Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Grand Reserve
This is the original batch of La Roja, brewed in 2004, and aged in a single bourbon barrel for 18 months. This is an unblended version of La Roja (red capped 12 oz. bottles).
3.8
267 reviews
Dexter, United States
Community reviews
Bottle shared by tom10101, HUGE thanks! I owe you some! Pours a clear dark orange with no head and so no lacing. Aroma is sour cherries and wood, and by "sour cherries" I mean a full lactic acid shot to the nose. This one also felt a little more alcoholic than the regular but I must be imagining things. Taste is dry and not bracingly sour but a lot more acetic than the regular La Roja... Still mighty drinkable and refreshing! Carbonation was soft and not distracting. Overall a really nice product but not one that I’d consider vastly superior to the regular offering!
Bottle (12 oz). 2011 vintage. Thanks Mark! Slightly hazy reddish amber with a small off-white head and little lacing. Aroma is of oak, acetic, red fruits (mainly cherries), light vanilla and some lemony notes. Taste is slightly sweet and moderately to heavily acetic with oak, red fruits, light vanilla and light earthy notes. Medium body. Moderately dry. Mouth puckering. Quite complex and the balance isn’t bad at all considering how acetic the beer is. Really enjoyable.
Reddish amber pour with a small off white head. Aroma of sour caramels, cherries, musty oak, some basement, yeah. Jesus. This one is tart, musty, funky, tannic, and just....jolly pumpkin to the core turned up to 11. My buddy says 12 or 13 even. Sour on the finish, bit of oxidation, bit of sweetness. Not bone dry, not too tannic, not too sour. Just overall, yeah, so good. So interesting.
Great brew, vinegar, fruitness, tropical fruits, oak, fantastic, fantastic brew.
Good god what a beer... Had a regular la roja just prior and it made it taste like water... Aroma is not very sour, but as soon as it touches your lips, you are blown away by the tartness and sour finish... Like a duchesse de Bourgogne but more malts, less vinegar and better balance... Amazing
Killer beer here! Nose is great sweet and smooth sour, nice cherry and raspberry. Great sour smooth flavor with plenty of sour cherry and some dark fruit. Nice funk and tartness. Nice smooth light body. Definitely drinkable.
Bottle shared with Adam in NH - thanks amigo! Pours hazy red with a frothy, white head. Big tart, hammy fruit nose. Medium sweet flavor, quite acetic, with candy fruit suckers, cherries - pretty sour stuff. Medium to full bodied with average carbonation. Good tartness on the finish with acetic burn, raspberries and cherries. Tart, solid. Nice.
deep amber .. medium head, lacing was good .. . slick depth .. . aftertaste is awesome .. thats the way to to do it, very nice beer
.. . . i was born to lick your face..
Bottle. Pours a hazy amber net with a nice, of white head. Aroma had oak, apple and some wine or port notes. Flavor is quite sour, pal does not return in the flavor. Quite sour, fresh and nice.
Trade from deyholla. Batch 438/439. 7-25-2011 bottle date. Poured 2-20-13. Pours cloudy red with no head at all. Smells like the regular La Roja with a bit more vinegar. Bit of dry oak present for sure. Sour cherries. Bit of paint thinner. Mellow mouthfeel explodes into strong but smooth sour notes. Cherry vinegar that finishes very dry. A nice beer, very low carbonation. Not sure if the oak did all that much here.
11.2 ounce in a Hill Farmstead glass. Thanks Beau for sending this over. Enjoyed with Leighton.
A - Caramel / Amber appearance. Hard to get more than a thin line of head that fades to a small level of lacing
S - Nose is heavily lacto with lots of Cider Vinegar. Hints of cherries, raisins and peaches. Lots of sort of earthy sweet and tart fruits on the nose. Tons of vinegar.
T - Nice. Lots of cherries, grape skins and a hint of ropiness. Burnt sugar and tart funkiness in the middle. Finish is vinegar lingering bomb. I bet this beer would cure heartburn in an instant.
M - Medium carbonation and body. Very dry, high in tannins.
O - This is a great beer. 12 ounces is a perfect size for sure! any more and it would be tongue numbing.
Squat bottle acquired via trade from Scubarex. Thanks, Russ! A rate post an amazing night out with the crew. Pours a well hazed deep copper brown hue, healthy glow, healthy haze, frothy offwhite head rings atop and laces small. Aromas are sour cherries, gentle red wine that grows. Some lactic sourness, some yogurt, red wine balsamic, and tart cherries. Gentle carmelized and bready malts, rich oak presence. Big cherries and red wine as it settles. Initial is lighter end of the fold, big barrel, red wine presence. Touches of balsamic but really a big red wine presence, cherry and especially cherry skin starts to follow up. Some carmelized, bready, and biscuity malts give that just faint touch of body. Firm sourness kinda tapers out, big red wine presence gives good flavors, a bit more of a mellow flavor into the beer. Sourness comes in spurts, definitely a bit more assertive than regular La Roja. But, it’s not out of hand like you’d expect from many American sours. Not acedic or rough. Well done. Backend and finish show touches of red wine, vinegar, oak and vanilla. That girthy touch of malt in the middle and up front still kinda keeps this beer honest. Well done as far as age, and it’s desirability. Pretty fun beer.. amazed it took me so long to try this (and that THIS.. of all the Grand Reserves.. is the last one I had to try!). Cheers!
