Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

Brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Sour Ale
Dexter, Michigan USA

Bottle Pour.Light red in color with a decent head and aromas of cherry,oak, and a little spice.Taste was very mild fruits and sweet malt with just enough sourness to balance it out.Good beer.

750 ml bottle, Blend 13, courtesy of Binnys (Orland Park, IL). Pours a wonderful rusty brown, pretty much opaque with brownish white head, dirty, thick, big and laces exceptionally well. Some floaties, but great presentation. Aromas push barrel: oak, dryness, vanilla, tart funk and sourness, with some lighter caramel malt undertones. Initial is a bit lighter than aromas would present, but still very nice. Oak, vanilla, caramel sweetness but dominant dryness, sour cherries, light funk, barrek take over. As stated before, strength isn’t the dominant feature, but this sure was enjoyable while grilling on a low 70s Sunday early evening. The flavors are intimate, complex, but still easy enough to grasp to session and enjoy without too much thought. A winey feel, the funk takes on a similar feel to other JP brews. This was a great beer, easily sessionable, just a little pricey for that. Cheers!

Bottle. Pours a beatiful red/amber color with a mediumsized white head which remains in the glass until the beer is finished. Aroma is funky and oaky with notes of barnyard, gooseberries, cherries, red currant and strawberries. Really nice and interesting with some light coconut actually. Flavour is tart and funky with some light sweet malts balancing the fruity and sour flavours of green apples, cherries, gooseberries, red currant and strawberries. Clear notes of oak, almost some vanilla, and coconut. Amazingly complex and tasty with so much going on in there. Dry mouthfeel, mediumbodied, average to lively carbonation. I love this stuff. Hope I will get the chance to try it again.

Big thanks to ogglethorp. Somewhere between crimson and amber, with a thick beige head that never fully fades away, leaves plenty of lace behind. Big aroma, tart fruit with a bretty smoothness, does not fade even after repeated inhalations. Flavor leads off with fruit tartness and a little bit of caramel, doesn’t build in complexity but does linger deliciously forever. Brett, some cream soda caramel malts, and a light oak pick up the finish. Medium body, very smooth, creamy, slightly dry.

2008 batch 13 bottle. Huge nose with wonderfully-balanced brett, oak, and red wine. Really full and luscious. Pour is a deep burnt chestnut. Actively carbonated. Flavor is a bit thin at first with a curious purple grape expression. Kind of an empty oak element in there. It is similar to some other JP offerings that have wonderous noses but fall short in that the flavor is a bit empty. Shows more character as it warms. This is definitely a good one and could be epic if it ages well.

I was never a fan of the sour beers, but La Roja has a sourness that doesn’t dominate (but it’s definitely there) and coupled with the oak notes make this an awesome beer. Of course, now I’m craving beers that cost $10.89 for 25 ounces. Damn you Jolly Pumpkin!!!!!

750 ml bottle. It poured a hazy reddish, amber liquid with a small foam that left some lacing. The aroma was sweet and had hints of dried fruit. The flavor was sweet and sour with cherries, vanilla, dried fruit and a hint of liqorice. Longer aftertaste then their Farm House Ale. But both where very nice.

Bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of wood, cherries, funk, and a hint of spice. Flavor starts sweet... cider like with a hint of wood and cherry. Finishes with a hint of sour and funk. As it warmed the taste was more pleasing. Initially there was a slight metallic taste that wasn’t very pleasant. Good sour. Definitely worth a repeat purchase.