UPDATED: MAY 17, 2022 Very hazy golden and straw coloured body with a super large, billowy four to five centimetre tall pure white head that covers the beer nicely and fades slowly, while leaving a nice subdued lace on the sides of the glass. Aroma of bretty and soured funk with some light hay, grass, flowers and raspberries with a light hit of sugars and fruits make this seemingly nice, but again, still very light and mild, in the nose at least. Light-bodied; Strong grassy, floral and especially perfumey flavours show at first with a big spontaneously fermenting dry and saison-like bite with some noticeable sweetness from fruits and a bit of apples, pears and strawberries here, too. Aftertaste shows a big component of wheat, yeast, grass, flowers and funkiness with a light dose of sugars and fruits, but the complexity from the yeast alone is very nice and enjoyable. Overall, about what you'd expect from a beer from Jolly Pumpkin with the majority of the flavours and especially the complexity from the yeast alone, but the fruits here are nice and add to the complexity with the light and easy-drinking nature making this more of a beer for late Spring/early Summer, which is exactly when I bought it and I'm drinking it (some four years after the fact). I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased from Habersham Beverage Warehouse in Savannah (Abercorn Street), Georgia on 04-May-2018 for US$13,99, brewed on 11-April-2017 and sampled at my house a bit more than four years later on 16-May-2022.

UPDATED: JUN 2, 2020 Obtained at Gerrard’s Market from Redlands, California for $17.99, Phuket: It’s Not That Far From Laos is a saison ale with jasmine rice, palm sugar, lemon peel, and lime peel crafted in collaboration between Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales from Dexter, Michigan and Gigantic Brewing Company from Portland, Oregon. The fragrance of saison, musty funk, and lemon are felt upon the nose. The appearance is an orange amber that pours a finger of white head. Lights shifts the color to yellow while revealing cloudiness and a lot of sediment. The alcohol content is 6%. Saison is light and effervescent in tone. A wild yeast gives off a moderate, musty funk and provides a fair lactic feel upon the yeasty mouthfeel. Palm sugar slightly sweetens the drink and assists its sugar tinge to the lactic comprehension. Lemon peel offers a soft, bitter pith to the saison and wild yeast body. Lime peel adds a bitter sweetness to the take and complimentary to the lactic and saison complexion. Jasmine rice offers a rice feel on the mouthfeel and gives off the herbal quality of jasmine. Phuket: It’s Not Too Far From Laos is a splendid saison. Saison, funky and lactic wild yeast, palm sugar, lemon peel, lime peel, and jasmine rice merge into a unique craft beer. The pithy lemon peel, bitter sweet lime peel, and lactic wild yeast harmonizes beautifully on the take. The lactic touch is softened by the yeasty body and gets accentuated by the palm sugar. The jasmine rice flavor persists no matter the temperature you drink this beer at. The sour is easy to experience for a fan of sour beer; and a 2.7 out of 5 for a newcomer, except it is gentle at room temperature. The water quality makes this libation easier to drink on top of the drinkable sour venture. I cherished every single drink and enamored by the complexity and depth to this collaboration. Cheers. Prost. Drink for the love of beer. For more beer reviews, visit and like my blog “Drink For the Love of Beer.”

UPDATED: JUN 27, 2019 Bomber. Nose is pineapple, lime, orange. Glowing pastel golden-orange, with lace. Spicy, herbal flavor, grass, orange. Funky and bright. Great.

UPDATED: JUN 13, 2019 Bottle, gusher. Hazy golden color with white head. Aroma is lime, fresh yeast, pineapple. Taste is fresh lime, pineapple, nice interesting herbal character, rice and koji, dry finish. Silky mouthfeel with high carbonation. Very nice!

UPDATED: JUN 12, 2019 Hazy golden/amber. Aroma is pineapple coconut lime. Taste is light but very sour and bitter yeasty funky. Easy drinkable and good body. Nice.

UPDATED: JUN 12, 2019 Golden yellow, bottle was overflowing, quite fizzy. Classic sour farmhouse aroma. Bitter for a sour; seems like a lot of bittering hops which is my only negative impression of this beer. Otherwise, smooth and clean sour, really one to try.

UPDATED: JUN 12, 2019 Gushing bottle. Cloudy yellow, low white head. Lightly tart pineapple, citrus, bretty, foamy medium body, dry, perfume, congee, flowery, almond, leather retronasal. Bottle.

UPDATED: JUN 12, 2019 Bottle courtesy of the RB group München, Wednesday 12th June 2019. Pours rather hazy yellowy gold, fruity zippy, sour peaches, unripe apricots, dry, furry, fuzzy. Good, really. Good.

UPDATED: FEB 27, 2019 duft saison funk lime smag citrus lime frisk fersken saoson gær let drikkelig

UPDATED: JAN 20, 2019 Brown bottle, 750 ml, 04/11/2017, from and with Chantal Trudeau (merci!), savoured on January 21 2018; eye: peach, hazy, no effervescence, minuscule ring of off-white head, no lacing; nose: fruity, light wild yeasts, light woody, fresh, light musk; mouth: fruity, light wild yeasts, light woody, fresh, light musk, semi-dry finale in wild yeasts with light medicinal presence, medium body, good carbonation, lightly bitter, slick texture; overall: fine

FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 750 ml, 04/11/2017, de et avec Chantal Trudeau (merci!), savourée le 21 janvier 2018; œil : pêche, trouble, pas d’effervescence, minuscule anneau de mousse blanc cassé, pas de dentelle; nez : fruité, léger levures sauvages, léger boisé, frais, léger musc; bouche : fruité, léger levures sauvages, léger boisé, frais, léger musc, finale semi-sèche en levures sauvages avec légère présence médicinale, corps moyen, bonne carbonatation, légèrement amère, texture coulante; en résumé : bien