A Flowery Song

Background: The first (and so far only) pumpkin beer from Jolly Pumpkin, this golden ale is flavoured with pumpkin, cacoa, and spices.

Nose: Dry, tart, with hints of cinnamon and chocolate.

Taste: Dry, tart, with hints of oak and squash. Very negligible spice influence, really.

Overall: Good beer. But while it’s what I expected from a Jolly Pumpkin beer, it’s not really what people expect from a pumpkin beer.

Background: The first entry in Avery’s Barrel-Aged Series, this sour ale was fermented with two strains of Brettanomyces then aged in Zinfandel barrels for six months. Bottled 10 February 2009.

Nose: Very rich and complex, with earthy barnyard funk and a deep red fruitiness. Cherry, raspberry, pear, and clove influences.

Taste: Very dry, lots of tannic oak influence. Rounded, silky mouthfeel. Notable vinuous red wine influence, with blackcurrant and cherries. Dark malty background with some saddle leather from the brett accompanying.

Overall: An excellent start to what I hope will be a long and fruitful series of beers. Pack in lots of flavour, while remaining somewhat approachable for less seasoned sour beer drinkers.

Background: Dogfish Head describe this as a “neo-Berliner Weisse” and make an especial point of noting that “extreme beers don’t have to be extremely boozy.” Nonetheless, at 4.5% ABV this is on the boozy side for a Berliner Weisse, which is usually a small beer weighing in between 2.8 and 3.8% ABV. Another departure from tradition is the inclusion of peaches in the beer itself; while many like their BW served with a dash of flavoured syrup to cut the tartness (resulting from the action of the acid-producing bacterium Lactobacillus delbruckii during the fermentation process), this is done at serving time. If you dislike the yeast haze, a careful decanting should avoid stirring up the lees in the bottle.

Nose: Tart and lemony, with a bit of stone fruit and the barest hint of yeast.

Taste: Nice and tart, around the level of good lemonade. Peach, green apple, and lemon on a light, wheaty malt background fade into a puckering finish. Effervescent carbonation and a dry mouthfeel.

Overall: Very refreshing, with the peach quite restrained and natural tasting. Serve lightly chilled on a sweaty summer evening.

Background: Purported to be the first in a line of barrel aged beers from the brewery, this bottle-conditioned Arbor Brewing product is a blend of a young Belgian-style ale with a three-year-old barrel-aged sour ale.

Nose: Indistinct dark dried fruit, strawberry esters.

Taste: Malty and earthy, with overtones of orange and light spicy phenols. Very, very light lactic sourness, and a light barnyard leather funk to remind us that our friend Brettanomyces came along for the ride.

Overall: If you happen to have two of the 240 bottles of this, I’d recommend cellaring one for another year or so to let the wee bugs do their work. It’s decent now, but some age should give it more complexity.

Appearance: Medium brown body with a slight haze, coarse yellow-tinted head.

Smell: Very light nose-some vague fruitiness (maybe a hint of cherry) and sweet malt. A whiff of caramel.

Taste: Oak leads off, falling into vanilla and biscuit with some lightly sour cherry notes in the middle and a hint of brett on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated with a fairly light body. Very mild astringency in the finish.

Drinkability: Makes me think of a light Flanders Red. Fairly nice, if a bit uncomplicated.

Appearance: Reddish brown with a thin white head.

Smell: Black cherry fruitiness with mild acid character and hints of vanilla and oak.

Taste: Tart, acidic sourness in medium amounts on a background of sweet vanilla caramel. Intense cherry fruit, some oak character and yeast notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, medium carbonation. Light and crisp, with a long smooth finish.

Drinkability: Nice, well-balanced and refreshing. Will not be to everyone's taste, but I quite enjoyed it.

Background: Barrel aged, bottle conditioned pale ale from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan. Brewed “in the Grand Cru tradition” with coriander and grains of paradise.

Appearance: Nice light amber with a large rocky head that displays great retention.

Smell: Sweet malt with some sharp brett character, citrusy hops and hints of spice.

Taste: Medium hop bitterness on an earthy barnyard background with mild notes of oak. Mildly sweet amd slightly sour, some nice fruity yeasty notes and peppery spiciness complement the lemony citrus flavours quite well.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, lively carbonated.

Drinkability: Decent Belgian-style pale ale. Pairs nicely with a strong blue cheese and spicy Asian cuisine.