Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono (Autumn Fire)

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

KSBF 06. Not sure if this was an 05 or an 06 but it was pretty funky so Id guess the 05? Pours a cloudy yeasty bright orange/light amber with a great fluffy head and nice retention and lace. Aroma is slightly sour and lemony with lots of funky brett, horseblanket, mildewy and musty and lots of phenolicy spiciness. Tart sour cherry and farnhouse funk flavor, leathery, spicy, cloves, woody, oaky, some vanilla. More tartenss and sour in the end with pediococcus or sharp brett cherry pie like flavors. A bit astringency along with the tartness- almond-like or cherry pit harshness with a dry finish. THis was really cool and funky. Great stuff.

(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 drunk on 8/12/06.
The usual light gushing and huge amount of foamy, well-aerated head is produced here, with a thick layer of sediment left on the bottom. The head is a light-cornmeal color while the body is a deep copper-tangerine-peach, with gold-leaf highlights and some darker auburns. Medium-high to high clarity from leaving the sediment behind. Unlike some other JPs, however, the head is not as long-lasted, fading rather steadily to barely cover the liquid, with some blotchy lacing left behind.
Brett strikes forth in the nose, fruity and phenolic, with a light dose of nuttiness (wood tannins), some specks of cinnamon and brown sugar and then a fade-to-lacto, with a hard, sour, yogurt-like note. Quite strong in the nose, and the brett seems in peak/near-peak form, giving off hints of pear skins, limes, lemons and such. The malt is a little bit more difficult to discern, obviously being nearly all-attenuated, but certainly a softness of caramel residue, light vanilla cream notes and honey. Not overly spicy in the nose, nor would I ever pick out the chestnut, but there is an added zestiness. Wood character is very subdued in the nose. It all comes together very uniquely, nothing being too dominant, though aside from the wild yeasts, I think, perhaps, it’s a bit too reserved? No alcohol is apparent in the aroma.
The first sip is, again, unique for a Jolly Pumpkin beer. A fuzzy, aerated, rather large-bubbled carbonation immediately loosens things, providing more vacuousness than usual for these beers. Brett mixes with dry, tannic oak and is quickly supported by soft fruits (cherries, apricots, pears, peaches, nectarines) and further pale sugars. Lactobacillus influence is very light in this one, without nearly as much hard edge to the finish as many. Probably that this is still relatively young contributes to that factor. Whatever the reason, it’s quite drinkable, with the usual heavy brett and wood dryness offset by the light, but noticeable residual sugars. Some mildly herbal, somewhat leafy hops are noted, and the spices are extremely light. The mouthfeel had some problems, going from heavily carbonated (though not aggressively so) to quite undercarbonated, without much transition between the two. Still, with the low abv, and medium colored malts and a decided softness not found in many JP beers, I found it extraordinarily drinkable, much moreso than the bottle I had fresh (which was too sweet). Probably wouldnt want to let this one sit too much longer, unless you enjoy tons of lacto character.
Rerate on 2/3/07
Still as good as I remember, no problems in the aging thus far.

750ml bottle (Pikkulintu, Helsinki) - shared by oh6gdx - thanks!
Deep orange, small head. Bizarre aroma - odd fruitiness and brett acidity, but with a noticeable malt component too. Palate crisp. Orange taste, some dry spices too, old cloves perhaps, and a touch of soap. Sourness doesn’t fit in perfectly. Certainly interesting and well-made beer (though the brett is clearly not spontaneous, and sticks out a mile), but not my style.

Bottled. Thx marsiblursi. Deep golden with a large, beige head and yeast particles. Slightly roasted aroma with earth-notes. Stale with light sourness and notes of pepper.

750 ml green bottle poured a lightly hazy amber with a lasting ivory head. Aromas of oak, fruittiness, leather and spice. Palate was light to medium bodied smooth and lightly tart. Flavors of oak, leather, barnyard, fruittiness and light spice with a smooth lightly tart lingering bitter finish.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow & tupalev -- courtesy of GregClow. Pours a hazy deep orange with a large rocky off-white head. Very nice funky aroma with sour fruit, spices, yeast and oak. Flavour is also sour and funky with some citrus, spices, oak and yeast -- I didn’t really detect any chestnuts. Medium bodied. Another great Jolly Pumpkin beer!

Pours amber with a patchy white head, fizzy, and some spotty lacing. Aroma is sour fruit (citrus, cherry, raspberry), water logged wood, malt (meal), yeast (dough) and an alcohol nose. Medium bitterness, tart sweetness, low acidity, malty wood flavor, hint of vinegar and tart cherries. Medium bodied and fizzy, dry palate.