Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

"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.

Sampled at Great Orlando Beer Festival. It has a strong fruity aroma, with cherry notes. It tastes very sour, almost vinegary once the head has hastily dissolved. It was ok to pretty good, tasted like a red Calabaza almost.

Pours a deep hazy amber with an offwhite head. Fruity JP funk, a little vanilla oak, a tartness, some spicy yeast notes, over a subdued malt aroma. Yum, a little tartness up front, with some fruit and malt sweetness, with a drying hop spice bitterness to the end. Quite full bodied with a nice carbonation, drying brett tartness to the finish. Not quite as sour as I was hoping (I was hoping this was JP’s Rodenbach GC shot), but wonderful beer. Very drinkable and refreshing.

750ml, Blend 11, 2007. Sharp, fruity aroma, full of black cherry, red grape and oak, along with some lighter acetic and spicy tones and hints of dark malt sweetness in the background. Hazy garnet in color, bottle-conditioned, with a fine, uneven head leaving a thin sheet of lace. Flavor profile is nicely tart, fruity, winey and gently sweet, the oak largely making its presence known towards the finish, and suggestions of dark berry, pepper, yeast spice and faint earthiness. Drying, active, lightly bitter and gently acidic on the palate, body is fairly full. Really rather nice all around.

1 pt 9 oz bottle. Poured a nice amber color with a full off-white head. Aroma of sour fruit, slight hops, and caramel. Taste was not what I was expecting. I’d never had a Sour Ale before, and I wasn’t sure what that meant. I guess I figured it would have a little bite, or be a bit sour. I didn’t know that Sour Ale meant SOUR ALE...very sour tasting. Probably good if you’re in to that sort of thing, but I struggled to get through it. Clearly a well-made beer, but not my thing.