Bumpin' Pumpkin Beer

Exploring the lovely marriage of pumpkin and beer each and every fall season.

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Under 6 months now until pumpkin beer season kicks off. Get ready.

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Lavery The Devil's Pumpkin (2014)

Brewery: Lavery Brewing Company

ABV: 7.5%

To ring in the New Year, I was supplied an option from a family member straight from western Pennsylvania. I'm excited to try a drier version of the standard pumpkin ale. Let's have a go.

Appearance: This pours a small, almost nonexistent off white head with a beautiful copper orange color. A very thin crown sits atop a murky body. There seems to be mild carbonation. The body looks real nice.

Aroma: This has a fairly strong pumpkin aroma to it. Fresh pumpkin sits firmly on top of a mix of spices. The usual suspects are present including nutmeg and clove, as well as hints of cinnamon and allspice. This has a earthy but nicely balanced smell.

Taste: The pumpkin is totally present! It's almost like a cooked pumpkin seed taste. It's quite nice. Light caramel notes and supporting spices surround the pumpkin. They're far from aggressive which is nice as nothing ever overwhelms the pumpkin. I'd go as far as saying they should be a bit stronger. The hops breath well and have a bit of an herbal personality. The malt side is there, but just enough so to even out the hops. From front to back I find the experience to be less dynamic than I hoped. It's not too complex. Still though...the presence of pumpkin keeps it enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: It's medium bodied and mildly carbonated. It's fairly dry and earthy yet still refreshing. The feel is honestly a bit more watery than I'd hoped. There isn't much texture here.

Overall: This is an option that definitely doesn't abide by the malty sweet recipe that so many others do, and that's okay! This certainly is one of the more brilliant hops and pumpkin matches. It's a clean choice with little compliments of sweetness when needed. If you're into the raw earthy vibe, this is definitely worth tasting. However its thin feel and underwhelming supporting cast don't allow for it to come near the top tier. Nevertheless, it's worth it.

Score: 

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Avery Rumpkin (2014)

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company

ABV: 16.73%

The Pump[KY]n option was a great choice so I'm excited to see where this one goes. When it comes to rum, thus far, Roadsmary's Baby sets the standard. The ABV is a bit intimidating here but I'm excited. This is likely to be the last pumpkin beer I get to try in 2014. So here's to a successful year!

Appearance: This pours a dark copper color with some glaring red hues when in good light. It produces a thin, fizzing head that dissipates fast and leaves a small crown and swampy surface coat. There's some moderate carbonation present and some signs of light lacing to come.

Aroma: The rum is immediately noticeable with an oak-like personality. There's also a very slight dry fruit smell. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are also fairly strong. There seems to be a sugary malt layer that meshes well with the hops and yeast that's present. The pumpkin settles subtly on top of it all.

Taste: A sweet malt foundation sets up a sugary podium for the pumpkin, spices and alcohol to stand on. The rum is sweet and mixes really smoothly with the spices. The ginger actually almost creates a "dark and stormy-esque" taste. Cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg all wash back and forth on the palate. The pumpkin is surprisingly strong and rests well on top of the other flavors. You continue to build pumpkin pie sweetness as you move to the back. The aftertaste is like a shot of pumpkin pie spiked with sweet rum. There's really not much depth to this one but its balance and drinkability is exceptional. The alcohol matches perfectly with these ingredients and never overwhelms the palate.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. It gets warmer the more you drink it. The alcohol and sweetness tickles the palate constantly. It's velvety with just the slightest bit of texture from the carbonation. 

Overall: Pump[KY]n was a great beer but it could be a bit intimidating for those not into a high ABV. This one, on the other hand, manages to combine the essential pumpkin ale ingredients with rum in a fashion that is really impressive. It's incredibly drinkable considering its ABV. It hides it so well. The pumpkin is strong which is always welcomed. Its barrel aged personality is on par with Roadsmary's Baby and its flavors are extravagant. If it had just a bit more depth to it (from front to back) it'd be right up there in the top five. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth the purchase and I recommend it ahead of Pump[KY]n for those who are cautious when it comes to a high ABV.

Score: 

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Headless Heron Barrel Aged Pumpkin Spice Ale (2014)

Brewery: Central Waters Brewing Co.

ABV: 8.5%

This is yet another option I've never heard of. It's another barrel aged option so I'm optimistic as these kinds tend to go over well.

