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!
Also, the good news is, I still am terrible at designing webpages/blogs! Woo!
Classy. Six months later, you're back. I think I've officially doubled your posts with batches of beer. I'll drink to that!
ReplyDeleteCheck that: current trends indicate an almost 3 to 1 ratio between beers I've brewed and your posts, well up from the initial equalling I laid claim to much earlier in the year. Can you feel the love?
ReplyDeleteblah blah blah, can it
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