Friends With Benefits
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: Playground BrewerySour / Wild Beer - Flavoured Rotating
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Score
7.52
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This saison was fruited to death with Korean black raspberries (Bokbunja), blackberries, and raspberries. The light saison base allows for the berries to shine or maybe it’s the 31 pounds of fruit per barrel of beer! Friends With Benefits pours a brilliant purple hue and is bursting with notes of fresh raspberries and blackberries, mild Jolly funk, and moderate acidity.
Collaborating with Playground Brewery has been a rich and rewarding experience for so many members of our team, it’s hard to know where to start.
We helped them source, install, and commission their brewery, giving some of us the chance to see another part of the world and get immersed in a new culture in the process.
Their Head Brewer Richard has spent time here with us training, and giving us insights into South Korean culture and life. We learned while he learned. The best kind of exchange.
Our chef visited them, and came back inspired to create whole new menus for us. Come visit us in Dexter (once we open our restaurant here) for a taste!
Saison with black raspberries, blackberries, and raspberries added!
Cheers & Mahalo plenty!
Ron Jeffries, Founder and Chief Squeegee Operator
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Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
2025 can from Livonia Liquor. Pours an unclear red plum purple with a small bit of pink colored head that dissipates. Nice lacing on the glass. Aromas of raspberry and blackberry skin and fruit with some light vinegar and oak aromas as it warms. Palate is similar with lots of raspberry fruit, skin and seed flavors. Finish is dry and tart.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
A lightly hazed burgundy red ale with a thin lacing creamy off white. In mouth, a sweet fruity malt with light lemon, berry jam, light Epsom salts, very nice. In mouth, a sweet fruity berry with light acidity and chalky notes, very nice. On tap at Mikkeller SFO.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
7 oz pour shared at Snallygaster 2018. Dark reddish with off-white head. Aromas of berries, cherries. Tastes of berries, cherries, tart acidic notes. Light body with a dry finish.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Draft at Snallygaster DC 2018. Poured a slightly hazy, medium-hued ruby red color with a small white head. Aroma was nice raspberry notes. Slight woody vanilla barrel character. Light tartness. Very pleasant.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Wonderful stuff. Citrus and tangerine. Some lime. Pours hazy orange with good head and lacing. Tangy finish. Wonderful. Tap at Snally.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/8/2018. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red, light pink/purple color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky light pink head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy blackberries, raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, cranberry, blueberry, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, Korean berries, oak barrels, and pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy blackberries, raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, cranberry, blueberry, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang; and light yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy berries, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, pepper, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, Korean berries, oak barrels, and pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with minimal puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness, tangy fruit, yeast/oak spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, acidic/tangy/tannic, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.7%. Overall this is an awesome fruited sour saison! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, Korean berries, oak barrels, and pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish, not overly lactic. Awesome balanced of jammy Korean berries, Brett/bacteria complexity, oak, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Doesn't quite feel like the classic JP house profile I am accustomed to, so might be a different wild culture. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Tap @ Mig & Ølsnedkeren, 6%. Clear deep red with tiny head. Aroma is malt, fruit, berries, lemon and tart. Flavour is malt, berries, barrel, medium sweet, lemon, citric, little dry and sour.