A Flowery Song

Background: The third batch of this collaborative brew to be made, but only the second to be released (the one brewed in Jolly Pumpkin’s facilities is undergoing extended barrel aging, like many of their beers). See my notes on the first here. This release uses the same recipe, but was brewed and aged at Nøgne Ø in Norway.

Nose: Prominent sage, hint of hops.

Taste: Sage and spicy rye on the first sip. Juniper influence makes itself felt. Medium hop bitterness in the finish. Solid nutty malt backbone.

Overall: Comparing my notes to last year’s, it’s evident that (as would be expected) these beers are fairly similar. I don’t have a perfect memory or another bottle to compare, but I think this one is slightly heavier and sweeter, and the alcohol isn’t particularly noticeable. What I said then stands: an intriguing and drinkable special beer, but not an everyday beer.

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: Collaborative brew between everyone’s favourite Michigan brewery, everyone’s second-favourite Norwegian brewery, and Stone. Brewed on Stone’s equipment, but the recipe was worked out via emails between the three head brewers and they all helped with the brewing. The recipe incorporates juniper berries from Italy (standing in for Norway, since they were unable to source any from there), white sage from California, and chestnuts from Michigan. In addition to the other spices, caraway seed was added as a complement to the 25% rye in the malt bill.

Nose: Green, herbal hops, followed by a touch of sage.

Taste: Lots going on. Very clear sage note, with spicy rye and juniper also quite evident. Caraway and a medium hop bitterness come through in the finish. Indistinct hop flavour; if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say an English hop variety. The 9% ABV starts to become evident after a few sips.

Overall: Very unique. Definitely not a session beer, but for an occasional taste sensation it’s quite nice. (Especially since I love sage.)

Background: A 7.5% ABV brown ale spiced with cacoa, orange peel, and cinnamon.

Appearance: Nut brown body with a few floaties, huge foamy tan and orange head. Even after I poured the first glass, the foam in the bottle insisted on crawling out the neck and sliding down the side.

Nose: Zesty, acidic, funky, and fruity.

Taste: Tart and tangy brettanomyces funk on a solid malt background with some definite oak influence. Toasted malt, light hop bitterness, plummy fruit, unsweetened cocoa, and some Belgian-like spiciness to round out the flavour.

Overall: It's very nice. Good acidity so it should pair well with a wide range of foods, but its complexity rewards slow sipping and contemplation.

Background: Christmas ale from Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire.

Appearance: The body is a deep bronzed amber, with a dense tan head.

Nose: Caramel malt, apple and cherry esters.

Taste: Very sweet, with caramel malt, some bready notes, fruity esters, and then a mild hop bitterness coming through in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Fairly light body, peppy carbonation.

Overall: Drinkable strong ale, but not exciting. At the price, I'd recommend giving it a pass and selecting something else.

Appearance: Deep, transparent brown with a fluffy off-white head.

Smell: Very spicy, loads of ginger and cinnamon with a hint of orange. Background is rich sweet malts.

Taste: Toasted malt on the front, spices from the nose following. In the middle we have a bit of caramel, a bit of toast, a bit of raisin, a bit of coffee. Background of fruity esters and a bit of generic hop character, with mild and balanced hop bitterness. Really quite a bit of ginger. Finish is short and nondescript.

Mouthfeel: Slightly oily medium body, crisp carbonation.

Drinkability: Pleasant, drinkable winter warmer.

Appearance: Pours with a coarse head that quickly dissipates. Body is crystal clear, coloured a nice medium brown with amber highlights.

Smell: Roasted caramel sweetness with some earthiness.

Taste: Malty, with some citrus and generic spice. Low hop flavour, medium bitterness. Soapy wheat character on the short finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy; full-bodied with medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Simple and direct. It's easy drinking, but not engendering much excitement in my breast.

Appearance: Opaque black with a serviceable brown head.

Smell: Huge malt nose. Very sweet, mainly roasted malts with a hint of fruit.

Taste: Smooth and nutty, with a touch of caramel on the front and coffee-like bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, mild carbonation. A bit of alcohol.

Drinkability: Quite high. It's not mindblowing, but it's definitely tasty.

This month's Session is hosted by Greg Clow of Beer, Beats & Bites, who selected “fruit beers” as the theme for this installment. Fruit beers occupy an interesting niche in the beer world, with a lot of people deriding them as girly or as attempts to cover up the taste in order to appeal to people that don't like beer. Having no such prejudices myself, I decided to cover two very different winter release beers made with cherries.

First up is the local boy: Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, MI produces a Cherry Stout, which is made from barley, malt, and cherry juice and clocks in at 8.5% ABV. Purchased as a single 12 oz. bottle for $2.59.

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Bell's Cherry Stout

Appearance: Deep, dark brown with a very slight red tint. Minimal reddish-brown head quickly dissipates.

Smell: A hint of roasted malt at the beginning is quickly overwhelmed by sweet and tart cherry aromas.

Taste: Malt presents mainly as cocoa, with a bit of coffee flavour. Sweet-tart cherry overlays the rest, but the flavour doesn't feel integrated at all. Sweet with a sharply sour bite from the cherries. The finish is fairly pleasant, and sticks around for a while.

Mouthfeel: A bit light for a stout, but a good level of carbonation.

Drinkability: Persistently mediocre. Not bad, but not good either.

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Well, that was a bit disappointing. Let's hope the next beer will do better.

The second is Quelque Chose, a spiced cherry ale from Unibroue in Quebec. This beer is made with roasted malt, and whole cherries are soaked for months in a mildly bitter ale before being blended into the beer. 8% ABV, purchased in a 75 cl bottle for $9.99; the bottle is marked as best before 7-17-2021.

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Unibroue Quelque Chose

Appearance: A vigorous pour produces no head whatsoever. Deep garnet in colour, slightly cloudy.

Smell: A bit of citrus, some sweet cherry. Mild cinnamon and allspice notes.

Taste: Sweet cherry at the beginning, Christmasy spices start to come through in the middle. Hints of plum. Slightly tart, but mainly just sweet.

Mouthfeel: Thin and syrupy, with minimal carbonation.

Drinkability: Oh, it's definitely drinkable. Beautifully balanced clean flavour, but a nagging question remains: where's the malt? This is definitely pushing the boundaries of what I would consider to be a beer. It's delicious, but the taste is so centered on the fruit that it's more like a wine than an ale.

Appearance: Clear copper body with an off-white head that quickly dissipates.

Smell: Sweet and fruity, some hop aroma and spice.

Taste: Caramel and malt, with subtle cinnamon and ginger notes. Medium hops. Finish is short and malty, with some orange undertones.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, high carbonation.

Drinkability: A bit past its prime, but still quite good.