Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

Brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Sour Red/Brown
Dexter, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Pours a clear mahogany brown with a thick light tan head with nice lacing. Aroma is rich, bready, and full of caramel malt with some nice Belgian yeasty notes. Body starts full and semi-sweet with some chocolate chip cookie dough leading to a candy sugar finish with a touch of creamed corn and diacetyl. Nice balance throughout, but the finish is the thing that really detracts for me. Otherwise, good authenticity.

Bottle: Rich brown hue topped by a long-lasting frothy beige head and oustanding lace. The aroma has notes of caramelized malting, floral and grassy hops, coriander and white pepper, plum and orange peel, and earthy yeast esters. Outstanding and inviting! The taste starts moderately malty sweet before a nice dose of spice and bitters add a cleaning effect to the palate. A touch of oak and yeasty character makes it a wonderful tasting pleasure. The feel is fizzy but that helps more that hinders the experiance as I find myself drinking this way too quickly. Yet another well crafted brew for this upstart artisan brewery. A piece of French farmhouse ale in my backyard, Bravo Jolly Pumpkin! (A must try for anyone who thinks American microbrewing is NOT all about hops and alcohol !!!)

Bottle pours a cloudy reddish caramel, large fizzy off-white head, spotty lacing, and loads of sediment.   Initial sharp nose of dill and assorated herbs.   Slightly floral.   Flavor starts out as a young oaken herbal flavor, that develops into a light dark pitted fruit as it warms.   Quite the change.   Becomes even heavier as time goes on.   Seems quite different from the Biere de Gardes I have had in the past.   Great body, with a full mouthfeel.   The herbish/dill seems to have fully dissipated, leaving only an enjoyable sweetish dark pitted fruit on the finish.   The transformation of this beer was quite unique, and enjoyable.   Not like any Biere de Garde I have had, but quite nice otherwise.   Thanks goes out to CaptainCougar for the trade!

Does not taste like a beer from Dexter Michigan. Very Belgium dark ale texture. Malty flavor with a bit to much alchol present.

Brilliant ruby body with a moderate, off-white head. The aroma is elegant and malty. Whole grains, creamy caramel, a bit of iron, cinnamon, sweet oranges, vanilla, fragrant flowers, light, fruity esters and a touch of coriander. The body is creamy and smooth with just the right amount of heft to make it fullly enjoyable from all sides. The flavor is delectable. The flavors are well crafted and enjoyable. The malt character is multi-layered and quite pleasing. An excellent focus on delicate malts without being sweet and cloying. The light spice character and subtle, earthy hops keep it interesting. The finish is long and enjoyable, making the beer entirely refreshing from beginning through the very end. Another excellent beer from a brewery quickly becoming one of my favorites. I can’t wait to try their other beers.

This is a MI beer? In a blind tasting I never would of guessed this was brewed in the US until someone showed me the bottle and even then I would be sceptical. Pours a medium dark ruby color with a large slowly diminishing off-white head. Aroma is very old world: barnyard, spices, chocolate. Taste is complementary of the aroma matching the spices and chocolate very well. The yeast is omnipresent, taking you to a Belgian farmhouse. This brewery is a great discovery for me. I will have to try there other offerings.

Huge thanks to BBB63 for this. Mike is an awesome trader, and he knew I’d like this one. Pours turbid ruby/orange, with big, creamy off-white head. Definite 4-5 for appearance, which I gave a 5. Aroma of caramel malt, dark fruit, some chocolate, spices, Brett. Tastes malty, Bretty, dark fruity, with finishing chocolate and hops, also big oak, bourbon, cognac, and spice. Very complex taste and aroma, very smooth, with a well carbonated palate. Just delicious. Went well with a Fuente cigar. As with the JP Bianca, more complex as it warms. In a blind taste test, you’d never know the JP beers were brewed in Michigan rather than Belgium. Never in a million years. Bravo!!!! Here’s to wild yeasts, bottle conditioning, and good old American ingenuity! Rock on, Jolly Pumpkin!!

Bottle. Thanks to wohlfs for this! Deep copper body with a moderate tanned head. Nose is spicy and sweet. Candy sugar, alcohol soaked fruit, deep wooden notes, light barnyardy funk, creamy malts, and rum. Taste is more alcohol, spices, light fruity notes, big woody flavors, candy sugar, light earthy notes and more creamy malts. Absolute bliss! Body has a nice carbonation feel to it along with some pleasant spiciness and a fullness that is very welcoming. Ends very dry with lingering spice. Finish is spicy and sweet, again, but the spices seem dominant. Light candied fruit and raw sugar with fresh cut wood notes and malts. Light earthiness and floral notes. Nice beer! Well done American style Belgian!

Pours a dark red/amber color, big slightly off white bubbly head. Aroma is funky, with barnyard, and malt. Flavor is malty, lots of complex flavors going on here, not going to attempt to describe them. Sweet flavor with a dry but smooth finish. Very nice! Thanks to BBB63 for this one!

Very satisfying, thanks Wohlfs. Refreshing spices, like most Unibroues strive to be, but without their negative yeast. Reminds of a saison.Rum whiff. Well carbonated. All taste. Lots of different malts. I must try all from this brewery. Licorice, corriander, rum, bourbon, fennel, fruit. Would have again, good choice for my 700th review, ranks 75th.