From a 375ml bottle served almost straight from the fridge at 9 degrees Celsius into a newly-purchased TeKu glass. Purchased straight from the brewery with bottled on date of 04/20/17. I'm always excited to try Jolly Pumpkin beers so expectations are above average.          

Appearance

The beer pours a cloudy deep gold with 6cm of frothy, white head that dissipates into a craggy cap in 3+ minutes. Good lacing and retention. Pleasant-looking and effervescent. Be careful while opening the bottle since there's a good chance of it being a gusher. Mine just slowly started seeping out as the cap came off.

Aroma

Moderate strength and sharp. Complex, fresh yeast with citrus (lemon), stone fruit (apples, peach, and apricot), peppery phenols, and barnyard funk. Pleasant woody character from the barrels forming an additional layer. Pale, bready malts as a backbone along with mild vegetal hops. Intriguing nose.

Flavour

Follows the aroma with moderate strength and tart balance. Great flavour and complexity. Again, the yeast leads the way with citrus, stone fruit, peppery phenols, and barnyard funk. Nice oak with faint vegetal hops and an idea of pale malt. Medium-low perceived bitterness. The finish is quite lengthy, of moderate strength, and tart. A yeasty sharpness which is eventually rounded off by the oak and malt.

Mouthfeel

Medium body with high carbonation. Slightly puckering and sharp with restrained alcohol warming and a clean, off-dry finish. Palate-cleansing and easy-drinking.

Overall

Jolly Pumpkin's Oro de Calabaza is an excellent ale. It can't really be categorized into any classic style so the description “sour artisan golden ale” provided by the company sounds just about right. It's like a Belgian golden ale and a wild ale had a baby. Very complex with a high drinkability – deceivingly so for an 8% ABV beer. Try it!