Dexter, MI — Despite sharing a brew house, building and employees, Porcupine de Amore, is the first “collaboration” brew between Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and North Peak Brewing Company.
Porcupine de Amore is a blend of an oak aged version of North Peak Brewing Company’s Perilous IPA, a passion fruit American IPA brewed with wheat, and Jolly Pumpkin’s Rosie del Barrio, a foeder aged amber ale. Perilous was first aged in new oak for 1 month then masterfully blended into another foeder to age for 5 months with Rosie del Barrio where it picked up the classic Jolly Pumpkin funk.
Passion fruit and funk make up the nose, bright tartness melds with the passion fruit then fades to light notes of cherry and finishes with lingering layers of oak.
Porcupine de Amore is 8.1% with 49 IBUs and will be available in both 750 ml bottles and on draft throughout the companies’ home state of Michigan as well as the states that both Jolly Pumpkin and North Peak are distributed, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, California and Missouri.
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales began in 2004 with the purpose of brewing weird and expressive beers using the techniques of open fermentation, oak aging and blending by Chief Squeegee Operator Ron Jeffries in Dexter, Michigan. In 2009 Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales joined forces with Traverse City’s North Peak Brewing Company to form Northern United Brewing Company. In 2013 Northern United Brewing Company moved to the current hidden location a mile from the old Jolly Pumpkin brewery. Since that time both Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and North Peak Brewing Company beers have been produced under the watchful eyes of Ron Jeffries.