Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

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

Pours a deep amber, with a hint of haze. Nice slightly off-white head that is lush and lasts. Aroma is very oaky, with a hint of yeast and sourness. In the mouth, it’s quite carbonated yet soft. The sourness is at the forefront here, but it’s not overpowering. I’m not a big sour guy (or a big oak guy, for that matter), but this was nice.

Bottle. Pours a murky brown body with quite a bit of cloudiness to it. Aromas are sour and like white wine with some wood and fruit notes. Flavor is wonderfully sour which quickly follows an initlal malt presence that is best defined as oaky. The transition to tartness is quick and a little brusque. That said, I find myself really enjoying this particular Jolly Pumpkin take on how to make a beer both sour and good. The tart nature of the beer is held in check by the organic notes of oak and yeast, which keep it from being a true pucker experience, but this is still not for the faint of heart.

750 ml bottle shared with my wife. Pours a cloudy orange pekoe tea color with a moderate light tan head that lasted to the end of the beer and coated the sides of the glass quite nicley. The aroma was oak, vanilla, and cabernet grapes. The flavor was initially caramel malt, quickly followed by oak and cabernet grapes. I picked up some light sourness along the sides of my tongue. The sounrness became more pronounced as the beer warmed. This was an enjoyable and fun beer! Much different, and frankly better, than I was expecting (I’m not a huge fan of sours).

I’m just not digging this beer. I was expecting what used to be called a Flemish Sour and this just isn’t that. Pour was a beautiful hazy dark brown with a 2 finger tannish head. Aroma was a little weak. Could pick up wood and malt. Taste was very carbonated and dry. A lot of fruit in this one. Could pick up raspberries, sour cherries and citrus. A woody finish rounds out this beer. Notice I didn’t say sour once when describing this. It just wasn’t the mouth puckering sour that I like in the style. It is good, though.

75 cl bottle. Red brown color. Hints of raspberry, cherry, oak and dust in the aroma. Dry, oaky flavor with just a touch of tartness. lemon and a hint of raspberry. Dry, woody aftertaste. Nice one, without being spectacular.

Bottled. Aroma has an intense fruitiness with some wood and some malt. really nice. Hazy, red coloured with an off-white, medium, lasting head. Taste is sweet, some sourness in it. Lots of fruits, some yeast, some wine and wood. Very good balance. Great!

Bottle huge thanks to cgarvieuk, had at home. Aroma is like yee haa, a proper tart really fruity flemish sour, floural hops and perfume try to piss me off but the sourness is enough. Taste is like malty red wine vinigar base with floural and oravl yeastyness coming through the carbonation is extreme to say the least, i had to swirl my glass for a mgood while to get it to the level i wanted it. Amazing beer, but get rid of the hops and carbonation and just give me the raw sourness!

on tap. Hazy amber/red color with moderate off white head. This brew has a great balance of sour and malt. Also, contains the complexity to keep you drinking (earthy, oak, spice). Very full on sour mid way through, but finishes smoothly.