Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura

Bottle. I’m still confused about this beer. I’m not really sure what just happened. I wasn’t impressed at all. It does have a hint of tart aroma and flavor that accompanies a standard (but subtle) stout roasted maltiness, however it was overly carbonated in my opinion and fairly bland.

Bottle: pours a thick looking black with a big frothy tan head, aroma of chocolate, malt, coffee, some sourness too, taste is acidic, sour, bitter with a thin mouthfeel. Complex but I’m not sure this all works together - at least for my taste buds it doesn’t seem to be working.

750ml bottle from Whole Foods Hill Crest. Really dark thick black as night type of appearance.. Chunky off white head. Stays around quite a bit. Tastes really tangy. It tastes like coffee really really cold left over coffee sitting in a cup for a couple of days. Nose of really huge roasted malts and oats. Yep, the tang and bitterness really takes over. Quite crazy.

750 ml, batch 265. Foam everywhere in this black beer; won’t stop fizzing from the bottle even after pouring 10 minutes earlier! Sour cherry dominates the aroma, maybe some slight cocoa and dried wood. Flavor is also dominated by sour fruit and some acidic-metallic notes, but cocoa, coffee, and wood are noted. Heavy body is dry and occasionally smooth, when all the bubbles and air disappear. What a waste of good roasted malt. Try t’Smisje Catherine, Hercule Stout, or Troubador Obscura for so much better, balanced takes on a Stout with Belgian yeast.

Pours jet black with a huge, cascading brown head. Rich aroma of burnt coffee, chocolate, bourbon, leather, and sour yeast. Once this warmed, it was very good. Tons of roasted malt, with coffee, chocolate, currants, smoke, and oak. I could have done without the sour yeast. It drowns out whatever hop bittenress they intended. It doesn’t ruin the beer (like Avery 15) but it also doesn’t make it better. All in all, this is still a very good stout.