La Roja - Black Currants & Grape Must
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Interesting looking beer. Brownish on the pour, but a much more vibrant, translucent purple color in the glass. The khaki colored head is incongruent with the color of the beer itself, but good looking nonetheless.

Aroma is 100% sour funk with a grape backbone. Taste follows, with the tart funkiness more prominent than the nose, and the grape must and to a somewhat lesser extent black currants clearly present. Earthy, tart and very good. Definitely enjoying this.

 

Ruddy reddish brown, a finger of foam with spotty lace.
Aroma is clean with some wild yeast and dark fruit character.
Tart and vinous, plenty of black currant to the point there was a slight medicinal edge initially, from the concentrated black currant juice. Over time it opened up. Tannic dryness, cab sauv vinous character, dark berry and herbal notes from the black currants. Smooth and refined, easy to sip and savor. It continued to improve at cellar temp, 50-60°. Not really a Flanders Red, it’s more of a fruited wild ale.

I’ve been drinking JP since they opened. No wall of ten-cent thesaurus words here. Glad they continue to innovate and try new things, it’s encouraging that they continue to keep things fresh.

BOTTLE: Courtesy of Katelynn and Vince - thanks! Crown-capped 750ml brown glass bottle with an intricate black and gold label. Packaged 01/11/2019.

"Ale with black currants and Chilean cabernet sauvignon grape must added." "Oak aged." "Sour biere."

Served cold into stemware and allowed to warm over the course of consumption.

HEAD: ~1 cm in height. Off-white colour. Not horribly robust, but adequately thick and it does stick around for 2-3 minutes.

BODY: Red of below average vibrance. Doesn't pop and isn't very vivid, but it's right for the style. No yeast/lees are visible, at least not in my glass after the first pour from the large format bottle.

Appears aptly carbonated. Looks right for the style without standing out in it.

AROMA: Rich white oak - it's unmistakable. Tart fruit. Grape skin. Depleted cherry skin. Wild yeast(s). Rich active live bacteria/yeast (acetobacter, clean funkiness from brettanomyces, a bit of lactobacillus). The oak presence is marvelous. Any black currant is buried beneath the abovementioned. The grape/grape must is definitely obvious, but I wouldn't say it's recognizably a specific varietal (though I'd definitely say red wine in a blind tasting). Acetic acid.

Rustic and alive, promising a vivacious sour ale with mild bacteria presence. Seems like maybe a 4/10 in terms of sourness. Doesn't seem too acidic.

Aromatic intensity is moderate.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Leathery and coating with a subtly puckering tartness and welcome acidity. Refreshing, aptly medium-bodied, smooth, wet, perfectly carbonated...I forgot how masterfully Jolly Pumpkin brews their beers.

Tart fruit (pomegranate, grape, depleted cherry, berry/currant) is at the fore backed by rich notes of rich white oak that tie the beer together, injecting natural cohesion to its structure and unifying the beer into harmonious bliss. Intricate bacteria (acetobacter with concomitant acetic acid, lactobacillus, pediococcus) harmonize with wild yeasts (brettanomyces lending a clean funkiness alongside the estery saccharomyces cervisiae) to excellent effect, making this beer sing with life. Scintillae of leather and vinegar, hints of green apple/apple cidre vinegar, a blip of barrel vanillin, some buried pie crust, subtle toasted malt/amber malt...there's a lot going on here, but the rich oak aging keeps it unified and it's amazingly well balanced.

A complex layered sour ale that doesn't overdo its sourness (it's about a 4-5/10 in terms of sourness - hardly puckering but definitely noticeable and overt).

OVERALL: The black currant isn't as overt as I'd hoped, instead reduced to a vague berry flavour (sidebar: I'd definitely guess pomegranate was utilized in a blind taste test), and the wine isn't as jammy or distinct as would be ideal, but this is a hell of a beer with dazzling complexity and impossible balance...further proof Jolly Pumpkin is one of the U.S.A.'s great sour producers. Finishes with a leathery funky aftertaste that keeps you craving the next sip. Wonderfully acidic with vivid flavours and utmost intricacy. A top beer of 2019 for me and a must-try for any fan of the style able to get their hands on it.

B+ (3.87) / VERY GOOD

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/11/2019. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/orange/copper/amber, light purple color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy black currants, red grape/wine, fruit skin/seed, cranberry, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, lemon, lime, orange, red/green apple, toasted oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, brown bread, and biscuit; with lighter notes of nuttiness, roast, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of black currant, cabernet sauvignon grape must, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and dark/bready/light roast malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy/tart/tangy black currants, red grape/wine, fruit skin/seed, cranberry, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, lemon, lime, orange, red/green apple, toasted oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, brown bread, and biscuit; with lighter notes of nuttiness, roast, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness; fruit/Brett tang; and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy black currants, red grape/wine, fruit skin/seed, cranberry, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, lemon, lime, orange, red/green apple, toasted oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, wheat, cracker, brown bread, biscuit, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of black currant, cabernet sauvignon grape must, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and dark/bready/light roast malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness, tangy fruit, and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with minimal puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering sour/tart/tangy, yeast/oak spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.6%. Overall this is an awesome fruited Flanders red ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of black currant, cabernet sauvignon grape must, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and dark/bready/light roast malt flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic/tannic. Awesome balance between big juicy/jammy fruit, classic JP Brett/bacteria complexity, oak presence, and dark/bready malts against acidity. Mild residual sweetness with crisp acidic/tangy dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressively spot on style example as expected.