There can’t be many people drinking Jolly Pumpkin ales while watching the NBA playoffs. For those who are joining me in doing so, I salute our shared good taste.
My only regrets so far? I picked the Dallas Mavericks to win the Western Conference, and it hasn’t yet proven feasible to match these wonderful beers with appropriate food.
But on the other hand, I actually like peanuts.
For the uninitiated, Jolly Pumpkin is a Michigan microbrewery dedicated to an eclectic, Franco-Belgian range of open-fermented, bottle-conditioned and oak-aged ales. Never mind that the attitude and the imagery are Hawaiian. The joy is in the funkiness derived from rich malty backdrops and pleasingly sour palate tickles.
First up a few nights back was a bottle of Biere de Mars, a March release in the brewery’s seasonal repertoire. I had a far better experience with it than the Chicago Bulls did in Game 2 of the team’s series with the Detroit Pistons.
The precise parameters of bottle conditioning may be scientific, but the end result is art, and when you have a brownish-amber ale like this one perfectly carbonated, with lace down the glass throughout and a crowning collar like a dollop of shaving cream, it makes the drinker reverential. Fortunately, there’s more to this Biere de Mars than mere appearance. The nose is all malt and oak, yielding to a superbly balanced, medium-bodied flavor that has some nuttiness and a balanced sourness.
It was excellent with a hastily assembled platter of spicy hummus, raw veggies and a peppercini, but I craved the vegetarian enchiladas as La Rosita’s, a nearby Mexican standby.
My choice for tonight’s Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors-Utah Jazz series – a convincing win for the underdog Warriors – was Perseguidor, which the brewery describes as a “sour blend” of various batches, aged for a longer period in oak. Tart, oak-tinged and medium-bodied, Perseguidor was as subtly rewarding as the Oakland crowd was exuberantly boisterous. A hint of peppery spice was vaguely reminiscent of Belgian-style Saison, which had me scraping the bottom of the mixed nut can in search of barbecued ribs and corn on the cob.
Here’s the good news: By the middle of May, I should have five bottled Jolly Pumpkin ales in stock at the Public House: Oro de Calabaza and La Roja (these have been on the list for a while), as well as Biere de Mars, Magrugada Obscura, and Maracaibo Especiale. Read about them at the brewery’s web site … and look for another surprise that I’ll be springing on you in a couple of weeks.
(Thanks again Rick)
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1 comment:
I guess my question is why waste such good beer on the NBA? I believe you get a more realistic and less tampered with product by watching the WWE than what they are passing off as the NBA now.
Also, I hope they did not mess up my order of the Biere de Garde from JP this time!
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