I'm Back/ Jolly Pumpkin de Viento

Well, it may have taken some time, but I am officially back!  The summer was full of beer fun and me trying to concentrate on being a real human.  Obviously, I am sick of that and am once again dedicated to not acting my age!  Told you it would happen, sucker!

So with new residence in Chicago and a new year, I grabbed a new beer.  Jolly Pumpkin de Viento struck my eye because of my questionable obsession with Jolly Pumpkin and simply because I had not seen it before.  So lets get to it.

Jolly Pumpkin de Viento


Appearance- A dark brown, but not quite an opaque black. There are red tinges along the edges where the light shines through. A tan foamy head is resilient and looks slightly creamy. Decent lacing as well.

Smell- Smell is not as strong as I expected. The smell of coffee and roasted malts is moderate in strength. There is a lingering tart smell in the background. It also seems as if there is a slight bandaid or plastic smell as well.

Taste- Once again, the beer starts with a coffee roast taste, but the strength leaves you wanting a little more punch. It has the slight peppery taste of the saison towards the end. The end of the beer brings just the slightest tart flavor (the least amount I have experienced in a Jolly Pumpkin). More prominent is a plastic or bandaid taste, but it is not overpowering. 

Mouthfeel- Medium mouthfeel with a dry finish like you would expect from a saison. Carbonation is smooth.

Overall- This generally leaves you wanting more from one of the ends: i.e. more roast and coffee or more sour and funk. Unfortunately this gets stuck somewhere in the middle. That being said, still enjoyable and a weird concept as well.

From the bottle: "March 15th, 2012 a tornado tore through Dexter, missing the brewery, but not all of our neighbors.  What could we do to help?  Hmmm.  We do know how to make beer.  So make a beer is what we did.  This beer.  Teaming up with co conspirators Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, Schera's Algerian Restaurant and The Abu Nawas Beverage Company to create a collaborative beer like none other.  A dark and smoky sour Saison full of rich aromatic coffee and the spicy heat of a secret Algerian spice blend. "  Also nice to not that proceeds go to the Dexter Relief Fund!

Well speaking of funds, I am shamelessly going to plug myself.  I am growing a mustache in for the month of November in order to raise money for prostate cancer research. (Movember!)  Please think about about donating and make fun of how ridiculous I look.  http://mobro.co/kevinlolli

Also, the good news is, I still am terrible at designing webpages/blogs!  Woo!