Appearance: This pours a dark brown color with zero visibility. Under direct light you might make out some flickers of ruby red at its base. There forms a small, light brown head that reduces to a thin crown pretty quickly. There's very little sign of lacing.

Aroma: This has a sweet malty base with a rich blanket of fruit over it. There's a pleasant boozy undertone that accentuates the pumpkin and fruit. Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, clove and vanilla all seem to be involved.

Taste: A sweet, complex mixture of pumpkin, spices and alcohol take over the palate right away. Pumpkin and fruit present themselves immediately up front on top of a sugary malt layer. I'm having a tough time putting my finger on the individual pieces of fruit. The balance is solid and the barrel notes are potent and pleasurable. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove are present as predicted. The vanilla, however, is beyond present...it's quite strong. I definitely get more vanilla than pumpkin. It accentuates the fruit but it, along with the floral alcohol aspect, seems to quickly drown the pumpkin as you move towards the finish. The finish is fairly warm, as the alcohol seeps into the palate. The aftertaste fills with alcohol and dry fruit. It's a nice leftover but by the end I question whether I just drank a pumpkin beer or not.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied option with moderate carbonation. It's slightly creamy and does have a nice warmth to it. The combination of carbonation and spice adds a bit of sharpness throughout.

Overall: This is a tasty barrel aged beer with a really nice complexity to it. Really impressive is the drinkability. It almost seems as though it should be a higher ABV. The vanilla and bourbon notes are really the driving aspects to the experience, which I find to be the good and bad in this one. The emphasis on fruit is inviting but when paired with the booze and vanilla it can wash the pumpkin from the experience pretty quickly. I appreciate it's somewhat tropical character as it's a welcomed twist on this category. Is it the best pumpkin beer? Absolutely not. Is it a worth a go though? Absolutely, yes. Especially if you like a more alternative option.

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Ten Ninety De Ogen (2014)

Brewery: Ten Ninety Brewing Company

ABV: 8.4%

The presentation is nice. It looks like a fine wine to be honest. I'm not pairing it with food as it suggests but I am expecting something nice because of its label. It's a good looking label. 

Appearance: This pours a bright orange color with a finger of white, bubbling head. This head dissipates just as quick as it builds. There's no lacing, but its fizzing crown is fed by a steady stream of moderate carbonation. It has a beautiful haze that's more on the murky side.

Aroma: This has a bright, Belgiany pumpkin smell surrounded by an array of citrusy elements. Cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and clove stand out. It's fruity and fresh with a grassy undertone. It's certainly complex.

Taste: This has a strong pumpkin that leads the way. It's not pumpkin pie, but it's a vivid vegetal pumpkin. The spice profile consists of all that was predicted by the nose. There's a decent malty front, with flavors that make for a gingerbread taste. This blankets the Belgiany, yeasty body. The sugar that's present disappears quick. The back turns a little bitter and the finish provides a sharp earthiness. There's no cloying flavors in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: This has a medium body with moderate carbonation. It's sharp on the palate. It's earthy qualities, Belgian character and strong carbonation all make for a large textured experience. It's slightly warm but it never smooths over the palate like a bourbon infused option or similar.

Overall: This is a good beer for sure. It has a fairly good balance and some serious complexity to it, the latter being the most admirable. There's a fantastic fruity and earthy mix going on that makes for a crisp experience. The pumpkin is present, which is always nice, and the spices are strong. The yeast character does tend to be a bit overpowering. I'd have liked the malt to carry through a bit more as I think an increase in sweetness would have placed this option significantly higher in the ranks. But nevertheless, it's a solid pumpkin beer.

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Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash (2014)

Brewery:  Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling Co.

ABV: 10.6%

I had an anonymous Reddit user reach out and donate four pumpkin beers to me in November. This is the first of the four. I've never heard of it and therefore I'm going in with an open mind. I'm not overly excited when it comes to stouts but I'm hopeful for this one. Oddly I'm kind of expecting it to be good based on their label, as the typography speaks "sophistication" to me. Okay, enough with the designer talk.

Appearance: This pours an extremely dark brown color with zero visibility. It's practically black. There's a finger's worth of light brown, fizzy head. It dissipates quickly but has good retention. It has some moderate lacing and ends up sustaining an uneven, frothy crown all the way through the end.

