Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

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

Giant head above a nice reddish liquid, aroma of cheese sourness with some marmalade, sour like white wine with zest and a very pleasant aftertaste. Nice one.

THOUGHTS: A lot like Rodenbach, but not as good. This is a little more woody. It was a little harsh at first, but then it got more smooth as it warmed. But I must say they have poor marketing. I passed on this the first time I saw it because I thought it was just an amber ale, not a sour ale. But great label imagery, otherwise. Not as good as I was expecting but I’ll definitely try more Jolly Pumpkin beers. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a medium, reddish brown that was bright red in the light, with great carbonation. The small to average, off-white head actually rebuilt itself as it dissolved. It kept a thin sheet, but was thick around the edges and left excellent lacing that almost completely coated the second glassful. The aroma was was sour cherry, red wine, port, cask wood and slight spiciness. The flavor started out sour, acidic and slightly sweet; while the finish was mostly tart and slightly acidic with a slightly above average duration. There was wood, tart and sour cherry, some spiciness and slight nuttiness. A little red wine and port as well. The medium body was dry and acidic, but also sticky on the lips with very fizzy carbonation and a dry and moderate to heavy astringent finish.

Dark amber color with a good sized beige head. Aroma is tart and fruity with some herbal notes. Taste is tart with some fruit, caramel and wood.

Bottle - poured reddish brown in color with a slight head. Bit of a funky smell, and a fairly sour taste. Hints of caramel. Overall, a nice beer from JP.

Bottle: Poured an amber color with a nice head. The aroma was sour fruit. The flavor was oak, sour fruits, and a smooth dry aftertaste. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Deep brown/amber coloured body with a perfect sized off-white head. Aroma of fresh hops, caramel, strong nuts and a large amount of malt. Full-bodied; Super strong maltiness with a nut and hop taste throughout. Aftertaste shows a lot of caramel, tons of malt and even more hops. Overall, even though this beer is a year+ old, its hops and malt still show very strongly and present a great beer! I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased at Merchant’s in Dearborn, Michigan on 22-October-2006 as the Tigers won Game 2 of the World Series!

Blend 11, 2008. Pours reddish-copper, with virtually no head (weird again). Smells sour with acidic taste and some sour cherries, a little bit of roasted malt, and some bread/biscuit. Pretty good.

75 cl bottle. Average reddish creamy head that mostly lasted. Fair display of lacework. Cloudy reddish amber color. Aroma was very complex sour notes with fruit, citrus, rubber, barnyard, oak, vinous, mild sweet malt and yeast. Medium bodied with lively carbonation and dry smooth texture. Moderated sour flavor with good counter sweetness. Lingering sparkling sour fruity finish. Excellent.