Noel De Calabaza
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark copper body, transparent, light tan head, and minimal lacing.

S - Pungent acidic hit, sour and biting, with a undercurrent of wood.

T - Follows the nose, with a bright wooden acidity, a mild spice note, and a general fruit aspect, suggesting tart cherries and plums, including the tanic bite of the skin.

M - Brisk, with some carbonation, light feel, and a lingering acidic finish.

O - Delicious and powerful, with great fruits, pungent without being taxing.

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4.41/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lucky to have found a 2014 version at a store that ran out of room in their cellar.

-Dark brown with a very long standing tannish white foamy head
-surprisingly noticeable okay smell
-great sour and oak flavor

Another great by Jolly Pumpkin

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4.12/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottled September 25th, 2015, bought at Liquor Shed.

I popped the cap and saw a slow rise of foam that had to be stopped. I poured some into my glass but the slow rising continued. I spent the next few minutes sucking on the bottle to lower the foam. It finally stopped.

It looks dark brown, semi clear, impressive head of off white foam.

The smell is of dark fruits, tartness in a tannins like/venous way. I get some woody notes from the oak.

The taste matches the smell with an additional vanilla flavour that seems to come and go. I reckon that there are some spices in the taste but they're rather subdued.

Medium body, with the carbonation surprisingly moderate considering what I had to go through.

With the alcohol being hidden well, I will enjoy sipping this for quite the while. Good stuff.

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4.16/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

-dark pour with minimal visible carbonation. Nose is vinigar and figs. The flavor profile is complex with raisins, dried apricot and toffee. Oak and vinous notes dominate. The acidity is only moderate. This is a pleasure

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4.12/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Tap

Pours dark opaque brown, almost black. Head is off white, fine, firm. Retains well at an inch thick.

Smells of sour apple, citrus, wine grape and sourdough bread.

Tastes of biscuit, sourdough bread, wine grape, oak, and berry.

Medium to full body, light velvet tingly carbonation on the tongue.

Big, rich sour ale, tinges of bitter fruit balance the tartness. Slow drinking but very smooth. Worth trying for a more bitter spin on a sour brew.

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3.85/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Look: It pours brown with a tan head. Head retention is moderately high.

Smell: The aroma is initially strong with raisins, wine like elements, and a bit of tartness. There are background notes of chocolate, toast, and spice.

Taste: The flavors are highlighted with moderate sourness. There is an oak character mixed in with raisin, vinous elements, and spices. There are background notes of toast.

Feel: It has a moderately full body. The finish is tart and dry.

Overall, this has a complex blend of various flavor elements, but it's tartness makes it finish more like a sour than a Belgian Strong.

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4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2015. Bottle. Pours a deep reddish brown with light head. Dark in the glass but not murky. Smells of rich oak and mahagony flavors. Light fruitiness too, maybe hints of tart cherry. Taste is wonderfully oaky with warming fruit. Big warm notes of the wood with very mild vanilla compared to some
Fruitiness and malt is almost raisiny but not overly sweet, as if the fruit just wants to say "hi, I'm here" in a casual way. Tartness finishes out the taste. Funk is mild and never assertive. Light carbonation. Great bottle especially after 2 years.

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4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy dark reddish brown/coppery color with off-white head. Funk, tartness, dark fruits, cherries, yeast, and some oak on the nose; follows onto the palate. Medium bodied. Finishes with funk and tartness with some dark fruit.

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3.56/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I like a Beer I can not see through... I have never tried this style before, and it reminds me of a barley wine ale and a gose! I do not note any particuliar scent about it... but its not anything fowl. As for taste, bitter notes, oaky and a lil sweetness on the finish. This beer has a light to medium body about it... all this mind you matters not... overall you fill feel very nice by the time you have finished it.

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4.09/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a cellar temp 750 mL bottle into a tulip glass. The beer is a deep brown hue with an off-white head that leaves a thin lacing with each sip.

The aroma is mostly malt and a little caramel. There is a hint of apple cider that portends things to come.

The first taste is of bready malts and the aforementioned apple cider. With a little warmth, the tartness becomes more pronounced but not too sharp or overbearing. More dark fruits and caramel persist the rest of the way.

The body is moderate, and the carbonation level is just right. The spices stay with you long enough to pull you in for your next sip. Well done.

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4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into tulip, minimal dark cream head, no retention or lacing. Dark brown in the glass no light getting thru. Smells of spices and potential tartness, not quit sure what that descriptor is. Taste is reminiscent of a mulled cider, you have apples, mulling spices and a good balanced tartness. Hides its abv well. Nice drinking beer, great for a chilly night

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3.89/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Murky deep brown/ dark mahogany pour. Rich looking.
Smells of autumn spices but almost in a farmhouse-like way.
Taste is sour and tart with fruit notes and lightly sweet malts. Nice special ale flavors. Not muddled, but tasty components of apple citrus/ spice and cinnamon, and more hidden notes of darker malts/ fruit and even, to a lesser extent, chocolate.
Feels medium and smooth, well-carbonated.
Surprisingly solid beer that ended up being more complex than I expected. Well-done stuff to sip on a Hallow's eve.

