Wachusett - Imperial Pumpkin

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!  May your blessings be innumerable and your loved ones be close.  To celebrate this day, I've already had 2 bloody marys, 1 mimosa, 1 Woodchuck fall cider, and 1 Heineken.  While I know it's not the most prestigious lineup in the world, it has done the job and filled me with the holiday spirit... and it's only 1:30 p.m.

Today's review will be for Wachusett's Imperial Pumpkin ale.  It's something that my wife and sister-in-law picked up in Boston for me on a recent trip.  Actually, it was a trip that my wife took on our three year wedding anniversary so she knew she had to pick up something nice.  Wachusett brews this beer with pumpkin puree, Belgian Candi sugar (sic), vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  It sounds pretty par for the course, but this brewery has the ability to do some very above average brewing.  Let's pour!

Aroma 9/12

Things begin with a subdued, sweet caramel malt and some equally muted spices.  The pumpkin seems pretty far behind until the beer warms in the glass and only then takes over as the primary aroma.  Once warmed properly the pumpkin and spices are both easily discerned with a sugary caramel blending well with the pumpkin aromas.  Unfortunately, the cinnamon and nutmeg seem to be a bit strong after additional warming.

 Appearance 3/3

The glass burns with rusty siennas and burnt orange colors.  The off white head is perfect in size, shows adequate retention, and remains as a creamy covering on the beer's surface.

Flavor 15/20

A flash of dark sugary caramel is given before plunging the tastebuds into a dust devil of holiday spices.  The pumpkin is all but undetectable, but the beer does offer you a cinnamon and ginger laden brew in its stead.  However, through continued warming the semblance of a balance takes place.  By that, I mean that the pumpkin and caramel are actually allowed to be tasted through the aggressive spicing.  Still not enough to consider it balanced, by any means, but the sweetness is welcome nonetheless.  The finish is 98% spices and dominated by the cinnamon of course.  There is a hint of the Belgian candi sugar, but it is merely a polite suggestion amongst a yelling match.  It fades a bit a lets some pumpkin flavor through, but again it is vastly outnumbered.  The aftertaste is a ginger/cinnamon tingle on the tongue, but otherwise remains as a bittersweet note, an undeniable dryness, and an eventual bitter.

Mouthfeel 4/5

 A full bodied beer, but is made to seem lighter by the tongue-pricking action from the cinnamon.  The carbonation itself is actually done quite well - tiny, non-aggressive, smooth even - but the abundance of cinnamon again spoils an otherwise excellent aspect of this beer.  The warmth is occasionally detectable on an exhale, but other wise the 8.0% ABV remains well camouflaged throughout.

Overall Impression 5/10

As mentioned earlier, the cinnamon in this beer is simply too much.  It overshadows the otherwise nice, sweet flavors of the malt and it also ruins what should be a nice, smoother body that what is shown.  The pumpkin is generally weak, or maybe it just seems that way since it is being covered by other flavors.  I think there are good things happening here, but there's too much interference.

Total 34/50

Unfortunately, this beer has found one of my pet peeves: pumpkin beers that hide behind too much spice.  Oddly, in Wachusett's case, I don't think that it's hiding an inferior beer behind the flavor of numerous spices.  The beer behind this seems to be well-made, sweet, exhibits fine carbonation, and a good body.  It would just be easier if it were easier to detect all of that goodness behind the veil of cinnamon and ginger that is presented.  Which brings up a question that has been bothering me.  When are brewers going to learn that cinnamon kicks other flavors' asses?!  It's strong stuff fellas!  A little bit goes a long way.  If you want to make a cinnamon or spiced beer, the please by all means continue to add excessive amounts of cinnamon (and/or nutmeg).  However, if you'd like to make an amazing pumpkin beer, please consider letting me taste the friggin' pumpkin.  Even with all this beer's other positive attributes (sweetness, body, carbonation, etc) was still weak on the pumpkin.  This, unfortunately hits on one of my other beer pet peeves: beers that promise one thing and deliver another.  Sorry, Wachusett!  I've had some tasty offerings of yours, but this falls a bit short.

