Lupulo De Hielo - Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.05/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml, 8/1/11
Tired Hands wine glass

A: Hazy light orange color. Half finger of fluffy bright white head. Highly carbonated. Some good lacing sheeting. Some alcohol feet.

S: Mild funk. Getting white grape hints. Some of that spice, Belgian? Not pulling pumpkin or cocao. Like I have read, some smells similar to Orval.

T: Tip of the tongue, you get a sharp pit if tart character. Mid palate is smooth. Not getting pumpkin or cocao or anything, but it's a good sour. Well done. Getting some soft oak flavors. Dry finish. Always leaves me wanting another sip.

M: Medium bodied. Good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 20:40:07 | More by inlimbo77

claspada

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a decent size white head of foam that settles to a thin collar, leaving very minimal lacing behind.

Aromas begin with a mix of herbal and bitter citrus hops. Then you get some spicy oak and Bretty powdery yeast.

The tastes begin with pilsnery grainy malt but then the herbal hops add a balancing quality. As it warms you get the house Jolly Pumpkin funk, hay-like mustiness and moderate white wine acidity.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finish is super dry and oaky with only minimal lingering sourness/tartness.

Overall this was a decent sour ale but more like an Orval light Bretty beer or a Brett induced IPA than a Wild ale with all the bells and whistles that are advertised. Maybe it was different fresh but I cannot imagine it was much different. I wish this had more of the "added" ingredient flavors or was more sour but right now it is just in the lower end of both.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 19:46:32 | More by claspada

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Kyle for this bottle.

Pours a cloudy golden orange color with a tall white head. Surprisingly citrusy on the nose. Lots of grapefruit, lemon, and tangerine notes. A light grassiness as well as some peach and apple. Plenty of oak, too. This has the typical tart and dry flavor of Jolly Pumpkin beers. Nice lemon and apple tartness along with some other fruit notes, particularly the peach and citrus noted on the aroma. Lots of oak and maybe even a hint of sweet vanilla.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:05:41 | More by womencantsail

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle shared by Thorpe429.

Pours a hazed golden orange with a thin white head and webs of lacing. Smells like, well, a Jolly Pumpkin beer. Funky and mildly tart, with lemon and citrus sweetness adding a little more of a fruit presence than expected. Flavor is similarly funky and tart, with straw, lemon and grass blending with tropical fruit and mild acidity. Not much hop or pumpkin presence. Medium thick body with light carbonation. Quite refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 00:39:31 | More by yourefragile

Ratman197

Colorado

4.55/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle poured a hay gold with a small lasting ivory head. Aromas of straw, lemon, horseblanket and grapefruit. Plate was light bodied and crisp with a dry tart finish.Flavors of straw, barnyard funk, lemon and grapefruit with a crisp dry tart lingeing funky citrus finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 23:40:44 | More by Ratman197

oline73

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at Jackie O's during the bottle share before the bottle release this weekend. Poured into a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours a golden amber color, this one is quite cloudy. There is just a small amount of white head.

Smell: Earthy with a lemon tartness along with some sour vinegar. Crisp and light.

Taste: A lot like the smell. Crisp and light lemon sourness with some herbal and earthy undertones. The funk/sourness is the dominant thing going on here.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Light and refreshing. This was a delicate and delicious sour. I would definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 22:57:07 | More by oline73

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Big thanks to DSlim71 for the trade on this one. I'm a sucker for brewers who do "benefit/charity brews" and this one really strikes home for me. Poured into a tulip, this brew appears a hazed orange amber color. When held to the light, it displays more of an orange coloration through the body and lighter yellow around th edges. A finger of slightly off-white head appears across the top and slowly fades. It leaves a webby pattern of lace all over the glass.

The smell of this brew is quite funky. It has tart quality throughout that warns you that this is going to be sour. All around the edges of the nose are suggestions of tropical fruits and a bit of herbal elements. When focusing on the funky aspects, there are hints of dirty diaper, a little bit of plastic and earth. The nose is all over the place covering a wide spectrum but it is quite enjoyable. A swirl of the glass brings out some sulfur and a bit of a stinky cheese quality.

The taste is sharp and acidic with funky tropical fruit flavoring. There is a bit of herbal bitterness as well as sweetness of caramel malt playing a role here. Overall it makes for a well rounded enjoyable wild experience. Depeding on what aspect you focus on brings out different character. The funky side shows minor hints of plastic, cheese and dirty diaper. While the fruity side is a bit rindy, herbal and semi-sweet with tropical flavors that are very inviting. The finish has a bit of toasty grain to biscuit character that takes this brew off in a completely new direction.

