Jolly Pumpkin Perseguidor (Batch 3)

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

Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with an amber tinged, tan colored head that is quite fizzy and fairly short lived. The beer actually foamed up as soon as I popped the cap, but it was slow enough that I caught it all in y glass. The beer is a ruddy, amber hue that shows a hazy, copper color when held up to the light. The aroma exudes notes of oak and tartness as it sits on my desk. A closer inspection yields more oak (mostly spicy but with a touch of woodiness to it) as well as a flint-like white-wine grape fruitiness. Some apple cider like aromatics, some tart plum, perhaps a touch of tamarind and of course the ever-present, though not overwhelming, lactic tartness. The sourness reminds me a bit of a fruity, concentrated wine vinegar that is not quite balsamic in character, even with a slight cherry note to it towards the finish. The aroma is a touch soft in its effect, but is quite nicely balanced and integrated between tartness, oak and fruit notes.

Nice and tart, but with an oak-driven backbone that supplies plenty of spicy oak as well as a tannic mouthfeel and texture. Lightly carbonated for a beer that foamed up upon opening, with just a bit of a prickly texture. The finish is quite dry with a substantial, lingering oak character that is quite spicy. Fruit flavors are nicely noticed up front and die down through the long finish (even if never completely disappearing); flavors of plum, aromatic apple varietals, a touch of raisin and perhaps even a touch of fig. Despite being quite dry, this has a nice body to it; it is still light enough to be pretty drinkable, but the tannins from the barrel definitely provide a structure to the mouthfeel. The spicy, oak driven finish at times reminds me a bit of Bourbon, with even a touch of heat to it.

As the beer warms up a bit the fruitiness becomes a bit more forward and even contributes something that seems like sweetness (though I would guess this is just perceived), which helps to balance the tartness; the sourness in this beer was never bracing to begin with, though is certainly a substantial part of the flavor profile. Really as this warms up it becomes a lot more integrated and balanced; the tannins still play a big role, but they provide a structure & texture that supports the mix of sour flavors, fruit notes and spicy oak overtones that define this beer in equal amounts.

This has a bit richer fruit flavors than perhaps the color would suggest. This is actually quite oaky, but it doesn't seem to bother me too much, which may be more of a sign that I am getting used to aggressive oak in beer rather than this isn't over-oaked. Quite a tasty brew, it is really too bad that so little of this was made, I am actually a bit surprised that so little was made of this (even by Jolly Pumpkin standards). This really gets a big boost because it ends up being such a great blend of flavors.