Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Calabaza Blanca produced by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales located in Dexter, Michigan.

I’ve never tried this particular Jolly Pumpkin brew before, but we all know that they make some solid beers, so I have no doubt that this will be a pretty good one.

From the website, jollypumpkin.com, we find this little quip about the beer.

Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the bottle, Calabaza Blanca is a Belgian Biere Blanche.  Spiced with orange peel and corriander, you’ll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish.

Let’s pour.

This brew comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 4.8%.

It poured a cloudy, orangish/yellow color with a bright white collar.  The texture was both soapy and soft.  It was sized well and the retention time was nice enough.  The lacing was ok too and I could see a lot of bubbles rising to the top helping support the crown for a minute or two.

It had a medium strength funkiness on the nose.  Not too robust at all.  A bit of pepper and coriander as well as a touch of lemon and orange citrus.  Just a smidgen of yeasty goodness.  That, honestly, was about all I could pick out.  I felt as if I should have discovered more, however.  Oh well.

The flavor had a nice crisp cracker type of taste intermingled with the coriander and pepper spice.  Again, the funkiness was quite subdued.  A minute amount of sourness and tartness arose from the orange and lemon citrus.  I seemed to get more lemon than orange actually.  It had a slight “wheaty” profile stemming from the yeast as well.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/thin.  It was not extremely dry, however it was smooth, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching.  The carbonation was lively and an ok amount of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip.

Overall, I thought this to be a decent beer.  It was very easy to drink and I think it would make for a great brew during warmer weather.  It wasn’t overly complicated or loud, so in that regard I believe it would be an awesome introductory beverage for someone looking to try a Jolly Pumpkin beer that may not be into the whole “funky” thing just yet.  I’d say give it a go regardless of your experience though.  I doubt that you will be blown away by it, but it’s a pleasant drinking experience none the less.  Be sure to let me know your thoughts when you try the Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca or if you have already done so.  I’d love to hear a second opinion.  

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.75 out of 5
Grade:  B