Southern Tier - Pumpking

Now if you've had any of Southern Tier's big ol' bomber bottles, you know that those things are rife with flavor.  It's with that in mind that I'm pretty excited to be reviewing their pumpkin ale, Pumpking.  Pumpking is often listed as one of people's favorite pumpkin beers and definitely has a national reputation for excellence.  This should be a good review for me as I feel I am notoriously picky about pumpkin beers, especially their balance between pumpkin sweetness and those fall spices.  Let's pour!

Aroma 12/12

I unhesitatingly give this a 12.  It is completely unique to anything else on the market.  It erupts with a buttery pumpkin nose and a extremely delicate use of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The sweetness of the pumpkin comes later, and not far after a bready malt sweetness oozing with caramel.  There is also a distant dark vanilla which blends painfully well with the buttery notes.  As the beer warms, the initial buttery note turns into more of a vanilla custard.  This is insane!

Appearance 3/3

It pours a bright orange appropriate to an aisle in any big box store selling Halloween wares, but thankfully sits in the glass in a hue more natural to the season.  More of a "burnt orange," with golden highlights than the traditional Halloween orange.  The head was 1.5 fingers tall and its off-white color was tinted by that of the beer below to a pastel rust color.

Flavor 19/20

It begins humbly enough, with a mild-mannered, authentic pumpkin flavor and a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon.  Soon that delicious buttered pumpkin note from the aroma eases gently in on a viscous wave of caramel, though not in quite as strong a fashion as in the aroma.  What a flavor!  The backbone then transitions to that of pumpkin pie filling replete with all the spices and sweetness expected.  Minus the buttery flavor, which I would not remove for the world, this is almost an exact replica of pumpkin pie filling straight from the can.  Holding the beer in the mouth longer allows the spices and caramel to die down a little and one is left with a lot of natural tasting pumpkin, cinnamon, and some neutral 2-row malts.  The finish gives a brief reprise of the pumpkin flavor right before the cinnamon goes down the throat kicking and screaming.  Believe it or not the aftertaste does show that there are hops present in this beer!  Not long after swallowing, the mouth is left dry and bitter.  It's definitely not something that I expected after drinking a beer this sweet.

Mouthfeel 4/5

The mouthfeel might be the only noticeably lacking part of this beer.  It remains far from distracting, but the mouthfeel is far from anything I associate with "imperial."  The ingredients list 2-row malts, undoubtedly used to bolster the body of this brew, but I think they took the day off.  The body is medium at best but does a surprising job at carrying all these large flavors.  Its carbonation is tiny and feels active, but closer inspection will reveal the majority of that tingle on the tongue to be the cinnamon working its magic.  The ABV is listed as 8.6%, but I never saw a trace of it.

Overall Impression 10/10

A top 5 pumpkin beer on the market, maybe even top 3.  The nose is without question unlike any pumpkin beer currently available.  It is phenomenal and it alone would justify purchasing the bottle.  The flavor is less, but certainly not disappointing.  This has instantly earned the status of "go-to" bottle for pumpkin seasonals.  It is something that I'll will be purchasing on an annual basis.

Total 48/50

Boy, to dock this brew two points seems like a bit much considering how much I enjoyed it!  However, there are some areas that I see for improvement.  A bit more caramel would be appreciated and I think could really combine well with all the pumpkin/vanilla custard sweetness.  Also, if we're adding more caramel, presumably by adding more caramel malts, then that would also take care of the lighter mouthfeel.   However, knowing Southern Tier's ability to make huge, tasty, sweet beers, maybe this is something they tried and it made the beer thick, syrupy, and undrinkable.  Its mouthfeel might not be imperial, but it sure tastes like one and that's more important anyway.  If you haven't heard of this pumpkin beer already, it definitely deserves your attention.  It is anything but a spice bomb and easily ranks at the top of its style.  It should be widely available and at a decent price.  What are you waiting for?!

Approval from the ORIGINAL Pumpkin King has yet to be determined.

Dogfish Head - Punkin Ale (2011)

Hey yo!  A good majority of us in the U.S. craftbeer scene have had the privilidge to enjoy a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.  It's generally well-received, earning an 88 on beeradvocate.com and a 90 at RateBeer.  But how well does it age?  Will its 7% ABV have kept it safe throughout the course of one year?  Where ever will we find someone to answer these persistent questions?  Don't worry.  I might know a guy.

