Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

Bottled. Clear hazy reddish color, medium off-white head. Aroma of cherry, bit tart, oak wood, some malt. Sour taste, fruity, some caramel. Thick body. Quite sweet as well. Perfect balance. Good stuff!

26 sept 07. 750mL bottle, red cap. Sour tart aroma. red garnet color, tan head, nice lacing. Malty, hints of cedar. Flavor is also very tart and acidic in the finish. Just like a red, fizzy champagne.

Bottled, definitely a kickass appearance once poured into my snifter glass. Smooth and creamy vanilla head with lots of bubbly carbonation. Hazy bronze color, nice hue. Acidic and vinous aroma of white grape, yeast and earth. Nutty background with the oak making a small statement, but not much. The flavor is missing something, can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s a teaser, the flavor does not linger at all. Fairly smooth on the palate. The aroma got me all excited for nothing. Hmm.

Pours deep amber with a big tan/orange head. Aroma of cherry, oak, earthy and musty. Flavor of dry oak, tart cherries, with a hint of spice. Nicely balanced.

Bottled. hazy amber with a big beige foam. Funny aroma of red berries, toffee, grass, wood and juniper. Full flavour of wet wood, juniper, lingonberries, raspberries, grass and yeast. Crsip finish of red, berries, caramel and grass.

750ml bottle, meh, pours a deep amber color with largehead very large head, first sip yields no lip puckering sour i had hoped for, but rather and acidic burn to my stomach, taste is like "beer" no distinct flavor, just a sharp acidic burn going down my esophagus to my stomach

Bottle: Pours a beautiful hazy amber/rusty deep orange color with a blossoming, frothy tan head which stays the whole time. Brightly aromatic. Sharp raspberry, passion fruit, brett, damp barnyard, earthy, almost compost-like, oak, and funky cheese notes. Very graceful carbonation gives way to a firm, full palate. Has a sharp tartness, yet it’s mildly acidic. The flavor is beautiful and perfectly balanced. Delicate tart fruits like raspberry, star fruit, fresh strawberries, and light lemon-rind hints. The middle has a mild lactic tartness with subtle caramel hints. The oak presents itself in the middle as well and extends into the bone-dry finish. This is an extremely elegant and complex Ale. World class!

750 ml bottle, purchased and tasted ’07.

The cap pops with only a mild burst of C02, I fill my glass with a hazy light-brown beer with a vigorous off-white head. Setting the bottle down on the cabinet, the bubbles now start to flow, a as a slow motion cascade - nay, more a parade - of foam emerges from the neck walks down the side of the bottle. Ten minutes later, it’s still slowly fllowing and I’d be worried about how much of this delicious liquid was ending up in my sink if I wasn’t already so deeply immersed in the tastes and aromas that La Roja provides.

The aroma befits a Flemish sour: cider vinegar, some mustiness and wet leather, but also a decided oak aroma, some caramel notes, hints of spice. It’s an enticing aroma and after breathing deep a few times I cannot resist trying that first sip.

The first sip is quite nice - deliciously tart, but not just sour; this one rich in flavor, very woody, hints of raspberry and coconut, light spice, gently sweet. As my palate acclimates to the tartness, even more emerges. An extremely dry woodiness, textured caramel, light mulling spices, damp autumn leaves in an Ann Arbor backyard, it’s ridiculous how much is going on in this beer. The mouthfeel is splendid, amply carbonated and yet so creamy and smooth to drink.

What a fantastic beer. I couldn’t be more impressed, and I wonder how it ages....?