Sunday, August 24, 2008

Beer Review: Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza























On a nice, cool rainy day such as today I felt like having something big and different. After perusing the beer fridge for a minute I decided on my Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza. Jolly Pumpkin makes some damn fine beers. Hailing from Dexter, Michigan, Jolly Pumpkin, is notorious for their use of Brettanomyces, which is a yeast that produces a complex flavor profile.

Since I don't live in San Francisco thus missing out on Rob DeNunzio's Brett-tastic food and beer pairing aptly titled The New American Mavericks, I decided to have a little Brett party of my own. Yeah, I know, not much of a party with one beer and one person but hey, I'm a fun dude to hang out with so I enjoy hanging out with myself. That and I didn't think my non drinking wife would enjoy the party after the face of disgust she gave me after trying the beer. Plus, I have to be sober for my fantasy draft I'll be doing tonite with the boys!

Well, I can say I loved the beer and can't wait to get my hands on some more. What I'd really like to see is more similar beers enter the Louisiana market and perhaps do a beer and food tasting on the same scale as Rob's tasting. From the pictures it seemed laid back and enjoyable. Oh well, we shall see! In the meantime, on to the review!

Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Beer: Oro De Calabaza

Style: Biere de Garde

ABV: 8.00%

Recommended Glassware: Tulip or Over sized Wine Glass

Serving Type: Tulip Glass

Appearance- This beer poured a hazy orange with a nice egg shell colored head which dissipated to a small ring which stuck around for the ride. Lacing was present throughout.

Smell- Wonderful barnyard funkiness with sour green apples, grapes and spicy pepper.

Taste- A nice bready maltiness with sour apples and grapes similar to the smell. It also has a nice spicy pepper note in the front as well. The sour and tartness show up in the finish which is nice.

Mouthfeel- Crisp and clean medium body with high carbonation.

Overall- An absolutely fantastic beer. The two beers I have had from Jolly Pumpkin(this one and the La Roja)have all been excellent beers. This one in my opinion is the perfect substitution for those white wine lovers. This beer is a must try!

Score: Photobucket 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas

2 comments:

Homebrewer Brian said...

Great beer. It's one of my favorites. Everything they do is good.

Beerbuddha said...

Brian,

Hell yeah it was good!! Thanks for visiting the site and I just added you under the beer buddies!

Cheers!

The Beerbuddha