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: 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.