Jolly Pumpkin Artisin Ales- La Roja: It is about to get wild.
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 8:05PM | by Wes 
I first heard about La Roja while reading the book “The Naked Pint” which is written by a couple of awesome beer loving ladies named Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune. They classify this beer as an American Wild Ale. Wild Ales are an American craft that are fermented using “wild” or uncommon yeast strands. I was interested to discover that one of the top styles mentioned was from Jolly Pumpkin which is located outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Long story short, my buddy Ryan came into Chicago last weekend (from Ann Arbor) and he was awesome enough to bring me a bottle of La Roja. Isn’t it great when the stars all align?
La Roja pours a thick mahogany with dense cream colored foam. This rusted orange concoction seems to sit in your glass with its own gravity. Now if you were to blindfold someone and make them sniff test this beer, I guarantee that they would think it was a red wine. The aroma is very sour, and smells like fermenting fruits. It is also a little yeasty, like many Belgian types of ale.
Ok, I’m going to do my best here, bear with me. The flavor of this beer is very unique and intense. It tastes like an overly fermented lambic with 15 sour patch kids sprinkled in for good measure. This is the Toyota Prius of beers that tightrope walks a fine line between beer and wine. The barrel aging of this beer produces a remarkable sour note that finishes with a taste reminiscent of apple cider vinegar. Here is a little secret, I freaking love vinegar, I dump it on everything, and I think that was one of the only reasons I was able to knock this brew back.
Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja is going to turn twice as many people off as it turns on. The bottle conditioning adds a yeasty punch to an already overburdened flavor profile. This is a must try beer simply based off its originality. However, I know most people are going to hate it, and I could not blame them. In defense of La Roja I must say the brew does become better throughout the bottle. Once your taste buds return to their senses after the initial system shock of the first sip, you might find yourself longing for another gulp faster and faster. People say beer is an acquired taste, well; this sure as hell proves it…
ABV: 7.2%
Consumed: Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy a Six Pack
