Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono (Autumn Fire)

Amazing looking rocky tan head on a murky brown and red body. Inviting, pungent nose of funky spiced nuts and bread, along with some sour apple and honey, and some cedar and oak barrel. Sourness is a bit lower than expected from the nose - lightly prickly on the tongue, somewhat acitic, but also very smooth, especially on the back, with some mellow, soft chestnut/acorn/walnut flavors, along with some banana bread and spiced cider. A very nice beer.

Gusher alert! As soon as I opened it a foam river shot it of top. I poured maybe an ounce into a pint glass that quickly over flowed. After about 10 minutes the foam finally subsided from the pint glass but it still took awhile to pour a full pint. Now to the rating. Poured dark red with huge white head. Aroma of cinnamon and spice. Good cinnamon flavor to start with some fruit hints. Finished with some spice.

Popped off the cap and a steady flow of foam came out and wouldn’t stop - I had to pour it into 3 separate glasses. After all that, I had a glass of a muddy dark red clay-colored brew with an off-white head. Right off the bat, this smells the least funky of the JP brews I’ve had to date (all but the Calabaza). The light funk is there along with a nuttiness and some fall spices. The taste was pleasantly funky, dancing around on the palate and complimenting the spices. The finish is dry and there’s more sour on the back end than I expected. Probably the most subtle of JP’s brews.

Jimmack Invitational 07. Murky brown with a small to medium head, long lasting. Aroma of ginger, chestnuts, caramel, funky brett, sour cherry. Taste is moderately tart, sour cherry and brett, spices such as ginger, chestnuts, and caramel. Everything was pretty well balanced in this beer. Finishes lightly tart, with lingering spice.

Poured a hazy brown color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of chestnuts, caramel malts, light brett, leather, and a bit of cherry. Taste of caramel malts, light nuts, toffee, and faint spices, with a light tartness throughout. Not sure when this was bottled, but I seem to have caught it before the bugs completely took over... which is a very good thing in this case!

750 mL bottle shared with Ben (thanks), served at cellar temp in a tulip glass. SE09/07

App.: Dirty brown-copper, some dark chunks of yeast, large light tan head, good lacing. Aroma: Bright and tangy, light funk, somewhat fruity, very light spice (particularly white pepper). Palate: Medium body, medium-full effervescence, light powderiness. Flav.: Quite herbal, almost minty, some cinnamon, a bit nutty; tangy and bright, nice bitterness and a bit of caramel malt; a little alcohol and some light herbal hops.

This was a GUSHER. Lost a good third of the bottle. Quaffable but not mind-blowing at this point. I’d like to try another bottle to be sure I got the real deal.

My first experience with a JP Artisian or Farmhouse style Ale. Took a little gettin’ used to, but as the glass and bottle was consumed this brew became increasingly more enjoyable. Poured a slightly hazy pumpkin orange color. Created a thick and hefty, whipped cream-like head with superb retention. Lots of foam continued to emerge from the bottle after the initial pour into my chalice, so be prepared to keep your glass full! Thick sheets of lacing coated the glass as it drained. I found the initial aromas to be VERY funky at first. Like walking into a barn filled with dirt, mud, hay and a few horses and their saddle blankets. Other than that some pleasant notes of caramel malts, roasted chestnuts, green apples, lemon peel, fresh cut oak and spices greet the nose. An interesting array of smells to say the least. Loved the mouthfeel. Not overtly thick but full, round and creamy with a lively spritz. Flavors were much like the aroma. Initially I picked up quite a bit of a funky sourness which almost made me wonder if the beer was infected. But as I continued on and the beer warmed luscious flavors of nuts, caramel, various spices, oak, earth and a touch of hoppy bitterness were enjoyed. Finishes with a pleasant tart hoppy/woody bitterness. If you’re a fan of this style I would guess this is a real winner.

750mL, no date from (I think) shigadeyo, thanks Craig! Narrowly avoiding certain disaster due to foaming over this poured a hazy dirty orange copper and a three finger rocky light beige head, good retention. Aroma of lemon, brett, grapefruit rind up front with plenty of oak and funk. Flavor had a bit more spicy pepper and I think I just burped up some fall leaves, though I could just be making it up. Between the lemon and all of the funkiness this tends to be fairly tart, though not really that acidic. Dry finish with a little vanilla poking through. Overcarbonated, as most JP brews are, with a medium body. The damn bottle kept oozing over with foam throughout the duration like a science experiment.