bitter. Very earthy. It's interesting that's for sure. It smells better than it tastes. The tea, the leaves, the type of sour that is presented is odd. It drinks fine. The flavor is just odd. It's solid, it started great, but tastes mediocre. Interesting to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 21:20:59 | More by aasher

cjacobsen

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to sweemzander for bringing this one over.

(A) Pours really dark. Dark ruby up against the light. Fast diminished head that leaves some lacing.

(S) Smells sour, oude bruin-esque. Some vineger, sage, juniper, and some lighter citrus.

(T) Smell is far better than the taste. The caraway and spices are really bold. Almost too spiced. The front is really good and has some sourness to it but the rest of the flavors and taste is too much.

(M) Ends dry. It's very spicy and hefty on the body but far too rich.

(O) Smell is awesome. The flavor is a bit of a let down. Not sure if age could help this one or what, but I wasn't an overall fan.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 02:10:35 | More by cjacobsen

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle thanks to weisguy. Brown pour, red tint with off white foam that leaves heavy lacing. Aroma is sour, JP funk, lots of juniper, earth and spices. Taste is spicy, lots of funk, brown sugar. Palate is well carbonated. Not particularly good, but certainly drinkable and unique. Glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 21:39:31 | More by Luk13

orsulacp

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is from Blend 3. Dark brown with hints of cherry and a small tan head that turned into a ring quickly. Lots of layers in the nose; grape soda, nutty, floral?, and just a hint of pine. The taste is more of the same, layered flavors, none stepping on each other. There is an overall sour/tartness under all the flavors, which is great, it balances the sweetness from the malt, I get a little nuttiness, and some black pepper. I think this beer will do much better after a long aging, but it is really good now.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 01:43:42 | More by orsulacp

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this one during the 'We Want The Funk!' tasting that was graciously hosted by beermeX2! Big thanks goes out to my buddy Chad (not sure if he is on BA or not) for sharing this one with the group! A gusher! Blend 4, Bottled 12-31-2010. Served from bottle into a Mikkeller flute. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wood, sour, and slight funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, tart, and wood. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a nice brew. The sour/tart aspect of this one really set it apart for what I was expecting based on the style. I didn't really pick up on any of the spices associated with this brew, but since the flavor wasn't too bad, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Went down really smooth and was quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 14:14:52 | More by thagr81us

MattHop

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +35.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this beer on 6/17. It poured a deep reddish brown color with an off-white head. Beer had a slight sour smell. Mouth feel was really good and was a little tart like cherries. Beer was smooth thorughout and i really enjoyed it. I would drink this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 02:57:11 | More by MattHop

dfillius

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Blend 3, Bottled 12/30/2011? Enjoyed on 3/13/11! Beer from the future! I had the stone version and loved it, so I'm looking forward to this iteration.

A: Gusher :-(. 1/2 finger of tight tan head with great retention. Dark brown liquid with active fizzing and chunks within. Chunks and gushing are only negatives.

S: Sourness, slight aspirin, herbal sage, raisin. Hard to place. Some alcohol whiffs as it warms.

T: Full, nutty flavor to start with herbs following and sourness slowly creeping in. Herbal finish. Not as balanced as I remember. I remember more nuttiness in the Stone one.

M: Interesting. Very effervescent and smooth yet tart and refreshing. A tad astringent at the finish.

D: Astringent finish makes it just not desirable to have another or buy again.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 02:01:18 | More by dfillius

sweemzander

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

750mL bottle poured into a stemmed glass. Blend 4 - Bottled 12-31-10.

(A)- Pours a dark reddish highlighted mahogany color. Produced a nice cap of off-white froth. Plenty of lacing left behind.

(S)- Spice city! Lots of juniper and sage for sure. Orange citrus peel all over the place. Very festive, but more in a fall harvest sort of a way. This is different, but the aroma is very intriguing and enjoyable.

(T)- Again, spices all over the place. A nuttiness with the juniper and sage (maybe too much sage). Orange peel again with a heavy bittering spice that must be the carraway. Some tartness and oak in the far background.

