Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza Reserve

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Sampled on tap at the First Annual Stone Sour Fest, July 2007
The beer is quite flat, it has a loose layer of large bubbles on top and its appearance is quite hazy, with a murky straw colored body. Aromatic notes of oak, fruit and acid greet my nose at the first smell; I get a mix of green plums, strawberries and currants. There is an undercurrent of funk here with notes of aromatic mushrooms, musty rags and an interesting spiciness that is a mix of cinnamon (of all things), orange zest, and a hint of ginger and pepper. I am surprised by how fruity the aroma of this beer is; it is really enticing and I am definitely enjoying the aromatic make up of this beer.

The taste bears out the total lack of carbonation. The beer even has a fair amount of sweetness left (which is probably also accentuated by the lack of bubbles); the sweetness accentuates fruit notes of blackberries, currants and strawberries, but there is also a plum-like note here in the flavor as well. This almost tastes like it has a brandy barrel influence (or something similar to this); the finish is a touch hot, almost liquor-like in some ways and the distinct fruitiness is here too. There are touches of conventional barrel flavors towards the end with tannic, woody notes, cotton mouthed sensations, plus a spicy, almost hot oakiness. This really has quite a complex layering of fruit, oak and other barrel notes.

The individual components of this beer don’t seem like much, I almost think they should be jarring, but the sum of this beer components are really interesting. I can only imagine how good this will be when properly carbonated, that is really what is holding this back from being absolutely fantastic.