Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono (Autumn Fire)

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: FEB 24, 2009 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.

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2011 Any first impressions?
-A creamy head settles over the muddy dusk.
-Orangey citrus fruit and accompanying herbal spices, comforted by a nutty sweetness, lie on classy wooden flooring.
-Chestnuts obviously provide most of the beer’s sweetness, emboldened by an otherwise meditative spicy flavoring.
-The carbonation is ample but delicate, exactly how these Belgian ales should be carbonated.

What if you dig deeper?
-The fruity, nutty sweetness isn’t overdone, agreeing with the subtle, intelligent tartness.
-The wooden dryness softly drops the curtain.
-All in all, this is a quite humble spectrum of flavors.
-Another Jolly Pumpkin success, an understated but serene and well-brewed creation.

Bottles; no date.

A: The pour is a slightly hazed peach color with a large white head, maybe just a bit off-white. S: The nose has the signature tartness of Jolly Pumpkin with a lot of hibiscus notes to it. Quite a bit of funkiness to it with notes of hay and wet oak. There’s a bit of a lemon zest note to it, too. T: A strong flavor of chestnuts comes through and provides a strongly "meaty" flavor. The tartness here is minor, but certainly noticeable. Again, lots of floral notes, specifically hibiscus, with a bit of rose petals. Quite a bit of spice to it, also, but I don’t really notice anything in particular. M: The body is medium with a medium but lively carbonation. D: Even for a Jolly Pumpkin beer, this is pretty interesting. I liked it quite a bit, but it’s definitely different from most of their beers.

This is the 1st of a roughly 100 beer backlog to be rated by the King of Suds. Bottle from Craft Ale. Pours clear deep caramelly coppery with 2-finger off-white head. Nose is earthy peaty, malty, with some piney and sour mashy fruit notes. Tastes tart, fruity, with earthy, nutty, and spicy notes at forefront, and a balanced malt late. Not terribly complex or palate hefty, this one is enjoyable but not an earth beater. I would not pay 20 bucks for this again, whatever that is worth.

2 year old bottle at GTMW. Poured almost clear medium caramel with a tall, well-retained cap of off-white head. Soft nutty sweetness pairs well with spicy yeast and some Brett on the first impression on the nose.. definitely getting more sour and complex as it ages.. bit of lemon peel comes through right in the end.. warm and inviting. Flavor was skewed toward the sour side, which I am perfectly OK with!.. sweet caramel and chestnuts at the core with lemon and vinegar notes emanating outward.. left a toasty chestnut and sour lemon finish. Medium-bodied with pervasive and well-executed sour notes around. Great stuff!

750 mL bottle, batch 335, from the Whole Foods Market Bowery-NYC location over a year ago. Pours a hazy amber color with floating particles and a large tan head. Good head retention and excellent lacing. Aroma of tart citrus, mild funk, caramel, berries and spices in the finish. The taste is caramel, mild funk, citrus, brown sugar, cherries and spices. Medium bodied. Interesting beer.

2011-11-12. Hazy orange body with a small white head. 3+ Crisp medium sourness in the flavour has a pleasant zip to it that lingers in the aftertaste, but simple it is fairly subtle, but lovely. 7+ Pleasant lightly funky aroma is lightly floral and sour. 7+ Average plus bodied palate. Very enjoyable. On tap at Jolly Pumpkin Cafe, Ann Arbor

(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 @ home. Dark burnt red-orange appearance with a medium to large sized orange-cream colored head. Quite sour aroma on top of a spicy Belgian ale-style smell. Flavor has medium amber maltiness, fairly well spiced with a pretty sour fruity sourness. Fairly sour and somewhat spicy finish.

Bottle courtesy of northerntimber. Pours brown with a thin white head. Smells of perfume, wild sourness, cherries and spicy. Tastes sour with lemony elements. As the beer warms, caramel and peppery splashes emerge. Finishes of tarte cherries.