(M)- A mellow carbonation level. This is just all over the place with heavy spices that lean towards alot of bitterness. Some oak tartness and nutty fruits.

(D)- This has unique written all over it, though not really in a good way. I really like its aroma, but after that is where it lost me. Kinda disjointed while seeming to be like 3 styles of beer at the same time. This needs serious time for all of those really heavy and bitter spices to mellow out and allow that nice oaky tartness in the background to show up better.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 14:38:34 | More by sweemzander

emerge077

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 4, bottled 12-31-2010

Pours a dark and murky russet tone, served around 45-50º into a tulip. Consistent head retention, lasts for the duration of the glass. Visible carbonation rising around the edges. A finger or so of tan foam that sticks to the edges, leaving random bits of spotty lace.

Spiced cherries, brown sugar, tart rhubarb, light backdrop of woody herbals, with the signature woody mustiness of a Flanders brown ale.

Leads off moderately tart, cherry skin, grape, and dark berries, segueing into earthy dry sage in the middle, which builds and lingers long in the savory finish. Fresh turned soil, mushroom, and crackling fall leaves are suggested by the combination of wild yeast and spices. Sage and chestnut seem to be the dominant ingredients, though they blend seamlessly with the base beer and funky yeast. Finish is exceptionally dry with lingering pleasant herbal notes. It has a supple feel with ample carbonation, the abv is well disguised. Overall very drinkable, and an underrated success. A very unique and creative dark wild ale with signature JP funk.

Enjoyed this even more than these brewers' previous collaborations, likely due to the barreling and aging at Jolly Pumpkin. It paired nicely with washed rind cheeses, Ardrahan and Petit Frere.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 23:26:53 | More by emerge077

BMoney575

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on 4-23-11
Bottled on 12-30-10

Pours a dark, deep, red/brown color, with a fizzy head that quickly settles. Slightly cloudy, lacing is just a layer of liquid that clings to the side.

Smell is super tart and sour, very intense. Not much else to pick out, the sourness overwhelms anything else that might be in there. The aroma becomes very wine-like as it warms.

Taste is very herbal, strong flavors of pine and orange peel. Very different, but the taste grows on you. The finish is earthy with decent amount of hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel is good, a little thin, but eases the intensity of the flavors.

Drinkability is not very good, finishing a bomber is going to be tough.

Overall, an interesting and different beer, if not a little overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 20:55:51 | More by BMoney575

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +36%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a deep amber to brown-ish color with a tan head. In the aroma, sour white grapes, sage, and a small fruitiness. In the taste, sour white grapes to a dry nuttiness and a nice spice profile, especially with sage. A sour bite and medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a dry sour and nutty aftertaste. Nice sour with great profiles of sage and chestnuts.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 17:22:41 | More by OWSLEY069

wethorseblanket

California

2.58/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Labeled - Blend 3, Bottled 12-30-10

A: Pours a dark brown with a large tan head which fades fairly quickly. Little lace on glass.

S: Moldy cheese, spices (sage and juniper dominate), JP yeast funk. As it warms, there is a noteable cola-like odor.

T: Oaky wooden quality, bretted yeast, somewhat fetid/rancid, spices are all over the place.

M: slightly sour/tart. Some tickles from the carb on the finish.

O: The spices really clash with each other here. The chestnuts and caraway don't meld with the sage and juniper very well. Very disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 23:15:26 | More by wethorseblanket

flannelman808

California

3.68/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This one pours a murky medium brown with a hint of red. Light shines through but its fairly dense looking. A cinnamon colored latte like foam covers the top somewhat thinly but has great lacing.

S: Smells like a Jolly Pumpkin beer, there is no doubt about it. Sour cherry and oak dominate the nose. Spicy notes follow up as do aromas of juniper and sage.

T: Ok juniper takes over somewhat and sour flavors become afterthoughts somewhat. Hard to pick out definitive flavors there is a lot going on.

M: Prickly

O: ehh ...

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 08:19:30 | More by flannelman808

otto251068

Tennessee

2.58/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a Gouden Carolus chalice. This beer was bottled on 12/30/2010, about 6 weeks ago.

