De Viento | Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Brewed by:
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Michigan, United States
jollypumpkin.com
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.50%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by liamt07 on 05-24-2012
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
Ratings: 113 | Reviews: 31
Reviews by smlmeyer:
4.5/5 rDev +14.2%
smlmeyer, Mar 17, 2014
More User Reviews:
3.82/5 rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Thanks to Kevin for splitting his bottle with me. De Veinto has to be one of the swampiest and muckiest looking beers I've seen - opaque, brown trudge. The bottle *almost* gushed upon opening, but was slow enough to catch it before any beer was lost. A stunningly enormous, beige head piles up and lasts for what seems like years; I had to wait a few minutes before I could even reach the beer. Thick, chunky lace is left all around the sides of the glass.
When a beer is described as a "dark and smokey, sour Saison with coffee", well, you really don't know what to expect. The nose is full of roasted and oily coffee beans with some lightly tart fruit that rests at its side. Mildly acidic citrus peels, oak, and lots of tannic qualities. There's a lighter spice in the background that I can't completely discern, and perhaps some leafy hoppiness. The bottle denotes a "secret Algerian spice blend"... not sure exactly what it is, but it's noticeable.
Though there was a slight promissory note of sourness based on the aroma, there's almost none present as I take the first sip, despite the self-proclaimed title of "sour saison". The taste is mostly comprised of murky, dusty coffee beans with moderately heavy roast. Zesty hops are vibrant and more out-and-about on the palate; along with a mild cola flavor and heavy carbonation, there's quite a sharp and tannic astringency that cuts across the palate like a knife.
Yeast, earthy esters, dirt, and mild smoke are among some of the other flavors that come out somewhere around mid-palate, while the finish has larger amounts of oak, faint lemon-apple sweetness (which is really the only mention of fruit in the flavor) and some more of those unknown spices. The slight fruitiness present in the finish may provide a very, very mild hint of tartness, but let's face it - this is not a sour beer, at all. And I think that's a good thing.
Heavily carbonated, probably too much, as the mouth feel is very sharp, effervescent, and only amplifies the astringency. A thin-medium bodied beer that feels even thinner than it probably should, again, due to excess carbonation. Though it's labeled a "sour saison", there isn't much sour about this beer at all. I don't know how well actual sourness would have melded with heavy coffee roast, so I don't know if the omission was a bad one. Strange brew, but pretty good nonetheless.
2,379 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Thanks to Kevin for splitting his bottle with me. De Veinto has to be one of the swampiest and muckiest looking beers I've seen - opaque, brown trudge. The bottle *almost* gushed upon opening, but was slow enough to catch it before any beer was lost. A stunningly enormous, beige head piles up and lasts for what seems like years; I had to wait a few minutes before I could even reach the beer. Thick, chunky lace is left all around the sides of the glass.
When a beer is described as a "dark and smokey, sour Saison with coffee", well, you really don't know what to expect. The nose is full of roasted and oily coffee beans with some lightly tart fruit that rests at its side. Mildly acidic citrus peels, oak, and lots of tannic qualities. There's a lighter spice in the background that I can't completely discern, and perhaps some leafy hoppiness. The bottle denotes a "secret Algerian spice blend"... not sure exactly what it is, but it's noticeable.
Though there was a slight promissory note of sourness based on the aroma, there's almost none present as I take the first sip, despite the self-proclaimed title of "sour saison". The taste is mostly comprised of murky, dusty coffee beans with moderately heavy roast. Zesty hops are vibrant and more out-and-about on the palate; along with a mild cola flavor and heavy carbonation, there's quite a sharp and tannic astringency that cuts across the palate like a knife.
Yeast, earthy esters, dirt, and mild smoke are among some of the other flavors that come out somewhere around mid-palate, while the finish has larger amounts of oak, faint lemon-apple sweetness (which is really the only mention of fruit in the flavor) and some more of those unknown spices. The slight fruitiness present in the finish may provide a very, very mild hint of tartness, but let's face it - this is not a sour beer, at all. And I think that's a good thing.
Heavily carbonated, probably too much, as the mouth feel is very sharp, effervescent, and only amplifies the astringency. A thin-medium bodied beer that feels even thinner than it probably should, again, due to excess carbonation. Though it's labeled a "sour saison", there isn't much sour about this beer at all. I don't know how well actual sourness would have melded with heavy coffee roast, so I don't know if the omission was a bad one. Strange brew, but pretty good nonetheless.
2,379 characters
4/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a chalice)
Batch 1070
Bottled 4/27/12
A-Once I cracked the cap this beer was a slow motion gusher and poured a full glass of light coco tan foam. Once the foam settled down there was a hazy brown body with a strong carbonation and the head still didn't quit, pushing over the lip of the glass but still holding its shape.
S- The sour note and coffee bean aroma has some dark roasted malt notes behind it and a unique spice blend in the finish.
T- The coffee flavor had some nice dry espresso bean flavors with a dry spice note to follow. There is a mellow dark but bright tartness in the finish that is followed by an after tasted of squash and fennel.
M- The medium light mouthfeel has a tight scrubbing fizz in the finish but no astringency or alcohol heat.
O- This is a well balanced beer with coffee supporting sour flavors and some unique spices worked in there aswell. It was fun to drink but hard to figure out what I was actually drinking.
967 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a chalice)
Batch 1070
Bottled 4/27/12
A-Once I cracked the cap this beer was a slow motion gusher and poured a full glass of light coco tan foam. Once the foam settled down there was a hazy brown body with a strong carbonation and the head still didn't quit, pushing over the lip of the glass but still holding its shape.
S- The sour note and coffee bean aroma has some dark roasted malt notes behind it and a unique spice blend in the finish.