Aroma: There seems to be a malty foundation with a strong chocolate toffee layer. I get a moderately strong pumpkin smell that mixes in with a fairly vibrant concoction of fruit. It's a rich aroma that has depth and energy. Ginger, nutmeg and brown sugary sweetness all seem to play with the nose.

Taste: This is a really well balanced relationship between malt and hops. Up front you're greeted by a roasty flavor consisting of ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar and a great fruit mixture. Together the spices are woody and distinct. The pumpkin is fruity and sweet. There's definitely something else supporting this fruitiness. The pumpkin doesn't shy away at all, which is fantastic. As you move to the back, your palate engages strongly with the chocolate and toffee character. The hops also begin to escalate, leaving just a bit more bitterness for the finish. The flavor is smoky and sumptuous. It's really well balanced surprisingly drinkable for a stout.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied option with moderate carbonation. It's velvety and smooth. The bitter sweet mix plays well with the carbonation and keeps the palate engaged and satisfied all the way through. It's a good feel all around.

Overall: This is certainly one of the better pumpkin stouts I've had. Its intensity in every aspect is admirable especially since no one piece of the puzzle is ever lost. It's this balance that shines most. The malt and hops aspects are vibrant, and the fruity pumpkin character plays extraordinarily well with the dark smoky character. I must reiterate my appreciation for the distinct flavoring and the fact that the pumpkin is strongly present. Like Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale this year, Crown Valley's Imperial Pumpkin Smash is one I'm going to make an effort to find next  year. Not because it's a great beer (it is) but because it's a stout that I actually really enjoy. Well done.

Score:

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Avery Pump[KY]n (2014)

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company

ABV: 17.22%

A friend and I happened upon this option one night and didn't really pay attention to it's ABV prior to opening. We knew we were in for some bourbon aged booze, so we were excited. Needless to say...it didn't take long before we had a look at the side of the bottle.

Appearance: This pours a dark brown color with some light brown-red hues at its base when in good light. There's about a finger of hazelnut colored head that has great retention. There's some positive signs of lacing to come.

Aroma: First there's a malty and woody foundation at the nose. It sets the stage for a fresh, somewhat fruity, pumpkin flesh and a strong smell of bourbon. Cinnamon, ginger and perhaps a bit of buttery caramel also tickles the nose. After a minute or so and some more investigation, I get a slight bit of chocolate as well.

Taste: This has an intense malt taste with a strong alcohol sweetness to it. Wow! That's alcohol in your beer for sure! The pumpkin somehow makes its way past the booze and pairs itself with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, brown sugar and some caramel. I'll admit, I may be off with those observations as it's hard to decipher with the strength of the booze, but you still get the general picture. It has this chocolate-like character that was predicted at the nose which seeps into the palate slowly. It provides an interesting mix with the bourbon taste. As you move from front to back, the pumpkin tends to resurface here and there but ends up finally submerging itself underneath this chocolate, caramel, bourbon, boozy mix. After a little more time it seems to formulate a somewhat nutty and fruity personality all at once. It finishes really nicely and leaves a nice warming sensation.

Mouthfeel: This is definitely a medium bodied option with seemingly mild carbonation. It's surprisingly smooth and has a pleasant creamy texture to it. Yet it still throws a few sharp punches of booze at you, just to keep you on your feet! The barrel notes keep this one interesting and adds greatly to its personality.

Overall: I enjoyed this beer way more than I anticipated. The more I drank it, the more I enjoyed it, and I promise that's coming from a sober mindset as I was halfway through pretty quickly (at least before it could catch up to me). For having such a high alcohol content I'm impressed with its drinkability. It's incredibly warming and does a nice job of presenting both pumpkin and spices in a concoction that could have easily been derailed by overemphasizing the bourbon. It's sweetness is fantastic. It's definitely one of the better bourbon infused options out there. If you're looking for some alcohol with your pumpkin, there's no better place to look. But if that ABV is something you're quite conscious of, and bourbon isn't your thing, I'd strongly recommend purchasing with caution.

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Parallel 49 Lost Souls Chocolate Pumpkin Porter (2014)

Brewery: Parallel 49 Brewing Company

ABV: 6.5%

I kept a porter for late in the season as they tend to segue well into the winter. This one is one I've heard good things about and I'm excited to see how chocolate impacts pumpkin in this style.

