A Sufficient Time

It's definitely that time of the year. I wrote last month after Labor Day Weekend that it was an appropriate time to fully take in, consume and enjoy pumpkin beers. It has now got just a tad cooler outdoors and those annoying leaves have been clogging our house gutters and cluttering the sidewalks.

A yummy glass of 2012 Pumking.

With that all said, I now feel that it's time to review some of the interesting pumpkin beers that I've reviewed and snapped nerdy pictures of. The only thing that is holding me back is the fact that I've been too lazy to upload the photographs from my camera and onto the flash drive.

One of the beers I'm extremely excited to review is the elusive Schlafly Pumpkin Ale that I luckily came across a few months ago. It was nearly a perfect beer drinking experience except for just one aspect. For that aspect, you'll have to wait until I get everything typed in and scheduled to post. Other pumpkin beers that I've enjoyed and am ready to review include Ithaca Country Pumpkin Cisco's Pumple Drumkin and Erie Brewing's Johnny Rails Pumpkin Ale.

I'll try to stick to my usual pattern of two beer reviews per-week. That means that tomorrow and Friday will both be pumpkin reviews. Hopefully nothing major happens in the magnificent and eventful world of beer between now and then.

Beer Review: Saranac Pumpkin Ale (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: Saranac Pumpkin Ale pours a dark amber. It can better be classified as a deep copper. It also features a few reddish highlights swirling about elsewhere in the body. There's a decent amount of carbonation that's noticeable. The beer's head is very bubbly and cream white. Don't get too excited as it stick around for too long.

Smell: There were decent helpings of cinnamon and clove in this beer. I really couldn't pick up much else. No dark or caramel malts. No pumpkin at all.

Taste: In terms of the spices, I only picked up the cinnamon on the tongue at first. I finally got a slight taste of buttery pumpkin along with a crusty backbone on the finish which resembled that bit of pumpkin pie I expect in these beers. Let the beer warm a few minutes for the clove flavor to come out. As for the texture, what I saw after first pour didn't translate as well as I preferred. It sort of felt watery. Half way through the glass the carbonation bubbles disappeared.

Overall Rating: 

This is an alright drink for a pumpkin ale. The lack of pumpkin in the aroma kinda hurt it in my eyes and it seemed watered down just a tad. It really lacked mouthfeel. I have a few more pumpkin ales left that I planned on reviewing this year, but I'm leaning towards just pocketing those. I hope you enjoyed the pumpkin beers I've shared with you this year.

Beer Review: Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Post Road Pumpkin Ale pours a shade of vivid/fluorescent orange. The body has a slight haziness to it and the head has a decent thickness, is creamy and white and has excellent retention. Other white bubbles dance around in the glass.

Smell: This beer has a few scents of caramel and biscuit, initially. I also noticed some pumpkin. This is the strongest scent of pumpkin I've come across in any pumpkin ale this year. There are a few pumpkin pie spices, (mainly cinnamon and nutmeg) but they are somewhat tough to notice.

Taste: The pumpkin is very dominant in the taste of this brew. As for other flavors, it's difficult to get any of the pumpkin pie spices on the tongue. Slight hints of the biscuit (possibly a hop presence) and caramel are also there. Overall, the taste of this one comes off as dry to me.

Overall Rating: 

The biggest problems for me with this one is the lacking of the spices to mix well with the pumpkin and the dryness in the flavor. If I remember correctly, this beer seemed to change from last year's batch, too. I remember it being having a darker hue and it boasting more of a hop character.

Beer Review: Rivertowne Pumpkin Spice (2012)

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Rivertowne's Pumpkin Spice pours a vivid shade of orange with some fogginess throughout the body. Yes, it's foggy/hazy, but not in that bad way that resembles one of our rivers. If the beer was a bit darker, we are venturing into that territory. It's head is extremely thick with awesome retention, but doesn't leave a lot of lacing inside the glass at all. I couldn't find out for sure, but if I had to wager anything I'd say this was definitely a nitro draft.

Smell: The three big ingredients you like to see in pumpkin-related desserts this time of the year are all in the aroma of this brew. I got plenty of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Although it was a little tough to discern the brown sugar on the rim of the glass, this beer gives off a few hints of sweetness.

Taste: This is where this beer hits home. It tasted fantastic. There's a ton of pumpkin on the front of the tongue and the spiciness of the beer is perfect. They're not weak nor are they sizzling on your tongue. But the cinnamon is the most noticeable of the three. The thick, white head adds a subtle creaminess that tops this fantastic beverage off.

Overall Rating: 

I'm not quite ready to put this beer above Southern Tier's Pumking, but it's definitely up there. I absolutely loved the combination of sweetness, spice and pumpkin. I'm saddened by the fact I couldn't make it out to Rivertowne's Pourhouse more often to try this a few more times.