T- The coffee flavor had some nice dry espresso bean flavors with a dry spice note to follow. There is a mellow dark but bright tartness in the finish that is followed by an after tasted of squash and fennel.
M- The medium light mouthfeel has a tight scrubbing fizz in the finish but no astringency or alcohol heat.
O- This is a well balanced beer with coffee supporting sour flavors and some unique spices worked in there aswell. It was fun to drink but hard to figure out what I was actually drinking.
967 characters
3.85/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Chris’s bottle from Ann Arbor location. Coffee aroma. A huge head mocha coloured on very dark brown. A coffee saison, spicy though not getting peppercorns. Not too sour. Coffee well integrated and good drinkability. More than middling mouthfeel. Something different from JP.
276 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Chris’s bottle from Ann Arbor location. Coffee aroma. A huge head mocha coloured on very dark brown. A coffee saison, spicy though not getting peppercorns. Not too sour. Coffee well integrated and good drinkability. More than middling mouthfeel. Something different from JP.
276 characters
4.03/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Black with a sudsy and frothy head and fantastic lacing
S: Tart and fruity (apples, cherries); also coffee and spices subtly lingering beneath
T: Dry beginning from the wood; not nearly as tart as the aromas indicated but some fruitiness still lingers; coffee and spices finish this off nicely
F: Medium body and fairly creamy
O: An interesting, seemingly strange beer but it works and come together pretty well
418 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Black with a sudsy and frothy head and fantastic lacing
S: Tart and fruity (apples, cherries); also coffee and spices subtly lingering beneath
T: Dry beginning from the wood; not nearly as tart as the aromas indicated but some fruitiness still lingers; coffee and spices finish this off nicely
F: Medium body and fairly creamy
O: An interesting, seemingly strange beer but it works and come together pretty well
418 characters
3.73/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Big thanks goes out to CManuel for sharing this one! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a deep red brown with a three finger light tan head that subsided to a half finger slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, smoke, cigar, pepper, and spice. The flavor was of sweet malt, spice, pepper, funk, and wood. It had a light feel on the palate with very high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. The carbonation aspect on this one was just a little too high for my liking. The flavor also had a quite weird note on this one with a big earthy funk. The nose reminded me of a cigar if I'm honest. Glad I got the chance to try this one, but the beer definitely did have some preventable shortfalls. Worth trying if you get the chance though.
828 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Big thanks goes out to CManuel for sharing this one! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a deep red brown with a three finger light tan head that subsided to a half finger slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, smoke, cigar, pepper, and spice. The flavor was of sweet malt, spice, pepper, funk, and wood. It had a light feel on the palate with very high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. The carbonation aspect on this one was just a little too high for my liking. The flavor also had a quite weird note on this one with a big earthy funk. The nose reminded me of a cigar if I'm honest. Glad I got the chance to try this one, but the beer definitely did have some preventable shortfalls. Worth trying if you get the chance though.
828 characters
3.95/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Shared this recently at the 3rd annual chili showdown, served in a pint glass.
Color was nice, a saturated reddish tone, and the beer was perfectly clear. An ample head of off-white foam sat on the surface, leaving behind some thin spindly lacing here and there in the glass.
Aroma was crisp and vaguely floral, hinting at the coffee addition, but it didn't smell directly of coffee. More dry barrel and Jolly Pumpkin's signature farmhouse yeast than anything.
Flavor was crisp and tart upfront, dry and woody in the middle with a pleasant aftertaste of coffee that wasn't too dominant and provided a nice accent to the usual tart saison characteristics. Feel was a little thin, though not a true distraction. It was fun to try, but not quite as complex as other JP standbys.
780 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Shared this recently at the 3rd annual chili showdown, served in a pint glass.
Color was nice, a saturated reddish tone, and the beer was perfectly clear. An ample head of off-white foam sat on the surface, leaving behind some thin spindly lacing here and there in the glass.
Aroma was crisp and vaguely floral, hinting at the coffee addition, but it didn't smell directly of coffee. More dry barrel and Jolly Pumpkin's signature farmhouse yeast than anything.
Flavor was crisp and tart upfront, dry and woody in the middle with a pleasant aftertaste of coffee that wasn't too dominant and provided a nice accent to the usual tart saison characteristics. Feel was a little thin, though not a true distraction. It was fun to try, but not quite as complex as other JP standbys.
780 characters
3.45/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from some creepy cat lady in Iowa. Had this a couple times, but never got to sit down with it. Batch 1068/1069.
Fluted tulip. Half inch of lingering fluffy lather. Black with brown highlights.
Tangy, lightly roasted, black patent-ish, confused smell. I guess this is what they were going for.
Minerally & twangy upfront, then comes the bitter roasted coffee. That sticks around for a bit longer then I'd like. Something else hides in your throat, something unspecifically fruity.
Big, harsh carbonation. Mellow abv. Frothy, but thin. Might have been a touch fruitier completely fresh out the gate.
Second half of the bottle sloshed nicely though.
659 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from some creepy cat lady in Iowa. Had this a couple times, but never got to sit down with it. Batch 1068/1069.
Fluted tulip. Half inch of lingering fluffy lather. Black with brown highlights.
Tangy, lightly roasted, black patent-ish, confused smell. I guess this is what they were going for.
Minerally & twangy upfront, then comes the bitter roasted coffee. That sticks around for a bit longer then I'd like. Something else hides in your throat, something unspecifically fruity.
Big, harsh carbonation. Mellow abv. Frothy, but thin. Might have been a touch fruitier completely fresh out the gate.
Second half of the bottle sloshed nicely though.
659 characters
De Viento from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
3.94
out of 5
based on 113 ratings.