Dexter, Michigan
Oro de Calabaza
Style: Biere de Garde
Availability: Year Round
Format: 750ml
ABV: 8.0%
Batch: 326
Bottle text & Info:
Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the bottle, Oro de Calabaza is brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales. Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast.
Tasting Notes:
Not a very common style done here. Here's a quick refresher on the style guidelines: "The Biere de Garde is golden to deep copper or light brown in color. They are moderate to medium in body. This style of beer is characterized by a toasted malt aroma, slight malt sweetness in flavor, and medium hop bitterness. Noble-type hop aromas and flavors should be low to medium. Fruity esters can be light to medium in intensity. Flavor of alcohol is evident. Earthy, cellar-like, musty aromas and flavors are okay. Diacetyl should not be perceived but chill haze is okay. Often bottle conditioned with some yeast character."
Pours a beautiful hazy deep golden color with a huge white top that retains for days. Smells of all the usual belgian yeast/estery notes. Some sugar, pears, lemon sherbet-like sweetness, vinegar and definite oak notes. Velvety smooth, mouthfeel with aggressive phenols and heavy souring. Surprisingly low acidity considering the amount of sour vinegar on the nose. Superb finesse, lots of subtleties layered over an dry oak backbone. A beautifully dangerous 8%. Not an aggressive power-driver of alcohol and yeast like so many strong goldens, but a soft, velvety, spice driven ale. I just found out that Jolly Pumpkin opened a secondary brewery in my hometown (Traverse City). Looks like it's time to take a trip back north...
thanks to xpdtn Grant for this link. And congrats to Jolly Pumpkin on winning the NY Times blind tasting.
Times Belgian tasting
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