Beer Review: Uinta Oak Jack Imperial Pumpkin (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 10.3 percent

Appearance: Oak Jacked Imperial (there's that word again) Pumpkin pours a deep and dark ruby red and has a strong sense of thickness to it. the head is thick, frothy and is an off-white color. The best way to describe it is as a cream color. It will leave a ton of ample lacing on the inside of your glass.

Smell: I noticed some ginger and cinnamon in the aroma of this brew as well as some notes of pumpkin and graham cracker, but I'm sure you can guess what was really noticeable. Yes, the oak and booze. For however long this beer was aged in barrels, it really took on the characteristics of said barrel. Those two flavors are very pungent.

Taste: All of the flavors mesh sort of well together. The ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin and graham cracker hints give off an essence of pumpkin pie. The oak and booziness of this beer was just a little too overpowering for me. As the beer warmed those two flavors made it a bit of a struggle. That doesn't take away from the pleasant experience this one provided up until that point, though.

Overall Rating: 

I've never been the world's biggest fan of oak aged beers even though that's the next big thing in the craft beer movement. Sometimes the essence of oak, bourbon and alcohol that gets  soaked up by these beers becomes a bit too powerful for my taste buds. It's calmer as the beer is first opened and the slight presence of that flavor is actually enjoyable for me, but as it warms that flavor takes over the beer.

Beer Review: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale pours what looks like to be a peachy color. I picked up both reddish and brownish highlights throughout the body. The beer's head is an off-white and can almost be described as an ivory. It's well-carbonated as evident by the mass amount of bubbles rushing towards the crown of the beer. You will find plenty of lacing that completely encircles the glass as you consume this.

Smell: The fist thing I noticed in this beer's aroma is its tangy hop character. I also got a decent amount of sweet brown sugar, which seemed to be the dominant characteristic throughout. There was also some spicy nutmeg along with some vanilla. I can't forget the tiny bit of pumpkin that was in there as well.

Taste: I got whacked with a ton of sweet brown sugar and pumpkin at first. This tasted amazing. Enjoy those two flavors because the spiciness of the nutmeg takes over immediately and lingers with the hop notes for a long, and I mean a long after taste. If I had it my way, I'd prefer the spices and hops to be a little less dominant.

Overall Rating: 

I only have one complaint with this beer and that's the strength of the hops and spice. Together they're just a tad too strong. I actually think they're a bit more dominant than last year. I feel that the brown sugar and pumpkin are the two best flavors in this beer (it was sweeter last year). Still, we can't blame Dogfish for being experimental as they are known to be. This still remains as one of the top pumpkin ales on my list to buy each season.

Beer Review: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (2012)

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.8 percent

Appearance: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale pours a deep gold with a vivid orange hue. The head of the brew is white and fizzy, but fades away quickly. It does leave an extremely thin layer atop the beer for the remainder of the drink, though. There are visible amounts of carbonation in this beer, but I prefer a little bit more. If you follow my posts, you know that this year's batch is a completely different one than last year's!

Smell: The spices are dominant in this brew. Nutmeg and cinnamon are the most noticeable. There's also a sugary sweetness you get before taking in the pumpkin aromas. Overall, it smells like pumpkin pie, which hits the mark for most pumpkin ales.

Taste: When I first opened a bottle of this I noticed it looked different. It went even farther south for me when I tasted it. The spices were way too strong. The cinnamon and nutmeg almost start sizzling on your tongue. There's a tad of pumpkin up front that teases you, but fades away quickly leaving you to bout with just the strong spices. A nice bit of mouthfeel from the carbonation is just about the only plus in terms of flavor.

Overall Rating: 

This batch is completely different than last year's Last year, it was much darker and the pumpkin was much more prevalent. After each sip you could taste the roof of your mouth and taste pumpkin. Now, it's just overly spiced.

Beer Review: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: N/A

Appearance: Rock Bottom Pumpkelweizen is a dark and hazy shade of brown. Some reddish highlights help to add different hues throughout the body. If comes off as very thick. Almost opaque. It slightly reminds me of a Pittsburgh river, but that's my only small complaint. The beer's crown features an extremely thick and frothy head. I noticed some intense lacing, which was also very thick and had strong retention. It really sticks to the glass as the beer slowly travels downward.

Smell: Initially, I got plenty of spices and pumpkin. As for the spices, cinnamon and cloves were really dominant. I also picked up a wheat and grain aroma in front of a few darker fruits which I couldn't exactly distinguish.

Taste: The tanginess of the spices and a slight sourness from the wheat create an exotic taste. This beer features a taste I haven't come across before. The pumpkin tosses in a good aftertaste after each sip. The head of the beer is thick and powerful enough that you get a slight touch of creaminess atop all of the other flavors. Exotic, yet exceptional taste.

Overall Rating: 

This is a really interesting beer. I went out of my way to stop and try it. I was very pleased with it, to say the least. The spices go well with the wheat that's in the beer.