Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

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

750ml bottle, Solid white head and a spicey apple aroma. More complex than earlier vintages, It was a good drink, but I liked the older batches better.

Bottle. Pours amber with a light white head quickly discipating to a mild co2 stream. Aroma and flavors are sweet caramel malt, jp funky sour apples and some spicy yeast. A solid beer from JP.

750ml bottle. murky amber color with smalle off-white head. smell malt, fruit, spice, sugar. taste is all of spicy, fruit (cherry + apple) and sour. soft hops, almonds and oak. definitely a complex and interesting beer. need more runs at it.

deep red orange, massive head. Sour fruit aroma, cidery. Big fruity, spicey, oaky palate with a refreshing sour tartness and a puckeringly dry finish.

"Old" (oval label) bottle: Deep amber in color with a medium head of fine off-white bubbles that gushed a bit upon opening. The nose was sour and spicy with aromas of sour cherry, orange rind, raspberry, rhubarb, strawberry and as noted a bunch of spices. In the mouth this was medium-bodied with good concentration and more body then the newer (rectangular label) bottlings. While the sourness is about the same it is not as obvious because of the added body. The flavors are on the funky side along with red fruit and spice in the lingering finish. I definitely prefer this to the newer bottles and I believe it is due not only to age but something in the production as well.

75cl bottle shared with cgarieuk. Thanks for sharing! delayed rating: Hazy light cola with red edges. Creamy off-white head with good lacing. Metallic hops? Tin mixed with yeast and some hops in an old oak box. Earthy. Tart brown malt character on the nose. Red fruit jam running around there somewhere. Definite metallic on the tongue. Lightly sour with nice wood backbone. Bitter orange peel. Mixed berries with nuts in the middle lead way to a very slight roast as the beer warms up. Very interesting sour ale.

I don’t know how I haven’t gotten around to trying this one yet. But here it is. Had this on tap at the Frankenmuth World Expo of Beer. talked to ron Jeffries while waiting to get my pour. Aroma is sweet fruit and some funk. Taste is much the same. Not super complex, not over the top, but very enjoyable. Wish I could buy six packs of this stuff. Re-rate: had a 12 oz bottle of this the other day at crunchys. Assuming it was fairly old since they don’t do 12 oz bottles anymore. Delicious as always. tart berries on the nose. The sour had come out a bit more. Really nice. Re-rate: This is just an all around great beer. I bumped my rating up because It seems that I drink this beer anytime it is available no matter what. Delicious.

Bottle: Pours a hazy medium copper with a white head. Aroma, funky notes, fruits, that JP yeasty character. Flavor, dry, bready, tart and funky, brett. Damn good stuff, finally got around to rating it.