Bottle shared at Chad’s birthday. Amber pour with little to no head. Aroma is tart cherries. Taste is kinda woody, more tart cherries, alcohol, and kinda sour.
Drank at thirdeye11’s birthday party.
The beer pours an amber color with a small head. The aroma has a lot of tartness up front, with some sour apple and cherry notes mixed in. The flavor is very similar. I get some oak and cherry notes as well as a good bit of tartness. There is also some leather in the flavor. A nice sour beer. Glad I got to try it.
Honestly this was dissapointing. Poured a flatish amber pour with little to no head. Aroma is vanilla, cherry, vinegar. Taste is watery vinegary with notes of oak and some fruit. Bourbon is there but the flavors are not cohesive or complete. Feels like something is missing.
Very sour, some vanilla and oakiness, creamy and malty, a very tart oud bruin
Bottle shared by Tooch4321...thanks Adam! - Pours ruby with a ring of tan head. Lots of oak on the nose, a bit of vanilla, citrus rind, and some nice tartness. A bit of nail polish heat too. Taste is the same, with real prominent oak, a bit of caramel malt, and a long citrus rind finish. Soft and fluffy in the mouth.
Bottle thanks to MikeM ! Pours a rusty ruby color with a touch of eggshell fizz that settles out... Aromas are tart earthy cherry, acidic and some woody funk. On the palate WOW what a flavorful concoction we have here. Nice brigth acidity carries the fruit notes of cranberry and cherry to the front as the boozy bourbon oak flavors linger in the background with even a hint of peach and leather on the tail end. Great balance and another homerun from jolly pumpkin.
Short and stubby bottle to snifter (shared with the Mrs; thanks mikem409). Looks solid; amber with razor-thin lacing (when swirled). Smells semi-sweet, wild, vinegary, and funky. Tastes Like it smells with a nice mouthfeel that livens up the palate. Good beer!
Pours thick, murky amber with light colored yeast on the bottom floating around and almost no head. The aroma brings some nail polish and sweet cherry notes, love it. The flavor brings some diacetyl, sweet tart notes settling on the tongue that I really enjoy. It brings almost like a tarter version of a Flemish Red Ale.
355mL stubby bottle 2012 Ed. Batch 454 and 469. Thanks to Matt! Pour low carbonation full hazed strawberry with a thin white head. Nose is phenolic with bourbon, butter, and mild impending acetobacter. Sweet coconut and small tomato. Taste is sharply sour, some hot acetic character, minerals, chalk, black currant. Palate is tangy, white vinegar. Good- I think I like normal La Roja better.
Bottle thanks to mikem409: Poured a cloudy coppery red with a thin off white colored head. Aroma is soured fruit and woods. Wow strong on sourness came full on, subsided a bit to bring out a woodsy boozy finish. This is very interesting, but not a beer I would want more of.
Wow, this is Jolly Pumpkin magnified. Very very sour, fruity, not very carbonated. Cigar notes. More like a traditional Belgian lambic than the usual JP. More interesting than delicious.
bottle from most recent release 9/22/2012. pours apple juice color with extremly light carb head. aroma of apple cider and lemon. taste is very funky oak barrel and lemon soaked apple dry finish
Bottle shared by by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad!
Batch 48
32 month edition
The beer is sunburst and ruby hued, with very little head. Aromas include caramels, cherries, oak, vanilla, and light funk. The beer is impressively sour. Give it to me baby! Don’t...stop...don’t stop...don’t stop! This beer will F your palate in the A with its sourness. Moving on. The flavor brings a lot of the barrel characteristics, as well as a light helping of cherries. Really wonderful and complex, even challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I so dig sipping on a complex, super sour monster of a beer, and this one delivered.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 04-22-2011
Bottle via Mike, thanks again for this! Pours a deep amber with no head. Faint bubbles on the second glass with a very aggressive pour. Aroma is mild with funk and like vanilla/bourbon character. Taste is very tart up front, lemon, funk and then leaves the palate with light bourbon and vanilla notes, very faint. Overall, a nice sour but was honestly expecting more from this with the bourbon aging and Jolly Pumpkins track record.
Bottle at a tasting at James’ place courtesy of James and his giant cellar. Pours a hazed brown with ruby and copper highlights under a thin white head. A bit of the ol’ Jolly Pumpkin funk, a touch of acetone. Medium bodied, funky, a good amount of lemony acid. Long funkiness, more sour acid, fruity notes, and more nutty acetone. Good, but a bit heavy handed on the acetone.
Bottle. Pours dark brown. Nose/taste of tart cherry vinegar, old cheese, wood and soured dark fruits. Finishes very acidic. Medium body.
Bottle with friends including James who shared this sour concoction. Red tinted brown pour. Very cloudy. Not much head or lacing to note. Aromas of wood, cheese, sour cherries, cinnamon, onions. Taste was the same with some great oaky notes coming through. So much more full flavored and complex then regular la roja. Refreshing and easy.
(Bottle from Rayl101!) Pours clear amber color with no head. Aroma is pit fruit, cherries, and oak. Taste is sweet and tart. Thinner bodied with a dry finish. Easy drinking considering the abv.