What a fantastic brew by the folks at JP. To date, this has been my favorite offering by them. It is medium bodied and moderately carbonated. It has a vast array of character to take in that you could seriously get overwhelmed by. I found it to be very easy drinking and enjoyable. The alcohol level was perfect here, just enough to let you know it was present but not enough to get in the way. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 03:19:49 | More by stakem

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazed golden orange with very thin plume of white bubbles, gone quickly. Scent leads with barnyard funk but quickly brings lightly sweet caramel and vinous character. First sip brings lightly sweet caramel and barnyard earthy funk, some mineral notes before vinous notes pop in, lightly tart, faint notes of oak and maybe a splash of pumpkin. Medium bodied, bordering on dry. A lot going on in this beer but it just misses coming all together.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 16:17:40 | More by rfgetz

DovaliHops

California

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an orangish gold color with a medium white head that goes down slowly. Scent is heavy with apricot and that lovely Jolly Pumpkin funk we've all grown to love...they sure know how to do it. Nice barnyard funk with orange peel zest, apricots, and kumquats. Taste is basically how it smells...I'm getting absolutely zero ingredients that this beer is brewed with in the nose or the taste. Although I get no pumpkin, this is a tasty beer. I get nice tart apricot and orange flavors with some grassy, funky flavors. A hint of oak. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a smooth finish. Drinkability is high. Overall, another awesome beer from Jolly Pumpkin.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 08:04:10 | More by DovaliHops

mrand01

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle poured into a generic Crate & Barrel tulip. Bottle is labeled "Special Blend - Bottled 8-1-2011."

A: An opaque orange/amber in color, with way less head than expected (my experience with JP brews is that they are usually heavily carbonated). Thin ring of head settles around the rim of the glass. Lots of lacing.

S: Hops, brett, some mild spices. Don't really smell the pumpkin here, but the oak & acidity is definitely noticeable. Smells wonderful.

T: Funk, brett, spices, and just a tad of pumpkin, if any at all. Another great tasting brew from JP.

M: Way less carbonated than most JP brews. Carbonation is thin and light, barely there, but just enough to not make it flat. Light to medium bodied.

O: Amazing. Can't wait to see how these age :-)

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 23:56:41 | More by mrand01

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip. Sticker on the bottle says it is a special blend bottled 8-1-2011.
A: Pours a nice dark, cloudy honey color with moderate carbonation producing a 1 inch off-white head. Decent retention.
S: Wonderful aroma. Honey, sweet caramel malt, earthy funk, minerals, grapes, golden raisins, and spices that are difficult to parse out. Fresh, sweet, and alluring.
T: Equal parts sweet and tart grape juice hits immediately and is quickly replaced by sweet caramel malt, honey, spice, and mildly bitter earthy minerals. Some funky yeast pops up from time to time...definitely characteristic of wild ale. As this starts to warm, floral notes and crisp citrus (lime especially) hops come more to the fore.
M: Clean and fresh up front. Some bitterness and tartness along the way. A smoother, mildly sour, and mildly funky finish. Almost wine-like acidity in the finish.
D: A solid, easy to drink, and nicely complex wild ale. Glad I got a chance to try this one...seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 04:10:57 | More by mwilbur

metter98

New York

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very hazy golden yellowish amber in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation along with some yeast particles near the bottom of the glass. It poured with a thin white head that quickly died down and left lacing covering the surface along with a thick ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass; this gradually died down.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of sourness and oak in the taste.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has oaky flavors from the barrel aging with sour flavors along with hints of citrus and white wine plus a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and tart on the palate with a light to moderate amount of carbonation. The finish has some dryness.
O: The sourness in this beer isn’t overpowering and the taste has some complex flavors.

Note: Special blend bottled 8/1/2011

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 02:32:03 | More by metter98

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A very big thanks to TurdFurgison for sharing this rarity at the CBS release a day after it was released. Cheers! 1 of 72 bottles sold at the Ann Arbor brewpub (the rest were given to the Rare Beer Club).

Appearance – A hazy bright golden color with about two fingers of head that dissipates slowly leaving nice, classic chunky JP lacing.

Smell – Hops and brett. Spices, barnyard funk, the classic JP aromas but with a new twist to them. Just a hint of pumpkin and oak.

