Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial

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

750ml bottle. Hazy brown with a tan head. Aroma is sour and earthy. Very strongly carbonated. The sour, earthy flavors of the yeast really came through. It’s very complex and there are lots of flavors in there that I’m sure I didn’t pick up on.

Bottle: Beautiful hazy amber pour with ample, creamy tan head. Lovely aroma of tart fruits and subtle underlying sweetness. Bright citruses, complex yeast/spice character, with an herbal suggestion. Very discrete underlying cocoa hint as well. Very complex. Creamy mouth feel with a nice sharp flavor. Upfront there’s some subtle cocoa roast background. There’s a lot of peppery spiciness and citrus tartness. Brett, white pepper, swiss cheese/lactic hints, lemon-rind, coriander, oak and a late, very subtle malt/roast hint and a crisp finish. Outstanding, complex. Jolly pumpkin is one of my current favorites!

Aroma is captivating, sour & tart, earthy & horsey, with waves of spice, dark fruits, citrus (mostly lemon-odd due to the usage of orange peels in the beer), cinnamon (very subtle-it takes a while to get, and it is more of a hint than a full aroma) and black pepper. 750ml bottle. Served @ 64° in a chalice. Pours dark red with a nice one fingered head. The first taste is sour cherry, wood, citrus, and vanilla with a great tartness. The middle is moderately bracing tartness, some alcohol heat (served entirely too warm), sour cherries, mysterious spices, red wine vinegar, and vanilla. The tartness is lingering along with a touch of the spice and the sour cherry flavor. Nice body on the beer, but it is very sour and more of a sipper. Jolly Pumpkins beers really are something special, though.

750ml $5.99 Binny’s Orland Maracaibo Especial pours a hazy, murky, deep crimson with glowing orange highlights. I can just barely make out some tiny, fast rising carbonation bubbles. A one finger off-white head forms on the pour and quickly falls to a skim coat with fat edges. Leaves nice sticky lacing after each drink. The aroma is fantastic with a big hit of sour cherries, peaches and pears up front. The upfront aromas are of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. The middle brings mild oak that leads flawlessly into cinnamon and the sweet orange peel listed on the label. As it warms the cocoa comes across faintly to finish things off. The aroma on this beer just pulls you in. Probably the best aroma from a Belgian Sour I’ve yet to come across. The flavor doesn’t quite live up to the aroma but it would be extremely tough to do so. Sour funky tart cherries lead the way trailed by a refreshing lighter, but still tart, underipe pear. Finishes off with tart green apple and all the wonderful spicing. Mild oak mid-palate followed by Mild cinnamon and a bigger dose of refreshing sweet orange peel. Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me but the faintest hint of cocoa seems to linger after the swallow. Champagne like mouthfeel. Light bodied with very active carbonation that creates a frothiness in the mouth. Puckeringly sweet up front leads to some resiual sugr to balance things out. Not quite as dry as expected. This beer is a thirst quencher. The sour and tartness leave you needing a sip right after your last. Vey satisfying with the perfect spicing. An incredible beer from Jolly Pumpkin. This is my favorite sampled from them so far. The crazy mix of spices work perfectly without one overshadowing the others. A great combination of sour and sweet make this an incredible, approchable beer. 10/12/07

From bottle : Pours a thick dark brown that is hazy with a glourious finger and a half white foamy beautiful head. I love the way the head feels on my mustache as a take a sip. Leaves wonderful lacing in cool swirly designs around the glass. A really nice, different aroma. Im smelling cinnamon, oak, dark and sour fruits, apples, spices, and a little hint of caramel. Palate is on the thin side. Has a spicey taste toward the beginning, some dry orange taste toward the middle, and im getting a little hint of alcohol toward the end, not to much though. Really quite yummy to sit around and sip on.

opaque, brown with a nice tan head. aroma of sour fruits, but also earthy musty hints. Prominently sour and carbonated, but overall balanced by the full malt character as well as the cornucopia of complexity including fruits, vinegar, must, chocolate, oak. A very well constructed complex artisan ale.

750 ml bottle via trade with jasonmech77 - Pours a hazy brown color with a one finger thick off white head. Light spotty lacing. Aroma is mainly lightly spiced esters (apple). Flavor is tart esters, spice, and light malt. Palate is TART! Medium body. I wanted to like this beer, but couldn’t get past the tartness. My friend, who I shared it with, said the same thing. I’m glad I had the chance to try it though. Thanks Jason.

Bottle. Musty barnyard and clove aroma. Cloudy orange-brown color with a giant head. Sour tart orange and dry musty malt flavor. Very nice - dry saison-like beer.