Review: Jolly Pumpkin Café and Brewery

Tortuga Ale Co. Golden Dragon.  Photo by Joshua Kay.

I wrote a short piece about the Jolly Pumpkin Café and Brewery on Main Street just a couple of weeks ago after a quick visit for a bowl of soup and a beer.  This time, I went for lunch to this comfortable, warm, friendly addition to the Ann Arbor brewpub scene. 

The menu features a number of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches, complimented by a few entrée specials.  Several brands of beer are offered on tap or by the bottle, all of them Ron Jeffries creations.  Jeffries, the owner and brewmaster, is careful about branding, making sure that each brand is dedicated to a particular overarching style.  Each that I tried showed his inventiveness and craftsmanship. 

My “main” beer today was Tortuga Ale Co. Golden Dragon, described as a cask conditioned bitter.  Served perfectly, cool but not cold, this was a gorgeous, hazy, dry hopped, golden beer with a creamy head that slowly dissipated, leaving a rich, fluffy network of bubbles on the glass.  The aroma was intensely citrusy and floral, with a good dose of spice in there as well. The beer was very citrusy in the attack, accompanied by piney, floral flavors – a hop extravaganza.  It was very smooth and lightly carbonated, consistent with the cask conditioning, with a pretty rich mouthfeel.  Bitterness came through in the finish.  This beer is assertive, instantly bursting with hop flavors.  For all that flavor, though, there was still a crisp quality, and a nice touch of balancing malt came through as well.  I look forward to having this beer again.

I tried samples of several beers, and I’ll just include basic tasting notes here, since I don’t like to do full reviews based on small samples.  As a preliminary note, though, I will say that big, complex beers are the norm here, and it’s worth taking plenty of time with each to enjoy the myriad flavors and aromas.

The October Fest, brewed under the Honu Honu Brewing Co. brand, was deliciously malty with a rich, smooth mouthfeel and lacey bubbles on the glass.  Golden-orange in color, it was balanced with a nice touch of bitterness.  The finish was rounded, bitter, and slightly malty.

I had three Jolly Pumpkin brews.  The Bam Biere, which I discussed in the previous article, was cloudy, golden, and tart but not astringent, with a dry hopped spiciness.  The Bam Noire was a deep, mahogany color that made me think of fancy, wood-trimmed libraries in old houses.  It was very spicy, with nutmeg flavors bursting through, yet balanced by a tartness that was softer than in the Bam Biere.  Wood from the barrel aging was prominent as well.

The Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela pumpkin ale was an amber-orange brew with subtle but unmistakable pumpkin in the aroma.  The flavor was malty with appreciable pumpkin notes, and it was nicely bittered and crisp.  There was a slight citrus quality in the finish.  I’m not a fan of beers that taste like pumpkin pie and tend to shy away from pumpkin ales generally, but this one was a real pleasure.

The Tortuga Ale Co. chocolate stout, brewed with nibs from Patric Chocolate, had aromas of wonderful dark chocolate and spice with accents of coffee and vanilla.  Big, roasty, dark chocolate flavors abounded.  A slight sweetness came through, but the dark chocolate predominated.  Despite its richness, it avoided being overly heavy.

Finally, I had their Golden Manatee Belipago.  Billed as a Belgian-style IPA, it’s hazy and golden with a touch of orange.  The aroma was huge and citrusy.  The menu noted that it’s dry hopped, gluten free, and brewed with chestnuts, sorghum, tapioca, and agave nectar.  The flavor was a citrus and flower explosion followed by a pleasant bitterness.  There was citrus in the finish as well, alongside more subtle spice notes.

My food was excellent as well, as was the friendly, efficient, knowledgeable service.  As noted in the previous article, they pledge to use sustainable, organic, artisanal food sources whenever possible, and they look to local producers a goodly amount.  Maggie Long, the general manager and executive chef, spoke to me about sourcing high-quality ingredients at their peak of flavor.  She is at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market most every Wednesday and Saturday, and it’s clear that she is choosey about her producers, all to the benefit of the customers. 

I had a burger today, figuring that a pub really ought to do this well, and it didn’t disappoint.  My burger was from local, grass-fed beef, raised in nearby Pinckney and butchered locally, a flavorful blend of chuck, short rib, and brisket.  Topped with thick-cut bacon, Cambozola cheese, Crimini mushrooms, and tomato, this was a big meal.  The bacon was from heritage breed pork, particularly flavorful compared to the genetically manipulated, super-lean pork predominant in the U.S.  The Crimini mushrooms were from a local source as well.  The cheese was creamy and gave not only textural contrast but a delightful background flavor.  This extravaganza was served on a toasted challah roll, the bacon and cheese interplaying their unique flavors yet not overpowering the beef.  The garnish –  zucchini spears and onion, both pickled – was a tasty treat, and the fries were thin and crisp.  

Jolly Pumpkin is off to a great start.  I look forward to trying more of their food – and beers! – and particularly want to go back with friends so I can try their Ale Absurd, a Belgian-style tripel.  My server said it’s a particular favorite of hers, but since it’s served only by the 22 oz. bottle and weighs in at 8.3% ABV, I couldn’t quite picture getting through one at lunchtime by myself while trying a lot of other beers.  Next time, and I plan to make that soon.