Jolly Pumpkin Perseguidor (Batch 4)

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

Complex blend of wildness. Soured fruits and berries, funky yeast, and an underlying dark malt influence. Huge aromas invite you into a solid looking beer. Medium bodied with a grand tartness that is pleasing to the entire body. Lots of wonderful things happening in this brew, definitely worthy.

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

Batch 4; Sampled March 2009
A vigorous pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet glass produces a large bubbled, finger-thick, lightly browned, dark tan colored head. The beer is a dark, burnt amber color that is nearing black, but does pass light when held directly up to one as it flashes deep ruby notes. The aroma smells quite nice with a mix of oak character, some funky tartness and a spiciness each of which work quite well together. This has a substantial tartness in the nose with a mix of lactic and acetic notes; the acetic is perhaps the secondary sour note in the nose, but adds richness that reminds me of an oaky, red wine vinegar. Substantial oak aromatics provide a spicy, tannic-woodiness as well as a touch of caramelized wood and some vanillin notes. A bit more exploration of the oak character yields a nice buttery note. There is a definite mustiness here that smells a bit like a musky, though somehow clean, cloth blanket; definitely a bit butyric.

Lightly carbonated, but enough to provide a soft prickle as the beer rolls cross the tongue. The flavor has a solid sourness to it that is more lactic in balance, but does seem to have a hint of acetic character to it in the finish. Speaking of which, the finish has a substantial oak-driven tannic astringency to it, as well as a peppery, spicy woodiness and even a dry, roasted grain character that must be the Madrugada asserting itself. The tartness of this beer accentuates a nice fruity note in the middle that reminds me of a tart plum. This has a definite body to it that seems to be tannic in structure; this has a definite feel to it and a light heft as it rolls across the tongue. At times the mix of barrel notes can remind me a bit of Bourbon (especially the spiciness), but it is a pretty smooth character that blends pretty well with the rest of the beer and also manages to not accentuate any hot alcohol notes. The dark grain notes play a fairly subtle role here, but at times I notice a notes of cocoa, burnt caramel (though quite dry) and even a bit of coffee flavors.

As usual, this is quite a complex, nicely integrated, married mix of flavors from the Perseguidor. This is a very solid beer that is very nice to be able to try; I must admit though that it is missing something that would push it over the top.