Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Artisan Amber Ale
Ale aged in oak barrels. Barrel aged and bottle conditioned
7.2% abv
1pt 9.4oz bottle
$11.00 a bottle
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, Michigan, USA
This ale pours a murky amber color with a beige colored head. The aroma has a bit of a sour note with a touch of caramel and spice. The spice seems to have a ginger like quality. The sour note is coming from the oak barrel aging process. I bought this one because of the oak aging. I have learned over the last year that I really like this type of ale.
The sour green apple and oak taste is right up front and center. The caramel and spice mix well with the other flavors for a tasty ale. I am looking forward to sitting back and drinking this bottle tonight.
Gurkha X - Fuerte Fuerte
Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro
Size: 7 x 54
My Strength Rating: 6.5/7 The body weight seems medium but, the bold robust flavors kick this baby up a tick or two.
While, tiding things up in the humidor I found a few of these one of a kinds that have gotten buried. Just the other day I finished off an Indian Tabac stogie that was the last of the bunch well, here I am finishing off the last of this bunch a Gurkha X – Fuerte. I bought a couple of bundles of these back when the guys from the cigar store and I bowled on a bowling team together. Our name – Ash Kickers. My God, that has to be six or seven years ago. I wonder if they even make this cigar anymore. I’ll have to check the net later.
Right off the light I get a mild-medium coffee note. The mouthfeel is a bit dry here at first. As I get a couple of inches into the cigar the black medium coffee note is maintained and there is an 80% dark chocolate like bitterness. This bitter note just adds a slight pinch on the palate. There is a touch of spice that is developing at this point as well.
As the cigar reaches mid-point I think the spice is a pink and white peppercorn. I am going with the pink peppercorn because of the touch of sweetness that soon has a citrus pepper bite. And, I am saying white peppercorn because of the musty like flavor of white pepper. I also notice a salty taste that has developed.
I have always liked this cigar and I am glad I still had one to remember this smoking experience. This cigar is not for anybody. The mild and medium bodied smokers may not enjoy this strong flavored stick.
The cigar burns perfectly for me tonight. It holds a nice gray ash for a half an inch to an inch.
The Pairing
I am thinking I may have selected the wrong stogie here to go with this ale. Don’t get me totally wrong here – I do like this pairing. It has a big pucker effect. The sour apple, oak, and spice of the ale are really mixing it up with the peppery profile, black coffee, and slight bitterness coming from the cigar. The pairing is not for the faint of heart. Get the women, girls and little boys off the street this is a big boy pairing. Full of flavors and a complex pairing this sure is. The flavor notes are lingering long and heavy on the palate. Sour oak, pepper, sour apple, ginger, and more pepper and while we are at it throw in a pinch of salt.
No comments:
Post a Comment