Botttled Up: Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga

The Firefly beckons. Sometimes, you have to get around to opening those rarer beers in your collection. Jolly Pumpkin aren't easy to get hold of in the UK, so as much as I'd like to keep just looking at the label, there comes a time to get a beer like Luciernaga uncapped and choked down. I mean, carefully sipped and every subtle nuance of flavour recorded carefully...



Those forward-thinking importers beermerchants.com have secured limited stocks of beers by key US West Coast artisinal brewers. Jolly Pumpkin is one of them and I plumped for this Belgian-style ale highly regarded on the Ratebeer site.

It poured with a huge billowing head, plenty of yeasty notes escaping with a whiff of freshly chopped coriander tip. The deep orange body retained carbonation and kept a feisty mouthfeel all the way to the last drop.

On the first sip, the sourness starts but there's welcome restraint; the balance of brett doesn't take your breath away. It paints a picture on the palate, the underlying fruit as a matt base and the sourness a glossy topcoat.

There's certainly a funky feel to Luciernaga but at least it's fresh funk and not old mould. Tart Granny Smith and split wet wood vie for palate space with some rounded caramel dropping in to keep the balance sweet. And it's a close-run thing - intentional barnyardy is good; unintentional wet Elastoplast and TCP is bad (as I found out with some jaded English bottles last week).

Wow - what a refreshing beer! It never stopped itching, the subtle carbonation keeping the funk together tighter than Clyde Stubblefield. It may be even better when you've the sun on your back and a parched throat but this Firefly certainly lit up a quiet, cold night.