Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (The Firefly)

Decade topper. The beer - a living organism - spurts forth its excitement upon opening, issuing a sampler of its sure to be generous head. Indeed, the head amply more than matches the volume of beer poured, looking regally staisfied in the well-proportioned tulip glass. An aroma unlike one I recall encountering before, green apple hoppiness, with a squeeze of palpably sour citrus. A touch of sweetness from the green apple bracing the sourness. Exquisite. The head becomes chunky as is slowly fades, leaving jubilant, patterned lacing behind. The warm up to this beer is a phenomenon in itself, justifying what must by now be many hours of patience with much lesser brews. It may be the only, or one of the only, perfect scores I have given to aroma to date. The beer is no letdown in the flavor - one you could suck down like a dionysiac if you were inclined to decadent debauchery, or slowly savor were you inclined to maximize your hedonic and perceptual experience. The collisions of hops and sourness from the yeast generate a refined fruit flavor that is quite enjoyable to the seasoned palate. This is not the easiest to get in these parts but with any luck I will drink it every year to commemorate my life. (It’s a good adult substitute for friendly’s mint ice cream pie, with the green label & flavor.) Simply a wonderful idea, flawlessly executed. Now, they simply need to age this in some kind of cherry sugar soaked cask and I will give it a 5. (Ed: The second glass, by the time I poured it, the bottle had already developed its own second protruding head. Nothing like enjoying that with some cheesy midi celebration tunes provided by ratebeer...!)

Shimmering amber with a long-lasting white head, lacing. The brain registers minor citrus on the nose, then some caramel and malt tucked in the back. Yeast is throughout. Then the beer shifts gears and slams it out of the park with mother nature funk, like an earthy, clay sulfur/egg/barnyard thing. Belts are totally fastened now... and the flavor is Bruce Lee confidently kicking ass: sweet orange, lemon, apple, and spice cruising down a highway of pepper-dusted wood, yeast sitting shotgun. I think urine is locked in the trunk and hop bitterness is trying to ride the bumper. Medium-bodied and perfectly carbonated, the palate is refreshing and conclusive the way steak done right melts in one’s mouth. This is the US’s answer to Orval.

Oak, vanilla, nutty marzipan and market-fresh vegetables in the aroma along with a beautiful brett character. Hazy, burnished golden-copper coloured body with decent off-white head that recedes to generous and lasting fine-bubbled cover with some nice lacing. Earthy, musty, light barnyard, but clean tasting with a nice peppery spiciness and some minty notes and some flowery hops. Brett character is also very apparent in the flavour and lingering in the aftertaste. Fair bitterness in the finish. Beautiful soft texture and mouthfeel with fine-bubbled carbonation that stimulates the tongue and opens the tastebuds. I just want to bathe in this one. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere. Original rating (8-3-8-5-16=4.0), resampled Mar-06 and bumped the score up dramatically.

In short: A soft but complex brett and barrel marriage.
How: Botle 750ml, various vintages, various aging.
The look: cloudy dark golden body with a medium off-white head
In long: Super marriage of Brettanomyces and barrel. Extra-comfortable cushiony body. Some dried fruits, a few orange peels, a little woody caramel and a pinch of white pepper. Overall barnyard sensation. But it’s really the Brett and barrel that makes this beer. Despite being very bretty the Luciernaga doesn’t come with any of the sourness of other brett bombs (Bam Biere, Sanctification, etc.). Think Orval without the hops. This is a soft beer but what it lacks in intensity it more than makes up with complexity and originality. Drinking that thing makes me feel happier than a redneck in a sheep-fold.

Beautiful copper-orange in colour, very large off-white coloured head, excellent lacing. The aroma is of apples, yeast, very bretty, lambicy, floral and spicy. The flavour is peppery and spicy, yeasty, bretty, some barnyard, earthy, musty, oranges and peaches, light coriander. Lightly sweet mouthfeel, medium body, high but still soft carbonation. Finishes long, floral and spicy. Very Orval like, lots of green apples and brett. The bottle exploded when I opened it, its a good this I decided not to open it next to my computer. Absolutely fantastic.

750ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=21222 target=blank>OhioDad, thanks Scott.
Opened on July 12, 2007.
No best before date.