ANOTHER WHOPPER FROM THE RUST BELT

I don’t drink 22-oz. bombers by myself all that often but when company’s comin’ over, all bets are off. Time to share the bounty. I found a big bottle of this JOLLY PUMPKIN LA ROJA and was wondering how I was going to get through it. Now JOLLY PUMPKIN of Dexter, MI actually go by the longer moniker of JOLLY PUMPKIN ARTISAN ALES, and they are certainly positioning themselves in a more-rarefied strata with beers like this one. LA ROJA is described as “An artisan amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice, and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age from two to ten months”. Developed by real artisans! How about that?

Well, the evidence is in and LA ROJA is outstanding. It is just the right balance of rich, flavorful fruits and sour fruits, with the emphasis being on that oaken, “aged” flavor common to beers crafted in this style. Loved it. I’d detected a sour-but-not-too-sour plum or apricot taste. Plumcots? OK. It also arrived with a huge head of foam – I needed to wait about four minutes to complete the pour. I’m not sure what my personal foam-off record is, but this’ll rank in the Top 5 for sure. It was worth sitting on my hands for. My guest dug it too, or at least he said he did. $8.99 at Whole Foods. Hedonist Beer Jive says 8.5/10.