Jolly Pumpkin was the second stop on our Michigan brewery tour. The building is a small dimly lit two story space. An average size bar with a little standing room sits in the middle of the restaurant for you to have a drink while you wait for a table. You can also give them your phone number and they will text you when it is ready. I thought this was pretty cool. We were able to walk around Ann Arbor a little as we waited for about 20 minutes. Enough about the location, on to the beer. Jolly pumpkin is known for their sour beers but I went in a different direction, smoked.
The Jolly Pumpkin Lager is a fairly light beer when I comes to a craft brew, but is has a great color as you can see. Don’t mistake the light color for a lack of flavor because this beer packs in the flavor. From the first sniff you can smelled the smoked grains (take three short sniffs to get the full aroma of a beer, not one long one). Each sip tastes like a cool beer while sitting around the campfire. Honestly it’s like drinking a campfire. I personally love it and think if would pair well with some great BBQ food. However, it is an acquired taste and if you are not into smoked meats you will not enjoy this.
Overall I love this beer. Smoked beers are pretty rare right now so I love to get them when I can. Also, many smoked beers just add a hint of the flavor, while Jolly pumpkin goes all in and punches you in the face with the smokiness. I hope you will give it a try. I would not sit back and down 10 of them, but this a great beer to go with some good food.
More entries to come from the great brew tour.
The Jolly Pumpkin Lager is a fairly light beer when I comes to a craft brew, but is has a great color as you can see. Don’t mistake the light color for a lack of flavor because this beer packs in the flavor. From the first sniff you can smelled the smoked grains (take three short sniffs to get the full aroma of a beer, not one long one). Each sip tastes like a cool beer while sitting around the campfire. Honestly it’s like drinking a campfire. I personally love it and think if would pair well with some great BBQ food. However, it is an acquired taste and if you are not into smoked meats you will not enjoy this.
Overall I love this beer. Smoked beers are pretty rare right now so I love to get them when I can. Also, many smoked beers just add a hint of the flavor, while Jolly pumpkin goes all in and punches you in the face with the smokiness. I hope you will give it a try. I would not sit back and down 10 of them, but this a great beer to go with some good food.
More entries to come from the great brew tour.