Appearance: After popping the cap, the slightly tan head overflowed from the opening, good thing I had my glass handy. After the pour, the head in my glass settled into a quarter inch, dense layer. The foam in the bottle keeps slowly rising out. The beer is a dark brown with a little amber in there as well. It seems very lively as I can see minuscule bubbles rising, some sediment in there.

Smell: Very tart and sour aroma. A little red and green apple, some sage as well, with some other herbal notes.

Taste: Right away I get some tartness, not as much as I thought there would be based on the aroma. The tartness has some under ripe strawberries and cranberries. The sage really comes through at the end. After the swallow there is bit of bitterness along with some black pepper.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation and medium body. The carbonation level is a little low, but the what bubbles are there are very perky. The sourness and oak together really makes me pucker.

Overall: Between the oak and the low carbonation level, this beer really has some wine qualities. The sour flavors are refreshing and a nice change of pace, but the whole package doesn't leave me wanting more than the 750 mL. The sage is nice, but a little overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 20:30:09 | More by otto251068

lavellen

Michigan

1.8/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I would be really thorough, but it's hard to be. The beer was at war with itself!

Aroma: Sage. That's it. Sage.

Mouth: Huge and crazy?

Taste: The caraway, juniper, and sage all turned the hops into a bitter crazy mess like eating a huge hunk of ginger root and swallowing it down with candied peppercorns....

That's all I can say. It was super sour and that would have been good, or it could have been super spicy, but I don't think it can be both. I love JP and I used to drink it weekly, but this one's a flop.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 05:55:04 | More by lavellen

dannypo

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I don't get the negative reviews of this beer. It has low carbonation. So what? It is murky brown. Who cares?

There is a strong but not overpowering sage character here.

Nice malt character that builds as the beer warms.

Big yeast charcter typical of Jolly Pumpkin. Loads of tropical fruit and peppery spice.

Very drinkable.I need to get a couple more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 02:38:04 | More by dannypo

david131

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- A deep brown liquid with some orange and ruby highlights. There is little to no head to speak of, which is really surprising considering it is a Jolly Pumpkin beer.

S- White grapes, oak, spices, and a strong acidic-funky quality. Very aromatic and unique... I don't know if I would use the word "inviting" though.

T- Pretty sour with loads of spices. Some oak and a solid malt base round things off. The spices are odd.

M- Definitely on the flat side. There is a strong acidic finish that keeps it from becoming boring.

D- The alcohol is pretty well hidden, but the spices are odd. I wish this were in a smaller bottle than a 750 ml. Not bad, but not worth seeking out. Most definitely not worth the $17 price tag.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 03:52:19 | More by david131

AgentZero

Illinois

1.75/5  rDev -47.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Thanks to Jason for bringing this to the UFC 126 and food swap tasting.

A - Brown beer without a lot of head, carbonation appears low on this one. Somewhat transparent and clear, looks fine.

S - Smells not fine. Weird spices that seem more suited for cooking than beer. Seems to be a bit of a sage bomb which is a poor choice for a beer.

T - Taste follows the smell in that it is not good at all, pretty much gross. Lots of spices, primarily sage and caraway. There is some caramel backbone, but it's not helping. This beer is just awful, something that should have been tasted and destroyed, not put into bottles.

M - Little flat, which is disappointing which would have been been better as it might have distracted from the horrible taste.

D - Yeah right, this is so bad, can't get it down. No one should drink this or give it to anyone else to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 04:13:53 | More by AgentZero

jrallen34

Illinois

1.75/5  rDev -47.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I regretfully brought this to our UFC tasting, drank from the bottle into a perfect pint glass... This pours looking precent decent, albeit with basically no carbonation. A dark but clear copper body with some amber, looks good... The aroma is pretty rough. For once not the typical Jolly Pumpkin sour oak, actually no sour notes at all. This is dominated by spices, caramel with tons of caraway and sage, not what I want in my beer... The taste is more of the same but is just horrendous. Who would want to drink caraway and sage with a hint of caramel. Terrible finish, and feel. This is utter garbage, everyone drained pour this right away.

Don't even think about it.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 16:32:25 | More by jrallen34