Taste – Wonderful tart fruits, dryness, hints of spices and pumpkin, barnyard funk, and wet hay. The hops shine through also – this reminds me just a hint of the Cantillon Cuvee Des Champions we had earlier in the day. Mouth puckering good.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, finishes dry.

Overall – I really enjoyed this beer. Honestly, much more than last year’s Biere de Goord. I hope to revisit this beer soon. Thanks again Eric!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 15:17:47 | More by SpdKilz

phichifiji00

California

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into Bruery tulip glass.

Appearance: Hazy golden color, pours 1 finger of thick white head that fades quickly. Moderate lacing.

Smell: Barnyard funk, earthy, grassy, spicy, citrusy, subtle hint of cacoa, white wine vinegar, hoppy.

Taste: Barnyard funk, earthy, spicy, oak, citrusy, white wine vinegar, chardonay, bitter as it warms.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, moderate carbonation, tart, acidic, dry finish.

Overall: Great sour. Fairly complex. I didn't get any pumpkin, but overall very drinkable. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 17:13:42 | More by phichifiji00

rdickey

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep orange-amber into my tulip, capped off with a fine, fluffy white head.

Smell: As soon as the cap came off, an amazingly full sour smell pervaded the room. There’s citrus in it, and some wild yeast funk as well. Very intriguing.

Taste: The sourness is just huge, and hits first and hard. It doesn’t linger on, however, like a Rodenbach Grand Cru. Instead, it gives way relatively quickly to a dry, piney hoppiness, which pair with the funkiness from the yeast to carry the beer through to a dry, somewhat acidic finish. Looking at my description makes this sound like an incoherent, slapped-together beer, but it’s anything but that; somehow Jeffries makes all these disparate and aggressive flavors hang together.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but feels almost light in the mouth, notwithstanding the big flavors going on.

Drinkability: Pretty high; each sip leaves you wanting the next one.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 23:15:56 | More by rdickey

Sean9689

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A big thanks to jale for this one. Poured from a 750ml bottle in my Narke tulip.

A - Pours a yellow/orange peach color, white head, spotty lacing, thin collar.

S - Citrus, brett, hops, light funk, wheat, some tartness. A lot going on here, perhaps a bit too young? I think the notes need to meld a bit more and some of things need to fall off a bit in order for this one to really come together.

T - As with the nose, lots going on here. Brett, funk, hay, slight citrus tartness, some light hoppy notes. Not really sure what to make of this one at the moment. So many different things going on here makes for a confusing beer.

M - Light body, good carbonation, dry finish.

O - Not really sure what to make of this one. All the different things going on here kinda turn me off on this one. Perhaps a bit more time in the bottle with straighten things out? Who knows...

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 15:35:27 | More by Sean9689

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Interesting.

Pours a lightly hazed orange with a white head. Nose is a pleasant melange of fresh hops, soft and citric, the most IPA-like Jolly Pumpkin beer I've come across on the nose. A very lightly bretty quality comes through also. Mouth is more focused on brett, soft citrus, light barrel. Some bitter and sour qualities. Soft and lush feel. Not a style I usually seek out, with the abundance of fresh hops and barrel aged components, but done pretty well. Acidity is fairly high as you sip it. Interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 02:06:06 | More by JAXSON

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle split between my girlfriend and I, poured into two tulips.

A: Golden orange hazy body with a soft bubbly and creamy white head. Nice splotchy lacing around the glass walls and a solid retention cap.

S: Barnyard funk, hay, orange, slight pumpkin flesh, sweet tangerine. It's not overly aromatic in terms of what they listed on the bottle: pumpkin, cacao and spices. Also, for being aged in oak barrels for around one year, there isn't much in the way of that in the aroma.

T: Orange oils, sweet light malts, tart and funky notes up front. Towards the very end I do get the faintest hint of pumpkin and a little spice. By no means does this show up well, it's virtually non-existent but I can get it on the back end.

M: Bubbly, active carbonation without being light bodied. Very satisfying feel with lots of little bubbles all over. For the style, this is great.

I did enjoy this beer a lot, but I was disappointment with its lack of flavor diversity. I was really hoping for much more pumpkin, cacao and spices to show up anywhere but they really had no reason being plastered on the label. It was a very well done beer with enough tartness and funk to satisfy that sour kick.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 12:32:57 | More by ShanePB

AgentZero

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jale for sharing this. It's rare!

