Tamicon 5
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

 

This brew was served on tap at the Jolly Pumpkin Café taproom in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It arrived in a generic tulip glass, showing a deep pinkish ruby coloring. No real head was noticed on the pour, but as you swirled the glass a hearty ring of pink bubblegum colored foam erupted from the depths to hug the edges of the glass. A chill haze cut clarity in the absence of sediment. Carbonation appeared to be light. The aroma gave bright and fruity apricot and strawberry freshness, floral hibiscus, lavender, and rosehip, Bretty yeastiness, sourdough breadiness, light rye grain bite, gritty amber malts, tinny metallics, lemon juiciness, and tannic breakfast tea dryness. Our first impression was that all of the added florals that were promised came through, with spicy strength and souring puck, but all while remaining light enough and highly drinkable. The taste opened with bright lemon juiciness, fusel booze and chemical phenol bite, creamy lactics, souring barnyard funk, Bretty-esque yeastiness, but with notes that were muddier, more earthy, and more metallic. The middle peaked with orange sorbet sugars, wheaty and rye maltiness, pale bitters with white flour, pear and strawberry rind, flashes of pineapple flesh, balancing white sugar, and continued funk of grassiness. The end came washing through as the spice and fruitiness came out in full swing, helping to balance the continue amber maltiness of the base. Notes of sugared strawberries, hibiscus, tamarind, white pepper, distant oaked woodiness, rosemary leafiness, lemon zest, and under ripe green pear flesh all mixed for this final balance down the gullet. The aftertaste breathed of mineral, white flour, gritty pales, dried grassiness, lemon rind, cinnamon stick, huge floral spice of perennials and a cook’s cabinet, soured yeast, sourdough breadiness, and green pepper vegetals. The body was medium, and the carbonation was light to medium, putting up decent froth on the swirl. Each sip gives okay slurp, smack, cream, and froth, with nicer, cleaner pop on the back. The mouth was frothed, dripping into wet satiation, and only curiously mild puck, considering the decent sourness throughout. The abv was easy, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its powerful aroma, in all of its interesting and thorough use of the advertised hibiscus, herb, and spice. The flavoring followed excellently, with those inclusions, again, melding with the rich amber malts and bittered pales that made up the majority of the grain bill. The feel was a bit stiff at times, but this seemed somehow appropriate when fit into the big picture. The sourness was there, and the florals were there in striking fashion, making for a highly unique and well done beverage. This was a fresh beer, but with curious aged wisdom, and we are glad to have gotten to try it.

Collaboration with Arbor Brewing, only available at the Jolly Pumpkin - Ann Arbor brewpub, couldn't pass this one up. It pours a beautiful ruby color with orange-ish highlights. Translucent and cloudy, topped with a vague, fuchsia-tinted layer of foam that vanishes in no time and leaves nothing behind.

The beer's description lists the aroma as floral, tart, and funky, and I can agree with two of those. It's certainly very floral, with handfuls of leafy-herbal hops, spices, white pepper, mild hibiscus, and a strong perfume-y essence thrown about. It's also very funky, hitting with stretches of dry, musty cellar and wet cork notes, and perhaps a finishing touch of oak.

Though an undercurrent of light fruit - mainly raspberries and cherries - are appreciated, they are more sweet than tart, with no notion of this beer being sour. It actually smells like a less impressive, slightly more fruity version of Jolly Pumpkin's iO saison, though I'm not keen enough to know what may or may not be the parallels here. Smells decent, but not what I expected.

Now the taste is described as having a "very tart and sour middle and a funky, pepper finish". The taste follows basically the same format of the aroma, starting off with a bunch of floral notes, hibiscus, herbal tea-like hops, and some general forestry. Earthy and raw to the core, and covered in kitchen rack spices, coriander and white pepper.

I'll say that the fruit is a bit heavier in the taste than the aroma, with a heavy-hand on the cherries, but again - the fruit is far more sweet, juicy, and savory, as opposed to sour or puckering. Hell, this is *barely* enough to be called tart, so I don't know why the description chooses the terms "very tart" and "sour". It reminds me more of a strange blend of the iO saison and La Roja, assuming you tone down the already-mild tartness of La Roja about five notches.

It has a nice, dry, funky finish with plenty of mild corky and damp cellar tones, something you can pretty much expect from all Jolly Pumpkin brews. The thin, crisp mouth feel and mild carbonation aided in drinkability, as well. This reminded me of a more mild and timid hybrid of other Jolly Pumpkin brews that I would much rather have over this. If I want tart, go with La Roja. If I want floral-spicy, go with iO saison. This was okay, but doesn't differentiate itself enough for a revisit.