TimE (11146) reviewed Oro from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Had at RBSG 05 and I think I was well sick of Bretta by the time I had this.
Light golden brown color with lots of farm and bretta in the nose. Light bodied with cheese and cobwebs. Light warming finish. Not really that interesting. Drank in 2017 and much lighter and better. Not brett tons of oak.dry sour
Oakes (33493) reviewed Oro from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Cloudy yellow-beige colour with a thick but loose head. The aroma is orvallish, very herbal and dusty with assertive hopping and a subtle lemony note. Palate is spicy, tart, with juicy lemon and a whack of peppery, coriandery notes. The fnish is tart and refreshing, with an austere hop dryness. Spice reigns. Complex barrel goodness. Impressive.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Golden yellow color with a really nice lacing coming from the off white head. Aroma is heavy and balanced with lots of rich full hop and malt notes that mix with a great assortment of fruit. Sweet yet restrained by the acidic notes that give it a well balanced palate that lead in to the finish. Nicely done U.S. Belgian style ale.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Cloudy orange-brown body, thin off-white head. Fruity, caramely aroma with cinnamon and hints of clove. Caramely body, big yeasty, spicy notes (pepper, coriander, clove), apple skin, fennel, brown sugar and alcohol. Medium-bodied. Another tasty JP beer, but this one also relies on spices instead of malts to carry the body. Thanks John (JCW) for the taste.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Luciérnaga from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Cloudy medium orange body, thin/medium off-white head. Spicy nose with sweet caramels and citrus, quite perfumey and sugary, with oak/vanilla notes. Oak barrels are quite evident in the flavor in the form of vanilla. Pepper and coriander, citrus and a hint of honey contribute to give this beer a cookie dough gestalt before the strong tannic finish. Nicely complex although it’s a bit "hot" out of the barrel.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Blanca from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Cloudy yellow-orange body, thin off-white head. Nose of coriander, banana, and orange peel. Sharp body with little evidence of barrel aging at first, starting with banana, coriander, and wheat tang. The finish is long and spicy; wood flavors also develop and leave a clean, dry mouthfeel. To be honest I expected a bit more from this beer; as it stands, this is still a solid witbier, although I wish it was fuller-bodied and more complex.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Oro from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Interesting cloudy (opaque) peach-colored body topped by a thin off-white head. This is one of the densest beers I’ve tried in awhile, hitting the palate with banana and clove notes, opening up to reveal heavy spicing and phenols. After the initial yeast flavors orange peel and lemons create a sharp tanginess and a temporary saltiness. The sum effect is a thick apple or pear cider (not the alcoholic type but the kind you pick up at your local orchard). The oak becomes apparent on the finish. There’s so much going on that the beer becomes a bit too "busy" to fully appreciate.
Silphium (4308) reviewed La Roja from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
I was surprised when the interesting 750 mL bottle turned out to be a local microbrew. This beer poured fiery orange-red with a medium, dense cream/tan head. Rich aroma of bourbon, burnt caramelized sugar, toast, butterscotch, toffee, dark fruit, and cinnamon. The flavor tried to match that complexity but came up a bit short, with a strong emphasis on bourbon (oak/vanilla) that highlighted underlying toast and breads, spices (especially cinnamon and pepper), and alcohol. A nice dry, spicy, biscuity Belgian Strong Ale despite a somewhat hollow finish after the initial flavor development. A promising beginning if this is the quality Jolly Pumpkin will continue to produce. I would like to try the beer minus the effects of barrel aging, however...these barrels are becoming a brewing cliche.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Blanca from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Batch 1 draught fresh at MBGSBF July 2004
Pours a very dull, hazed pale white gold. Small head, mostly disipating. Aroma of oak, wet leather, yeast, coriander. Flavor is toasty and oaky from the white oak aging, but some of the coriander and yeast breaks through and further dries out the palate. There was a bittersweet finish, some hops and light malt (honey, white bread). Didnt find much citrus (orange peel or lemon) in this one, but that’s alright. Still unsure how I feel about the oak aging. Body was medium-full, lightly spritzy.
2006 and later bottles
Much improved, though also much different with the wild yeasts being present. New score/comments forthcoming.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Oro from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
2004 draught at MBGSBF. Pours a lightly yellow tinged pale-white. Hazy as all hell with plenty of golden tinges when held to the light. Plenty of foamy white head. Aroma has a dry, nutty, earthy yeast, though it’s not terribly funky. Some soft doughy sweetness from the malt and a hint of oak toastiness. Flavor is right away lightly bitter and almost citric. The yeast kicks in and dries it out as well as the alcohol, that psychprof speaks of. It definitely is quite powerful and just way too rough on the palate right now. The oak aging provides a toastiness but also more leathery tannins which give the finish an acidic/bitterness that the malt can’t quite balance. I definitely agree this beer is extremely young yet and needs to soften and ripen. Still, you can tell these guys arent messing around. This was a wonderful beer, full of promise.