Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

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

Sampled at Beerhawk’s Beer Gods in the Boro, aka 1000 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, By God Beer God Gathering, BG1K Tasting. Murky reddish brown pour with light tan head and lacing. Sweet tart aroma. Funky sourness that I associate with most sours. Moderate carbonation. Bottle 12 of 2008. Fun label. Not bad for what it was.

pours a murky red brown. Lots of funk and fruit in the nose. Smells like it’s been in a basement for a while. Flavor is tart sourness, sweet malt, some cherries. Dry finish.

La Roja poured a murky hazelnut with chestnut and dark brown hues while a collection of soft foam and delicate bubbles settle on top. A swirl produces instant lace that sticks like glue while her nose makes her way to mine. Sour funk. Tart cranberries and cherries tickle my senses while soft notes of dry wood, leather, and citrus blend together beautifully. If it wasn’t for the brew in my glass, I would swear I was biting into a sour, unripe cranberry or cherry, lips puckering beyond any conscious control. Delightfully clean in body and mouthfeel, crunchy plums and crisp tart plum skins mingle amidst their fellow sour buddies while soft wood notes leave a down-to-earth presence in the finish. Each quaff leaves my mouth dry and watering for more, and I sadly watch my La Roja diminish in presence while I find myself fully enraptured by her mystery. Dry with a soft backbone of wood and leather. Delightfully crisp and clean, she overflows with sour cranberry, cherry, and plum flavors. A light finish which is as clean as her body, La Roja is straightforward, leaving no question as to her beery intentions which allow me to thoroughly enjoy her from our first kiss to our last.

Well played, my friend. I may never know who my mysterious pumpkin visitor was, but what I do know is that he has led me to an innovative and skilled craft brewery which combines American innovation with Flemish and Belgian tradition. While sour ales may be an acquired taste for many, once the bug has bit, there can be no going back. Soon, like me and many others before, you will profess your undying loyalty to barrels and a little miracle known as brettanomyces.

amber pour with a nice white head. Aroma is oak and grapefruit. Flavor has more citrus fruit up front, dry dusty wood, and funk. Tart finish but nothing overpowering for the style.

what would typically present as nearly syrupy toffee malt is tempered with a vinegar like acidity that nearly burns the nose in its sourness. lip puckering, sharp and citric. aroma excels immediately after pour with notes of some sharp fruit but upon setting lingers with a nearly acrid foul malt element. the wood aging really comes through on this one and the strong malt base makes this unique amongst sours that i have sampled.

Bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a one finger thick tan head. The nose is twangy cherry, malt and faint lemons. The taste is sour cherry, funk, wood and aspirin in the finish. Medium, prickly mouthfeel. Very good, not sure the reserve version is THAT much better, both are nice.

Bottle blended 12/2008. Poured brown with a frothy off-white head that left light lace. Sour fruit aroma, not in a bad way. The flavor had a nice mix of fruit and spice. Light body, fizzy carbonation, tart throughout. Decent!

Good sour ale. I usually do not like sour ales, but this was not bad. It was not really sour like i was expecting. Good overall sour ale.