Jolly Pumpkin Brewery spotlight.
In a year of hugely anticipated releases from the likes of Omnipollo, Cloudwater and Siren, here at Brew Cavern we decided it was the perfect time to highlight a series of understated breweries that deserve more exposure.
Over a series of Blogs we will feature amazing beers that keep outside of the limelight, brews which are hard to come by, and make unique gifts for Christmas.
The Brewery
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
According to founder and brewmaster Ron Jefferies there’s no story behind the name of Jolly Pumpkin apart from him having “a very strange brain”.
Jefferies, an advocate of the slower pace of life, was always keen to live his life on “Hawaiian time” and to start his own brewery.
Having studied brewing science in 1991 he did just that, with a small team in 2004.
Based in Dexter, Michigan, Jolly Pumpkin have an international reputation and a specialty for producing small batch, unfiltered and unpasteurised, rustic beers.
As with many American Breweries, Jolly Pumpkin are heavily influenced by Belgian styles. Their niche, however, is to age beers in wooden barrels formerly used to store wine.
Occurring naturally in these containers are wild yeasts and bacterias, including Brettanomyces, adding a complex flavour profile to the beer, which remain through to bottling, to create unique ageing characteristics.
The aim of this is to recreate an approximation of the taste of beer before pasteurisation and industrialisation.
Jolly Pumpkin operate three pubs in Ann Arbor, Traverse City and Detroit with a tap room at the brewery.
As a state Michigan is also home to Founders, Bell’s and Mead producer B.Nektar, who collaborated with UK Brewer Siren on Uncle Zester, a sour citrus braggot, a style which is almost a mead ale hybrid.
The Beer
Jolly Pumpkin – Luciernaga
750ml
Rate Beer – 99 Overall / 100 Style
Luciernaga or “The Firefly” is a 6.5% ale loosely described as a Spiced Belgian Pale.
Brewed in the Grand Cru tradition, yeast cultures are used to create an effervescence and smooth mouth feel. Coriander and Grains of Paradise – a citrusy pepper related to Ginger – are added to round out a spicy palate to sit against the soft American hop aroma, complimenting a silky body and earthy wood, apple, and a saison like funk.