A - Orangish peach colored beer that was quite hazy.

S - Has that Jolly Pumpkin brett smell with some herbal hops. Also some citrus in the background.

T - Spiced, somewhat tart, decent fruit, minor herbal notes. Interesting beer, have not really had a hoppy sour before, and that's what this is. Not sure how I feel about it, but it doesn't taste bad. Pretty dry.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

O - Actually a pretty interesting beer. I think I prefer more traditional sours than this, but this is good. The addition of the pumpkin was a little hard to pick out, but this beer had some distinctive things going on.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 14:34:48 | More by AgentZero

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to both Eric (TurdFurgison) and Jim (jale) for sharing bottles of this in the past. My hands were to frozen to take notes at the CBS release, so I was happy that i could revisit this one at the West Lakeview Liquors pig roast. Served in a Glunz taster.

A - White foam settles to a thin collar, leaving no cap or lacework behind. Hazy orange-yellow color.

S - Interesting - a mix of herbal and bitter citrus hops with spicy oak, medicinal brett, and slight acetic acid.

T - Hops are less present in the taste imparting only a nebulous herbal quality. Meanwhile the characteristic Jolly Pumpkin funk, oaky dill, and moderate acidity take center stage. Malt presence is neutral.

M - Moderate carbonation, and a super dry and tannic medium body. Very oaky, with only mild acidity.

D - I didn't perceive the cacao and pumpkin at all, although I'm not surprised as I didn't get the advertised pumpkin and kale in Biere de Goorde either. This was super rare, but didn't really distinguish itself heavily from Jolly Pumpkin's other offerings - the oak and house bacteria are just too overwhelming. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 18:01:02 | More by MasterSki

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to THorpe429 for sharing!

Appearance: pumpkin-apricot pour with decent head/lacing

Smell: typical Jolly Pumpkin offering with their distinctive brett with a citrus/hop backdrop

Taste: Similar to the smell, house brett with touches of apricot and hops

Mouthfeel: medium-to-light body and carbonation

Overall: Nice to try, similar to their other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 03:31:03 | More by craytonic

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to jale for getting this bottle out my way. Served in a Tripel Karmeliet tulip.

Pours a nice semi-hazed peach-apricot color with a good white head and a bit of light lacing on the way down. The nose melds Brett and hops quite well. Nice citrus background along with some stone fruits. The flavor was similarly nice with a good bit of Brett funk and a bit of hay. Peach, apricot, and orange come through along with a very mild tropical character. Light body with a restrained funk and a nice dry finish. Very well done. I'd love to see Jolly Pumpkin experiment with hops a bit more.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 16:47:53 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike!

The beer appears hazy and yellowish orange, with a quarter inch of white head. The aroma consists of brettanomyces, hops, citrus, funk. Good flavor, with lots of brett, a mild hop character, and some lasting citrus flavors. A good beer, I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 00:28:05 | More by Huhzubendah

HotDice

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours golden orange and hazy, with a two-finger head. The aroma is funky, with a lime-like citric quality. The taste is immediately and increasingly sour, with moderate hoppiness, subtle squash-like notes and a lingering vinous finish. The body is just above light, with a slightly resinous quality to the mouthfeel.

Overall, I enjoyed the complexity of this beer. The intensity of the sourness reminded me a of a good gueuze, while the hoppiness and other spices took me in another direction entirely.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 16:55:17 | More by HotDice

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had a few glasses of this at the brewpub. They were also selling bottles at $22 each, 1 bottle limit, 72 bottles total. The price was steep but the proceeds go to charity so no one was unhappy.

The beer was peach colored with a bit of haze and a thick layer of foam that lasted through each glass. The only description given by JP was that this was a "hoppy sour". The hops and brett came together in an Orval-similar fashion, very Belgian. I loved the nose, fruits and funk. It shared some characteristics with Lucienarga, maybe some similar spices were used or maybe it was the hops. Also some apples an apricots, juicy smelling.

It tastes extremely good too. Initially sweet with loads of light fruits, dry and tart on the back side with a lasting spice character that doesn't get tiresome. I wish my palate was better trained to pick up individual notes, I generally do a poor job at that. But I can say that I liked this very much, I could find no flaws.

If you get a chance to try this I highly recommend it. I'm very happy for the chance and I remain a fan of Jolly Pumpkin beers.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 14:09:06 | More by TurdFurgison