Co-operation Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Hot on the heels of Rodenbach Red Tripel, basically the same blend of styles, just different breweries and ratios. This is way better, and it’s a 4 year old bottle. Barrel aging and some time have done wonders.

Crisp and acidic, oaky. Tawny reddish orange tone with a finger of foam and plenty of lace. Red fruit, concord grape, light barrel funk. Effervescent with a lot of tannin, dry bitterness in the aftertaste.

Overall this is an enjoyable beer, lighter than La Roja, maybe a little easier drinking.

 

Would I buy this again? Possibly, but Id likely go for a bottle of La Roja instead.

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/11/2018. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper/light reddish color with a 1 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tart/sour cherry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of roast, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart/sour cherry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of roast, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate Brett/lactic tartness; peppery yeast/oak spiciness; and wine tang on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour cherry, berries, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/spiciness and tangy wine balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/spiciness, and wine tang. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 9.7% after the finish. Overall this is an awesome blended sour/wild ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish. Awesome blend of a Tripel and La Roja. Great balance of classic JP house Brett/bacteria and Belgian yeast complexity; great oak presence and malt backbone against acidity/tang/tannins. Minimal residual sweetness from lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected.

a neat beer here, a collaboration brew with bastone, who apparently previously occupied their royal oak location, this one is brewed on site there and is a blend of a beer from each brewery, or maybe wort from each brewery, la roja from jolly pumpkin and a belgian tripel from bastone. it drinks a lot more like the latter than the former, without any of the funk or tang i am used to in jolly pumpkin beers. its a belgian type yeast with an apple note to it and a little white wine character, the whole thing enriched by the la roja element to have a little more grain depth than most tripel types i am used to, but its essentially a jazzed up belgian tripel. i like the yeast with the oak, not enough of these ever see oak, but i think its a natural marriage. still a touch sweet from the grain but drier than most and nice with the yeast. subtle vanilla from the wood, and a cool smoothness to the texture. i actually think this would be awesome with the jolly pumpkin wild culture in it, but i like it as it is too. their relationship to this bastone brewery is still a little unclear to me, but its cool they got together for this brew!

 

Very interesting collaboration ale between Jolly Pumpkin and Bastone. Take Bastone's Nectar de Dieux tripel, add JP's La Roja, take out the bacteria and age on oak. You end up with a shimmery garnet liquid with Belgian tripel aromas and flavors tinged with fruity, spicy, and earthy oaken notes that compliment quite well. Highly suggest a try if you visit the Royal Oak location.