Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Grand Reserve

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

Bottle. [Many thanks to Sk8viking for sharing this one and my # 700] Everyone else rate the Jolly Pumpking La Roja quit low. Comparing it with 3 other Jolly Pumpking, this was actually my favorite one. As I was told [Brettanomyces is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as "Brett".] So this was actually a very knowledgeable evening for me and an extremely interesting encounter. Appearance was a small beige fizzy head that mostly diminished. Fair lacing could be observed in glass. Very muddy Chesnutt colored. First thing that comes to mind, when sniffing the lovely bouquet, was notes of a good port wine. Explosive fruity based profile with notes of raisins, prunes and figs. Caramel, liquorish and hint of alcohol could also be detected. And then the oak, wood and vanilla shines through the mouth feel in a very complimenting way. Full bodied with a sticky light alcoholic texture. Heavy sweet malty flavor with excellent sour Brett notes. Finish was lingering sour wood and vanilla. Wow this was for me the highlight of the evening. Thanks René!

12oz bottle, courtesy of artusory. Thanks, Ryan! Pours a clear, orange-ruby color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Pleasant, tart aroma, showing cherries and citrus and light brown sugar. Lively carbonation upfront; medium-to-full mouthfeel: sour cherries, plenty of brett and tartness; citrus, brown sugar, and hints of maple syrup; nicely balanced brett character with light acidity; very drinkable. Medium, tart and red fruit finish.

Brown Color with Alot of Red Hue..Sandy Ring. The Aroma is Very Tart, Like That of a Geuze...Some Light Bourbon Notes Underneath the Extremely Tart Tones. Smooth Medium Bodied Beer. Amazingly the Flavor is a Bit More Subtle Than the Aroma...Making it Far More Manageable then Initially Presumed. Wonderful Oak and Bourbon Notes Throughout. Nice Balanced Heat from the Alcohol. Sweet Malts, Bit Syrupy, The Geuze Aroma is Dulled Down Quite a bit on the Tongue. Some Fruit Notes...Bitter Dry Aftertaste. Hard to Pick This One Apart in One Sitting, but a Wonderful Brew to be Sure.

Thanks to drewbeerme for the bottle. I’m in love with this beer--and I need more! The aroma was a nice mixture of sweet malts, a touch of sour, banana, marshmallow and a light oak scent. Murky reddish brown in color witha decent head that created nice lacing. The palate is full for the style and leads to a wonderfully balanced set of tastes. First a light sour flavor tickles the tongue and opens up your tastebuds for the flow of caramel malts that are behind it. Throughout all of this you get hints of apple, oak, and a very, very faint tinge of bourbon. Wonderfully complex and easy to drink at the same time. 4.6
Updated for the new batch--32 month. Even better than before, which is saying a great deal for this incredible brew. The sourness in stronger now. Lemon tartness is light and incredibly drinkable. Perfect mouthfeel and carbonation. I’m not sure I’ve had its equal.5.0

Got some light fruit with a slight sourness mixed in with some bourbon as well in the aroma.Pours a dark copper with a medium off white head.The flavor is made up of mostly fruit,alcohol and bourbon with also a hint of sourness.Full mouthfeel with a very smooth malty finish.

12oz bottle, thanks to ughsmash for this. this is not from the original gr release, label says aged for 20months. sampled right along regular La Roja. pours a very murky amber-brown color with very small white head. nose is very similar to the regular la roja except the element of bourbon in background. nose also has hints of sour red apple and pear, vanilla, and baker’s chocolate. taste is very similar but the bourbon just doesn’t belong with the soft slightly sour over ripe apple, peach, and pears. lots of vanilla with hints of chocolate and toffee in there too. it’s not that it’s bad, but the bourbon barrel just doesn’t improve the flavor. the b barrel seems to die down the liveliness and refreshing sour quality that the regular la roja. carbination is nice and low. alcohol is well hidden. i think a wine barrel (port, pinot, or white...?) would be better suited for La Roja.

Bottled. An unclear amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet with notes of bourbon, peaches, and grapefruit, while the flavor is sweet and at the same time acidic with notes of malt, over ripe fruit, and light notes of bourbon. The body is a bit thick.

Muddy orange colour with a small white head. Malty, caramel sweet aroma with a light tart and fruity note. Malty, light fruity flavor with an acidic note and hints of wood.