A Smuttynose Mystery

I tried Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale last year and really enjoyed it. It was dark, had a great dose of brown sugar and when you touched your tongue on the roof of your mouth, there was this distinctive taste of pumpkin that you couldn't find in any other beer.

So, you could understand why I was excited to purchase a case of that same beer this season. I was confused as soon as I opened the first bottle and poured it. I knew I'd drank Smuttynose's pumpkin before. So, I went through some of my older beer pictures. Take a look.

That looks like two completely different beers. This year's is far lighter. It seemed way over spiced and didn't have that trademark pumpkin aftertaste. Now, I asked for Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale at the place I drank the one on the left and that's what I received.

That leaves maybe two possibilities. The establishment screwed up the name of the beer they tapped or the recipe was completely changed. I'm figuring that the former is the more possible of the two. The thing is I can't figure out what the darker beer might have been if it was in-fact messed up.

I'm attempting to crank out a few pumpkin ale reviews starting this week. This year's Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale will be one of them at some point.