Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Spotlight

Ever since I moved to Oakland I have been excited about this brewery and the beers they conjure up. Well technically there is no brewery, these folks contract brew out of Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport, Massachusetts. Somehow they have a very strong market in the bay area and their beer can be found on tap and in bottles multiple places at any given time. I for one am a big fan of their beers, and everything about them just screams handcrafted deliciousness. I am also in love with their labels and the great way they market their beers. Pretty Things just has that artistic weirdness about them that someone with a beer blog named lurking goat can appreciate. Tonight I am having their flagship beer Jack D’or which is labeled as an American Saison. Its easy drinking with a decent malt backbone and a hoppy American punch. Apparently it has 57 Ibu which is astounding to me as it is very reserved and smooth on the pallet. The hops play with the yeast esters giving complexity to the beer and just making it down right delicious. I haven’t had all their beers though (I guess I have some homework to do) I have had their Barely Wine which is an equally fantastic beer. Grab one, you wont be disappointed.

If you would like anymore information on Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, you can visit their website here.

http://www.prettythingsbeertoday.com/wp/

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire Review

Recently I have been searching for some farmhouse ales for inspiration in my beer brewing. I have always wanted to make something along the lines of a Fantome, which is not a very easy task. For those of you not familiar with the Farmhouse style of beers they are traditional Belgian and French ales that were brewed for the farmhands who worked the fields. These beers were the predecessors to modern Saison and Belgian ales. They usually have a light refreshing quality to them and feature multiple yeast strains and brettanomyces which gives the beer a very rustic and flavorful pallet.

In my search to obtain a bottle of Fantome like inspiration in the Oakland area,    I found this.

Its a Bam Noire dark farmhouse ale by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales from Michigan. I looked delicious so I had to have it.

Opened and poured into a tulip glass this beer pours a smooth medium brown with a hint of red. The head is generous from the higher carbonation but light and dissipates quickly. It leaves very minimal lacing and keeps a very thin head as you drink. This beer smells great, just how a farmhouse ale should smell; bright with hints of citrus, raspberries, a little dark fruit from the malt and lots of Brett funk. It smells almost like a mild Flanders, which is one of my all time favorites. This beer has a huge and complex nose to it and it is definitely the highlight of the beer. When compared the flavor profile seems a little one dimensional which is not quite fair because its still very good. The taste is tart and bright from the carbonation and acid with possibly a hint of sour cherries and chocolate from the malt. Overall very restrained in flavor but very easy drinking with the thinner body and low alcohol(4.3%). In the mouth it seems very bright and hitting some mineral flavors like a sharp white wine with a little bitterness or astringency possibly from the darker malt. It ends on a hint of bitter chocolate with that classic Belgian bone dry attenuation.

I  really enjoyed this beer, it is very easy drinking(I drank the whole bottle) and opens up more and more as you drink it. I do wish it had a little more flavor profile or maybe some more dark fruit but its nothing to complain about. This beer is definitely very unique and has that elusive farmhouse ale quality that I love so much. I am a big fan of what is being produced at Jolly Pumpkin, and If you have never had any of their beers I highly recommend them.

Overall the Bam Noire is a 4.5 out of 5 for me.

As Willy would say, stay thirsty my friends!