Beer Talk by Art of the Table
January 5, 2011
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| | Jolly Pumpkin's beer is truly something special and unique for an American microbrew. I also believe it's not for everyone...at first. Every ale crafted is by open fermentation,
oak barrel aging and bottle conditioning.
The brews are rustic and have varying levels of sourness, but with open fermentation, you're always going to find that. I would go as far as to say Jolly Pumpkin is masterful at controlling each batch. The consistency from batch to batch, bottle to bottle is nearly unheard of, even for Old World breweries that have been brewing
rustic farmhouse ales for centuries.
Owner and brewer Ron Jeffries chuckles every time he's faced with the question of how the name Jolly Pumpkin came about.
Seemingly, some love it, and others just don't get it.
Read the full story at the Jolly Pumpkin website, but in short the name came about from sitting on the front porch of his home on a rare warm and sunny March day with his wife, sipping some beer. The business plan had been in place to create truly artisan ales with complex flavor and simple ingredients. After penning a few down, Jolly Pumpkin always made Jeffries chuckle.
Weeks later, he went with it.
Good thing he did, Jolly Pumpkin has now become all the rage in the beer blogs and e-mags, and the awards and accolades keep coming in for this great little micro-brew from Dexter, Michigan. He's even opened up two new Jolly Pumpkin pubs, one in Traverse City on the Old Mission Peninsula, and the other in Ann Arbor.
Sour ales can be an acquired taste...but so were heavy stouts and overly bitter American style IPAs when they first hit the scene. There's a new wave of beer coming, and Jolly Pumpkin is at the forefront of that happening.
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Beers We Carry
| | ***Please be aware, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales are limited, small batch ales that are subject to availability. Jolly Pumpkin has many great beers that we are excited to get our hands on when we can. This is what we have now.
This can, and usually does, change...often.***
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
A more traditional farmhouse ale, very Saison like, with golden hues, crisp apple tones, yeasty aromas and naturally cloudy. Spicy and mildly sour on the palate. A great session beer, and a great starting point into the journey of sour ales.
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire
Staying in the vein of farmhouse ales, this is a dark version of the previous. Same mild sour notes expressed by leather, dried leaves, plum, raisin, hints of coffee and cacao.
Very smooth and approachable.
Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam
Again, a farmhouse ale of the wheat persuasion. Yeast is present under banana, clove, honey and spice. It's been out since the summer, and the sour notes are definable and delicious.
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
The most awarded and widely known of the line. A Franco-Belgian traditional styled golden strong ale with spice and pepper tones, gentle hops and very definable wild yeasts all wrapped up in nuances of oak. An experience every beer lover should partake in.
Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono
An ale brewed with chestnuts and spices, the malt is gentle, as is the spice and yeast. Actually, the beer in general is very mild but definable. Certainly a beer to sip slowly and contemplate.
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
Deeply rich in mahogany color and density. The carbonation is strong off the start, but as it wears off, the beer transforms into a wildly sour ale with an underbelly of fig, raisin, plum, layered malts and hops, cashews and candy spices.
Certainly an experience and a wild ride.
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