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3.81/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75

Sampling a cellar temp 750 ml bottle poured into a snifter. The beer pours a clear mahogany with deep ruby highlights and several streams of carbonation rising to the surface. A creamy beige head of 1 cm foams up and rests on the surface of the glass. The foam stays throughout sampling and leaves tight lattice after each sip.
The aroma is malty with some caramel and dark fruit and a bit of bready yeast. No alcohol on the nose or hops that I can detect as I sniff the glass.
First sip reveals an average body with smooth soft texture and fine carbonation that is slightly tingly but rolls across the palate after each swallow. The flavor is more mild than I anticipated from this brewery and the beer.
A mix of dark malt and brown sugar and some fruit with plums and raisin notes. The mild flavor is appealing but I had hoped for a bolder experience. The booze does show up with some warming after each swallow.
I enjoy the beer and dont find any flaws, but admit to being underwhelmed in general as I consume the beer.

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3.76/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

L:Murky reddish brown with very little head that vanishes quickly
S: apples, cinnamon, oak, sour funk
T: apples, oak, astringency, some sort of citrus peel, and cinnamon. alcohol is not present
F: seems good to me
O: unique christmas brew. drank it in June. Happy holidays.

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4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a taster glass.

A: Plum colored with an off-white one finger head that lingered.

S: A fruity sourness that surprised me until I realized it was Jolly Pumpkin. You're in sour country, pardner.

T: Sourness prevailed, in a nice way. Fruity, woody and apple-y with a tinge of sweet malts to give it that Belgian Strong Dark character while maintaining an active sour feel throughout.

M: Low to medium with crisp carbonation.

O: A winter warmer that's not. A Belgian Strong Dark that's not quite. This is Jolly Pumpkin's special take and quite tasty. Sour fans will love it.

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4.32/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at Flying Saucer in Ft. Worth and have been so happy with this latest brewery from Michigan that we get here in Texas. They kind of remind me of Jester King of the north :)

From a bomber poured into a tulip, fruity with slight sour and woody notes
Brilliant, deep caramel orange hue with a light, dense, white head.
Not a sour fan but this had nice balance and I really enjoyed a little sweet/bitter

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3.45/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Hmm, I never realized while drinking this that this was from a Belgian style base beer, let alone a Christmas/winter warmer style.

Reddish huge, with cloudy sporadic foaming and fizzing.

I got the impression this was a pretty standard template for a nice, red fruit inspired solid sour.

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4.17/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

L: Very nice maroon color. About a 1 finger head.

S: Has a sour, almost rotten smell of fruits - mostly apples. Not amazing, but definitely not unpleasant.

T: Sweet taste of fruits with a mild, dry, malty aftertaste.

F: Gives a mild, crisp feeling. Good amount of carbonation.

O: It's a delicious beer and I would drink again.

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4.09/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a caramel brown color into my pint glass, with a little bit of white head that lasts a while. The smell is a bit sour, but nice, and not unexpected.
The taste is like mildly sour fruit, with some spice and malt. Hop flavor is very low. The alcohol is well masked, and is not prominent. Hard to detect the "Aged in oak barrels" flavor, but the Belgian dark ale flavor is there.
The mouth feel is good. Nothing special, but not disappointing either. Well carbonated and easily drinkable.
Had never tried any beers from this brewer before, so had nothing to compare it to. That being said, I liked it, and would drink it again. It's a good Belgian-style dark ale, but not exceptional.

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4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bomber split with a friend. Poured into snifter glasses.

Dark murky brown in color with a fluffy, pillow like head that lasts for a long time.

Smells of funk, tart apples, caramel and spiced fruit.

Taste follows the nose. Like eating a caramel covered Granny Smith apple with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. This is delicious. No alcohol detected.

This beer moves very nicely through each sip. Tight, medium, soft carbonation allows for super easy drinking.

This is a unique, fantastic brew that is a nice change from the "normal" winter warmers. Sweet and tart in the best possible way. I could drink this all day. Will definitely have more. Highly recommended if you like lightly spiced sours.

