Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Saison
Dexter, Michigan USA

Serve in Tulip

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Mahogony color with a thick head and good retention. Can’t pinpoint the aroma. Medium sourness for taste and a bit thin on the palate. Overall, not my style of beer. Would suit pairing with a meal instead of drinking on its own.

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a tulip. Bam Noire does not need much encouragement to get out of the bottle; it does not explode out, but continues to rise up in the bottle and flow over after I pour the first glass. In my tulip, Bam Noire has a walnut brown color with ruby accents along the edge of the glass. There is a huge tan cap that takes a minute or two to settle to a more reasonable level. There is a typical Jolly Pumpkin funky tartness in the nose. Each beer I have from them seems to put a harness on the sour notes to give the beer a more balanced flavor and aroma. Some dried cherries and leathery funk provide the wild aspect to the aroma, which is fairly mild. The flavor has a bit of wheat bread and dried cherries up front, with the cherry drying out into a tart and slightly acetic flavor. There are notes of spice and oaky tannins later in the sip as well. It finishes with a bit more leather and funk. It is a bit lighter in the body than I was expecting. It is so carbonated that I had to pour most of the bottle out right after I opened it, but the carbonation settled down once it was in the glass. There is not much of a progression in mouthfeel from start to finish; it has a very brief sweet feel, but it is generally dry and tart. This is not one of my favorite Jolly Pumpkin beers. Someone who appreciates a gentle, restrained sour beer may like this better, but I prefer their more potent offerings.

Bottle->stem. Murky medium brown, thin white head. Aroma is some funky bret with hints of vinegar. Taste is sour, but less bright/tart than the aroma. Bretty,bitter aftertaste.

Draft. Poured an amber-brown color with a small off-white head. Aroma is a touch citrus, with some slightly funky brett notes, and malts. Flavor is a little thin, but quite enjoyable none the less, citrus notes, some lightly toasted malts. Pretty smooth and enjoyable.

Draught at the Blind Tiger NYC sept 2012. Brown, hazy beer with a small offwhite head. Hoppy, berry and sourish aroma. Sourish berries, citrus flavour.

Have already had the Bam Day, now time for Night! Unlike the other this pours very frothy. Similar tangy grapefruit notes, but more subdued, with a maltiness that is more present. A nice combination, but is a little thin, and could use an ABV over 5 instead of below to add some kick to its tanginess. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aroma of strong brett and sour mash. Lots of sourness in aftertaste. Pours hazy dark copper - not quite noire, but dark for a saison. Ok but lacks character amidst all the other Jolly Pumpkins. Glad to hook this up on a free sample - these bottles are always way overpriced. On tap at Slow’s bbq.

1/2011 bottle. And it popped open and was quite the gusher. Got a full glass of head and it kept coming out of the bottle. Pours dark reddish brown with, well, a huge head. Aroma is spicy and sweet with a nice mellow roast. Taste is lightly tart, with a bit of metallic vinegar. Nice roastiness. Fairly mellow for a JP beer.

Nice refreshing brew, sour sweet with an excellent finish for a beer of this style. Highly recommend trying this beer ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

750ml bottle (K Kamppi, Helsinki)
Pours a lovely deep mahogony, and has a large tight self-supporting spongy head. Plenty of lacing too. Initially, there’s a slightly vinegary tinge to the aroma, which I don’t like so much. It’s followed by more funky aromas, some musky and sweaty horse-blanket and leather. Quite crisp in the mouth, a little watery, and with quit e high carbonation. Decent dry roast in the body, a little burntish, slight sourness in the taste, but fortunately no aceticity. Some funkiness, and a little soapiness in the retronasals, but once you’ve swallowed that goes and the roast takes over for the finish. Anna said she detected some more vinegar in the finish, but I didn’t, it was limited to the early aroma. Not the best brew to come out of JP, but not a disaster either. A pleasant sipper, but perhaps a little watery. One to go with food, I think. A nice ham would be my choice. Wow - I was right - it goes brilliantly with nice fatty pork scratchings!