Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono (Autumn Fire)

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

75cL, batch 244,245. Pours a drop dead gorgeous deep golden orange with dense stark white foam, phenomenal lacing and retention. Aroma is at first a little wild with some sharp acidic notes, then some nice nutty malt notes appear and just a little hint of pear skins in there also. Flavor follow the aromas line of attack, big and bretty from the start with a beautiful slightly nutty malt intermission followed by a some sharp fruit skin bitterness to finish it all off. Easily the most enjoyable and drinkable JP I’ve had and that’s no knock against their lineup, this was a damn fine beer!

200th Rating of this beer, good work JP. 750ml Bottling 3, 2007, Purchased today @ La Jolla Bev Mo. Zero gush, after driving around with me in my trunk today, zero gush, zero! Pours a really nice orange with a 1 finger tan head. Nose has lots of yummy bretty sourness and it smells pretty damn good. Taste is spiced and sweet and sour and tart and prickly. This is a good beer, not that I expect anything less from Jolly Pumpkin but damn this is nice.

Bottle into Corsendonk tulip; purchased at Green’s in Atlanta. Bottle is a gusher (the first I’ve ever experienced), just kept foaming over like a Mr. Wizard volcano. The smell of woody brett was all over the place. Smells like warm apples and apricot when you stick your nose in the glass. Very woody in the mouth, not as acidic as I expected from the smell. Dry and cob-webby but also juicy; a nice texture. Medium bodied. Spicy on the end. Good beer.

bottle. this didn’t gush as much as i’m used to from jolly pumpkin. it pours a hazy honey color with a sizable off-white head that sticks around a bit and leaves some decent lacing. nose dominated by a sweet amber malt, with a big fruit profile and lots of funk. spicy pears and melons and lemons abound, mixing with a grassy floral hop. nice laid back malty taste with some spice, and more lemon and melon, but this time with a bit of strawberry or some other sweet red fruit. the hops come out a lot more in the taste. big notes of grassy, piney, and floral hops give it an almost pale ale type ending. incredibly dry finish, with a lightly tart sweetness and a great hop bitterness. medium-bodied, highly carbonated, and oh-so-quenching. eminently drinkable. this stuff is satisfying my thirst more than gatorade did earlier in the day. and there’s not another beer that’s anything like it. this is why i like jolly pumpkin.

750 mL, capped bottle from jrob_21 - thanks, Jonathan! Probably the biggest gusher I’ve ever had (and I’m getting fed up with JP!) - would be surprised if I got more than 5 or 6 ounces out of the bottle. Muddy, protein-filled ruddy-brown body, but still letting light through, head is lacing and a crystalline, pretty rocky beige, while it lasts. Aroma is dominated by JP’s brand of Belgian yeast, soft and slightly dusty with more caramel and candy than fruit...but a gentle blend, on the whole. With time, some light gueuze-like acidity and slight lactose. Taste is very yeasty and very dry, with a smooth Saison-ish spice. Wild, untamed yeast; sligthly woody with no apples in sight. No sign of alcohol, either - not even a light warming. Medium-full body is smooth and has some classy Orval notes. A really, really nice aftertaste, tart and dry and spicy. Anger (and laughter) aside - though I think I’m going to have to limit my JP consumption to the vat alone - this is an ale with a far more developed flavor profile than anyone would guess from the abv ... but also one that lacks distinction and seems has a slightly too-strong "clone" aspect.

(Bottle - 75 cl, thanks Marsiblursi!) Sampled on February 16 - 2008. Shady yeast particle copper color, tan head. Extremely gushing bottle, had to wipe the floor a bit. Scent has Brettanomyces / Belgian wild yeast feel to it; acidic almost lambic like scent. Acidic and wood taste, some apples. Spritzy mouthfeel, low bitterness.

Bottle (75 cl), thanks to marsiblursi. Hazy amber with a large frithy head. Spicy and fruity with nutmeg, some roasted notes (from the chestnuts?) and wodden notes. Medium bodied with soft mouthfeel. Slightly acidic, very dry. A bit Orval-like, and very well done.

Pours cloudy, orange-brown, with a fine-white head. Aroma is spicy, a lot of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other "spicy spices" are in there. Rather sour smelling. Light-moderate mouth feel. Strong sour quality to the flavor. Spicy flavors with some citrus bitterness in there. Interesting.