Beer Review: Penn Pumpkin Roll Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: This beer poured a dark and shiny shade of copper. The head was thin, white and a little fizzy. It also wasn't able to stick around for any amount of time. Not much was left after the head was gone. I was pretty much face-to-face with the copper body after this happened. Remarkably, there were still many beady trails of bubbles slowly rising upwards despite the lack of head above.

Smell: Amazingly, this smelled like a sweet pumpkin dessert. Big surprise, right? There was plenty of spicy cinnamon with few pumpkin undertones. This brew also featured a scent of prevalent creaminess. Had to be the lactose sugar that was used in the brewing process.

Taste: There was a little kiss of cinnamon on the front of my tongue along with some sweet caramel malt. The generous use of hops, as we usually get in Penn Brewery's offerings, took over from then on before the lactose sugar provided for a rich and creamy finish. The cream flavor also lingered in the aftertaste. The beady bubble trails made for a rich and interesting texture that was felt at the perfect time: when the hops and cream kicked in.

Overall Rating: 

I really anticipated this brew once I heard it was in the works. Still, I hated that it came out in the middle of July. I love when beer reminds me of food. I love holiday desserts. Penn knocked it out of the park with Nut Roll Ale last year and made another winner this time. The lactose sugar that was used makes the beer, in my opinion. The beer looked a tad weak to start, but in the end it wasn't really needed to provide that touch of creaminess some beers provide later in the drink.