Recently scored a (probably pretty old) bottle of this amazing brew at Eagle Provisions, a somewhat closer to my house beer spot that doesn’t necessitate diving into the depths of Park Slope to hit my other perennial favorite brew spot. Jolly Pumpkin’s web site is not exactly forthcoming on how this beer got its name, but I’m guessing that since Maracaibo is a gigantic town in Venezuela, and this beer contains Cacao, and that Venezuela is known for its Cacao…well, you get the point. Regardless, this brew is certainly rather “Especial,” and any stab by one of my favorite breweries at one of my favorite styles (Belgian Strong Dark Ale) is obviously worth a shot.
Maracaibo Especial pours a giganticly deep brown color with a cool looking head that fizzles away pretty quickly but is rather substantial while it lasts. In terms of the nose this beer has a lot of the common smells associated with Jolly Pumpkin beers, stinking of sourness, hay, and other weird outdoor smells that are difficult for me to put my finger on. However, this beer also hits you with a bale full of booze up front, smelling every bit as strong as it is, and reminding me readily of how intense the alcohol smell can be in some trappist beers, those of Rochefort especially. I didn’t find the spices in this beer overwhelming at all, and the body, although a little too heavy to call this beer very drinkable (not that that’s the point), served me right. I sessioned a whole bottle of this beer and it definitely made me a bit woozy at 750ml and almost 8% abv, but it was a delicious and highly desirable experience. I intentionally left a big glass ful on the table as my wife and I ran out to get some snacks, and about 30 minutes later it was room temperature and even that much more delicious. Again, an awesome take by an American Brewery on a Belgian style that succeeds greatly — don’t expect this to replace real Trappist beers, expect it to augment them, and you get the picture. Sometimes you need some Darkness, even on a summer night.
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