If you'd like a little history of DFH's Punkin' Ale, their website has this to say about it,

"Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin (check out some of these Discovery Channel videos of Punkin Chunkin, you gotta see it to believe it!). In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!"

Obviously, being DFH's first award (even before they officially opened), gives it a special place in their history.  I'm sure there's a great attatchment and sense of gratitude toward this beer for a great start on a burgeoning business.  Shall we see why this brew received its award back in 1994?  Let's pour!

See the Dogfish even has little fangs for Halloween!  Extra
beer geek points if you noticed this before.

Aroma 11/12

This is very well done and exceptionally balanced.  First to the nose is actually the pumpkin flesh, a nice change from being ambushed by spices as is all too easy to do with this style.  The mix of allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg (as listed on the bottle) are not far behind, but they are presented as rounded and not a sharp kick.  There is also a distant brown sugar that blends very well with the light caramel malts.  This smells like the holidays!  I'm reminded of gingerbread men, but not quite as dark.  As the beer warms, the spice, pumpkin, caramel trifecta is right on the mark, as all three contribute and can easily be detected.

Appearance 3/3

It is several shades lighter than the below photo would indicate, which does not do it justice.  It is a combination of dark gourd hues, a mish-mash of autumnal palette colors, and a rusty amber shade.  Definitely appropriate for the season.  Its bisque head is adequate in size and shows above average retention.  

Flavor 17/20

With almost no introduction the beer rushes in and there is plenty of pumpkin and spice to go around for everyone.  Behind those primary flavors is some nice caramel sweetness and a surprisingly dark tasting malt. There's also an interesting bitter note to balance all the sweetness of the malts & pumpkin - likely contributed by the spices.  As the beer sits in the mouth, all the distractions of the spice, bitter, etc fall away and one is left with a relatively undisturbed, slightly sweet pumpkin flavor.  This isolation is shattered as soon as you swallow.  Immediately, the spices rush back in, practically tripping over themselves to be the first down the throat, and leaving a slight alcoholic warmth in their wake.  The spices and alcohol give the tongue a tingling sensation before transitioning to a rather drying and bitter aftertaste.  The beer as a whole is well-balanced between the dark, almost molasses-like malts and the spices, with the more subtle pumpkin flavors doing their damnedest to keep pace.

 Mouthfeel 5/5

The carbonation is kept at a perfectly subtle level for this beer and leaves most of the prickly sensation in the mouth to be contributed by the spices.  Thankfully the carbonation does give the drinker a fantastic(!) silky foaming action in the mouth.  This combination of low carbonation and nice foaming keeps the beer drinkable, yet substantial.  At 7%, I'm surprised I can sense much of the alcohol warmth at all, but if anyone knows how to expose and utilize an alcohol's warmth, it's Dogfish Head.

Overall Impression 8/10

A nice pumpkin beer!  It definitely does not hide behind its spices.  While said spices are certainly present in this beer, they never dominate the profile.  The aroma is well done in its balance and the mouthfeel is a "best of both worlds" characteristic that could be easily overlooked despite its importance to the beer as a whole.  There's a lot going on at once: spice sensations, spice flavors, pumpkin sweetness, malt flavors, bitterness, foaming action... take some time to appreciate all of it.

Total 44/50

This is a little less robust of a beer than Dogfish Head typically puts out, but they can't all be giant killers now can they?  In other words, it's not a super high ABV, flavor saturated, tongue punching ale to be reckoned with that we're used to seeing from DFH, but who says that's a bad thing.  This is one of the most drinkable DFH beers that I've ever drank and please do not infer that means it's short of flavor.  There is plenty of flavor to be found here, and thank goodness it's not all a Tony Montana-sized desktop coke mountain made of cinnamon and nutmeg.  There was restraint used in making this brew and I appreciate that to no end.  Usually, buying a less-than-powerhouse beer is not why I buy Dogfish Head, but if it can guarantee me an excellent pumpkin ale, then I will make that purchase time and time again.

"If only this were cinnamon and nutmeg..."