Appearance: This poured practically black in color with the occasional cola colored hue resting at its base in good light. It has a hazelnut colored head that resorts to a fairly thick surface coat, and eventually a hefty crown. There's signs of light lacing to come.

Aroma: This has some strong suggestions of dark chocolate and roasted malt. There's nutmeg, ginger and allspice all residing on top. There's a faint layer of pumpkin that moves in and out of the rich, deep malt smell.

Taste: I get some fairly strong cocoa flavors up front that lay on top of a roasted malt base. This sinks into a swath of coffee flavor that matches really well. Mixed in throughout are pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. The pumpkin isn't too strong but it's certainly not overrun by any other aspect. There's a balanced sweetness and bitterness to the finish that tends to linger into the aftertaste. Overall, I gather somewhat of a wilderness like character to the flavor profile. A bit woody...a bit smoky...but generally pleasant nonetheless.

Mouthfeel: This is medium bodied with mild carbonation. Contrary to a lot of reviews I've heard from others, I think the feel is pretty great. It's not heavy, sure, but it's creamy still. Though a bit thin, it rolls over the palate in a pleasant fashion and leaves a bit of a refreshing taste on the tongue. The image it paints in my mind is of an early morning wilderness setting that has a campfire feel being patted down by a crisp morning mist. Rarely do I get imagery that vivid from a taste...

Overall: I enjoyed this one. It retained a fall feeling while still emphasizing the classic porter qualities. It's drinkability is great. The prominence of chocolate gives a bit of a refreshing twist to the porter arena. Everything felt pretty balanced and its character is diverse enough to keep your interest. Perhaps it's not an astonishing option but the mere fact nothing detracted heavily from the experience means it's well worth a purchase. If you want a late fall option with some light pumpkin to carry over into the winter, this one is worth a shot.

Score:

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Cigar City Good Gourd Pumpkin Ale (2014)

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing

ABV: 8.5%

I've heard...that this beer...is to die for. I'm going into this with an open mind mostly because I've heard that claim multiple times only to be disappointed. Yet this one is hard to come by. So to say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Appearance: This pours a nice amber color with some vibrant flashes of red under good light. There's a finger's worth of off-white head that reduces at a steady pace leaving behind a thin, but bubbly, surface coat. There's some noticeable suspension of sediment but otherwise it's fairly clear. There's little lacing, if any at all.

Aroma: This has some really strong notes that optimistically include a warm pumpkin. There's some bright spicing that includes allspice, cinnamon and clove. It's got this rummy, Caribbean character, unsurprisingly considering it's ingredients come from locations such as Jamaica and Zanzibar. But it's not like the ones that are aged to manufacture that rum barrel personality. There's a hint of alcohol and fruit that plays with the nose as well. It's a strong yet well defined aroma...not quite like anything else I've had.

Taste: There's a definite roasted pumpkin in this one that's surrounded by a bold but beautiful spice complex. The foundation is malt driven and rich. The spices include clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, but they're completely and utterly natural tasting. They're fresh and flourish beside one another. Together they make for a slightly tropical character. These are extraordinarily balanced up front and continue to carry the experience through the back where you're introduced to hints of vanilla and fruit. The sweetness is absolutely perfect all the way through. The pumpkin is also fairly strong until it begins to fade in the finish. You get a bit of alcohol at the end. This may be the first time I've ever considered the spice profile to be as good, if not better than a pumpkin flavor of this magnitude. Considering its complexity, depth and flavorful personality...I'm leaning towards marking this as one of, if not the best pumpkin beer of the season.

Mouthfeel: Without injecting a sharp alcohol taste, this is really warm. It's medium bodied with mild carbonation. It has such a strong pumpkin and spice profile, yet it's so incredibly smooth. All the ingredients harmoniously battle for the palate, giving it a bit of satisfying texture.

Overall: This is quite possibly the best. It's right there with Stevens Point Whole Hog. Where Whole Hog focuses on the epitome of pumpkin flavor (and admittedly, that is my preference above all), this one introduces a complexity and spice bill that is unlike any other, and it accents the pumpkin beautifully. It's flavors, including the pumpkin are mighty, and the character is defined by a brilliant, uniquely satisfying combination of worldly ingredients. Nothing falls out of balance the whole time, nor does any one aspect ever overpower another. This is without a doubt a top tier choice that you must try. I also have to thank Cigar City Brewing for sending me a bottle of this. I wouldn't have been able to taste it without their consideration!

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