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4.56/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

On tap, poured into a tulip. The aroma is reminiscent of a dutch, sour apple pie with secondary wood notes, and some late fig and bread crust emerging as it warms. It's a brilliant, clear, deep caramel orange hue with a light, dense, white head that has a low amount of retention and a low amount of lace. A really nice, medium bitter,sweet, and sour balance. The texture is a bit on the thick side of oil with a light, zippy carbonation and a medium full body that's tart with notes of caramel apple pie, sour cherries, and a strong spice as well as secondary notes of slight citrus zest, oak, and a touch of coffee as it warms. The finish starts with a very brief, syrupy and burnt caramel but turns to a zesty spice and oak with a brief character of fig. It's dry and astringent with an aftertaste of bread crust, apple pie, fresh fig, citrus, and a late hint of chocolate. Quite clean for such a big beer.

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4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Pours brilliant dark brown under a 1” off-white foam cap that clings tto the side of the glass.
S: Wine and fruit aromas with a suggestion of port and a little wet horse blanket.
T: Dark dried fruit, rich malt, fruit, tangy tartness, citrus with a moderate hop finish.
F: Above average carbonation, medium body, tart yet soft in the mouth.
O: This is a smooth, malty Belgian Strong Dark ale with a nice balance between wild yeast tartness, Belgian yeast fruitiness and alcohol.

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4.12/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

11-19-2012 Bottle opened on 5-11-2015

Head: Virtually nonexistent - slight foam.

Body: Dark, not quite opaque, but more opaque than translucent. Almost like a heavy pinot noir but more brown than red.

Aroma: A bit vinegary, clear sour notes. Also caramel and toffee. Slight dark fruit, but more as an aspect of the sourness than an aroma on its own.

Taste: Quite a nice sour note, but not overpowering tartness. More balanced than you might guess given the aroma. A little bitter kick at the end, but nicely blended. Malty flavor really opens up nicely as it warms. Definitely not something to drink directly from a fridge - would much rather have it at about 55F or so otherwise most of the flavors will be masked by the sourness.

Texture: A little thinner than you might expect given the body color. Feels more akin to a brown ale. Would actually be quite nice to drink even on a summer evening given the nice tart quality to it and lack of heaviness.

Overall: Definitely something to store for a few years. I had one back when it first came out and it's an entirely different beer now - much more oaky and bretty than when it first debuted, which served to really mellow out the alcohol forwardness and flatten it out a bit. If you can let it sit for a while, you'll have a really nice winter sour to sip on. As a note, though. It's definitely more of a sour brown type beer, so if you're not into sours, you'll probably not enjoy it as much.

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3.36/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

BOTTLE: Solid label art. Pry-off pressure cap. Brown glass. Bomber format.

Served cold into a tulip and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Reviewed live as a saison per the label. Expectations are high given the brewery.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: ~1.5 inches wide. Foamy and frothy. Adequately creamy. Good consistency. Nice complexion. Leaves light lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is good - ~4-5 minutes.

BODY: Dark deep ruby of average vibrance. No yeast or hop sediment is visible.

Looks nice for the style. Not unique or special.

AROMA: Faint oak. Caramalt. Winter spice. Amber malts. Sweet and malty, but not too heavy on the candi sugar. Has a mulled character. Very wintery. Hints of dark fruit - plum & date. Maybe some light raisin.

Has no overt hop profile or off-character. Slightly boozy.

Aromatic intensity is average.

Suggests a heavy thick beer with a malty taste and an undisguised ABV.

I do wish the oak was more prominent.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Malty and spicy, with some mint family spicing. Deep amber malts and Belgian dark malts lend it a robust malty sweetness. Sugary, with some candied fruit notes; I'd guess plum and date, but they're so well integrated that they don't ring distinct.

On the sweeter side, sure, but that's to style. Slightly sticky. Definitely too thick and even a bit syrupy. Unrefreshing. Full-bodied.

Quite the malt-bomb, but complex enough. The dark fruit brings some subtlety, and overall this is a pleasing beer for the style, but its depth of flavour is merely average and it isn't quite gestalt. Well-put together for what it is, with a satisfactory build for a dark ale.

Above average flavour duration. Average flavour intensity.

Lacks a harmony of texture to taste, or a harmony of oak barrel to base. Somewhat dry, to its detriment - parching the palate a bit. Smooth, though.

OVERALL: She's kind of a sipper, and the ABV isn't well disguised. This isn't on par with the quality of Jolly Pumpkins saisons and sours, but it's a nice beer in its style - especially considering it's American-brewed. Worth trying and maybe even cellaring, but not a beer I'd buy again. I expected better given the brewery, but it's a nice beer for what it is - and is definitely well above average.

B-

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2.9/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This beer is gorgeous when poured. Rich, dark, Amber with a hint of red and a medium thick head. Unfortunately the good stops there. Lighter than expected, too much carbonation, not very complex. Didn't get much fruit until it warmed a bit. Just not very interesting. Drinkable, but that's the most I can say for it.

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