Schlafly - Pumpkin Ale

I am very excited to finally be drinking some of my pumpkin beers.  A bit late, I know, but I get more excited for pumpkin beers that probably any other seasonal beer so I'm not about to let these little treasures go unappreciated.  Today's review is out of St. Louis, MO from the Schlafly Brewery and is their seasonal Pumpkin Ale.  Enough with tha jibba-jabba!  Let's pour!

Aroma 12/12
A lot of great characteristics here!  The spices rush to the nose and the first "main" scent.  Cinnamon abounds, nutmeg is present, plenty of allspice, and freshly ground cloves are all here, but not so much that they threaten to overwhelm the drinker.  There is a sweet pumpkin smell and it's blended with the sharper sweet of apples.  The fruit sweetness combines with a brown sugar/caramel note and is right on the money.  My mouth is watering just typing this.  Have you ever made a brown sugar reduction on the stove top to glaze a ham?  It's just water and brown sugar (and some butter) that you boil down until it gets thick enough to stick to the ham. The brown sugar note in this beer smells like that brown sugar reduction.  So good!  There is not an overabundance of pumpkin here.  It is not overstated, but is certainly present.  As the beer warms, the pumpkin does begin to show more and more and become a near 50/50 balance with the spice.  Perfect!

Appearance 3/3
It is quite a bit darker than most pumpkin beers I have come across.  My tulip is full of coppers, scarlets, umbers, siennas, and when held to the light this beer shines like a gemstone!  It is very impressive!  The head was small and extremely quick to die.  If I didn't feel so strongly about the beautiful color on this one, I normally would have deducted a point.

See?!  It DOES shine like a gemstone!

Flavor 20/20 
The front of this beer is a wonderful display of what good malts can do! Crystal malts are first giving a milky flavor and foreshadowing the sound body that is to come. The darker malts then kick in and bring tons of bready goodness. There's even a tinge of sour like a dark loaf of bread, and is so perfectly roasted, you would swear it just came out of grandma's oven. This dark bread, hinting at sour, combines readily with the caramel from the aroma and all the spices. It takes a while to realize that the caramel isn't the only sweetness that has entered the picture. Stealthily, the pumpkin has strode into the mix and provided a balance to this beer that is close to unmatched. When held in the mouth, it's quite a treat to taste the bread, then the caramel, and then the gradual, mellow, distinct sweetness of the pumpkin. And this beer isn't finished! The final wave is one of brown sugar and it's a neat dessert-like ending to the super complex backbone of this beer. The finish finally allows the sweet pumpkin to take over wholeheartedly with a bit of the same apple-like crispness from the aroma. The pumpkin wraps itself in caramel as it slides down your throat and leaves the mouth salivating.

Mouthfeel 4/5
This may be the only category keeping this beer from a perfect rating. The carbonation is just a bit too aggressive and/or prickly, especially considering the smooth nature that the pumpkin and malts provide. While this high carbonation does probably prevent the beer from becoming too heavy, a bit less carbonation would've made this beer untouchable. This beer is definitely full-bodied and satin smooth. Remember the last line in the "Flavor" category? Slides down your throat? It absolutely does. Unbelievable.

 

Overall Impression 10/10
This is easily one of the best gourd beers I have ever had. The length of each category's description is a testament to how much there is going on in this bottle! While there is no subtle flavor in this bottle, the blend and balance are kept marvelously in line and are one of this beer's finest attributes. Everything tastes authentic and not candied or overly-spiced. Each person has their own perference where they like the balance of pumpkin vs spice to be. This beer hits my preference right on the head and has enough other attributes to make this a truly superior beer.

Total 49/50

In my opinion, the most important thing a pumpkin beer can do is balance the flavors of the spices with the flavor of the pumpkin. Too much spice is gross and too much pumpkin can taste candied or like a vegetable. To get the mix just right seems like something I'm always searching for in pumpkin seasonals, but I don't think I'll be searching anymore. This beer has the right mix for my palate. Not only is the balance right, but the initial breadiness and caramel are the two extra touches that will have me singing its praises for a long time to come. It's biggest downfall is that I can't get it whenever I want it. Since the two bottle used for this review were the last of my sixer, it looks like I'll be eagerly awaiting next year's release. BIG PROST to the folks at Schlafly!