Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Many thanks to Pailhead for this - cloudy straw color, with moderate lace of large bubbles - quite a floral and fruity aroma, some orange marmalade, bourbon, oak, light earthiness - soft carbonation - bourbon comes through throughout, interspersed with waves of other flavors - light fruit, like lemon, apple, pear - flowers, like heather, lavender - mild tartness and wood in the finish - lingering flowers on the tongue - this is really well-made stuff.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Re-rate based on bottle.Deep opaque brown/black body, thick ochre head. Sourish aroma with roasted malts and dark fruits. Quite roasty, which wasn’t what I picked up in my sample at the MI Beer Fest earlier this year, with a bitter dark chocolate characteristic and hints of coffee, oddly balanced by the sourish, funky yeast strain. Oaky, bitter finish. I’ll stick with my earlier rating. This is still a difficult marriage of sour and roast.
Sampled at the Michigan Winter Beer Fest, Lansing. Dark brown body, thin off-white head. Tart yeasty aroma with hints of chocolate. Sour body with notes of chocolate and tart dark fruits. The sourness really obscures the complexity. I guess that’s ironic, isn’t it? Good but a tad disappointing.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Bam Bière from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Hazy yellow-orange body, medium off-white head. Excellent, complex aroma with white grape, banana, tangy breads, a hint of lemon, and a sour twang imparted by the yeast. Spice present but light. Light, bready, fruity body, characterized by bubblegum and light apple. Quaffable, tasty, and well-made.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
2004 bottle, batch 1 from SuIIy shared with Muzzlehatch on 2/18/06. The beer is a very deep amber in the glass with bright strawberry red tints, beige and tan highlights and a bit of dark chestnut through the middle of the body. Low carbonation and an immediately fizzling head of deep beige color that forms a ring on the glass, providing light, spotty lacing.
The nose is dominated by bourbon and wood notes. Thick buttery coconut, light peaty notes, tart pineapple-like notes and fair vanilla as well. I actually get less high alcohol notes in this one than I did in the Luci Reserve. As far as the beer goes, it’s pretty bullied by the bourbon and provides light dates, cabernet and raisiny malt notes. Heavily tannic and woody, and quite dry albeit for the creamy butter-coconut bourbon notes.
The flavor is not nearly as bourbony and tannin-rich as expected. I actually get a funky, mix of fruitiness, red grapes, shiraz-like berry and black pepper notes, with strawberries, caramel and sweet vanilla-like oak. The tannins create a strong drying on the end, which ultimately overwhelms my palate. But buttery bourbon-notes are kept minimal and the alcohol is under control. Just too much acidity on end. Tons going on, but as I thought with the Luci Reserve, the wood/bourbon is too forceful and is the main attraction when it should just be one element of the beer. Sticky texture, raisin-skin like, very low carbonation, and a bit loose on the end.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Bam Bière from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
12 oz bottle, batch 1 from SuIIy consumed on 2/16/06.
Very fruity upon first opening. Overripe peaches rise up bluntly, quickly giving way to a spiciness (white pepper, lemon seed cake) from the yeast that excites the senses immediately. Lilac-like hops fluidly provide a poignancy on the end and then soften, with a touch of dough, as if falling down in a thick grassy field. Brett effortlessly fills in the gaps, lightly tart and so tastefully done. Warming and breathing allows for a soft honeysuckle and lavendar note to emerge, further adding gracefulness. All the while, dry yeast character and light lacto add a touch of soured/acidic fruitiness that keeps things very lively and complex. Hardly being able to pull myself away from the aroma, I would quickly describe the appearance as a gently-hazed, hay yellow, with soft copper-brass highlights. Tiny bubbles methodically rise to create a lasting, ever-so-slightly off-white head this is well-retained thus far (10 minutes). As it warms/breathes further, the aroma loses some of the lacto and fruitiness, which is quite in opposition to my experience with the other JP beers. This really allows the brett and sacc and hops to do their thing.
Upon first sip, it is nearly bone-dry, with but a juicy, tannic-fruitiness, lightly tart brett and a smidgeon of lightly doughy malt drizzled with honey. Retronasal is all hops; leafy and mildly bitter, but oh so crisp. Carbonation is a bit too expansive at first. After 25 or so minutes, the aroma seems to tend towards moslty brett, with just a slight fruitiness. Carbonation dies down somewhat, but remains rather expansive and not as tight as say, Orval. Light, peppery phenols on the very end that seem to stick to the teeth. More retro hops and lime-like brett. No alcohol apparency. Refreshing and highly drinkable.
Seems closer to Orval than a saison, but it matters little what it is classified as. Incredible amount of flavor and aroma packed in to such a low gravity beer.
Oakes (33493) reviewed Fuego del Otoño from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Hazy amber colour. Fairly funky, oaky aroma. Spicy flavour, aggressively yeasty with light backing maltiness and a tart finish. Interesting but I’m not big on the aggressive yeastiness.
omhper (44752) reviewed Fuego del Otoño from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Bottled. Cloudy dark orange. Lightly acidic fruit aroma with medicinal notes. Dry and fruity with lively mouthfeel. Notes of melon and a light, lambic-like lactic acidity. Feels fresh and has a lot of complex flavours, but the medicinal notes are on the strong side.
jcr (3164) reviewed Luciérnaga from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 20 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 17
A nose of coriander and malty breads follows the hazy, copper pour. The flavor is tart and spicy. There are notes of whiskey as well. Medium body. A dry finish. This was one nice beer and would have rated even more highly, but I thought the flavors just didn’t blend together as well as they could have.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Hazy amber-copper body, medium light beige head. Effervescent carbonation. Earthy, floral hops aroma with oak and vanilla notes becoming more potent as the beer warms. Perfumey, sugary, floral body with oak and vanilla notes. As with the La Roja Reserve, there is a compelling tartness to this beer that provides an interesting foil to the bourbon flavors. However, the bourbon notes in the former beer are much stronger. Aerating this beer in the mouth sharpens the tart fruity kick before the inevitable bourbon notes take hold. Very good, but I’m not ready to call this Top 50 material.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Sediment-laden hazy orange-brown body, thin beige head. Strong bourbon aroma with potent buttered oak and vanilla notes. Tangy, tart body of dark fruits and sweet caramels, with sour yeast notes that give way to an assertive oak presence. Buttery vanilla aftertaste. The tart, sour body is an interesting complement to the big oaky finish. Softly carbonated. I’m not the most obese fan of bourbon, but I don’t think it’s overdone here. I love the sourness.