Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Harvest fall mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable - Pumpkin Ale, 5.7%

Beer reviews are stupid and biased, and you should probably stop reading my blog right now because I'm just as susceptible to the same biases as everyone else who drinks beer. If the wine industry has taught us anything, it is that reviews are full of shit 90% of the time. I made that statistic up, so you see? I'm lying to you already.

Today I'm going to lay down some controversial shit.

First: for my palate, Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin Ale is the best pumpkin beer I've had this year.

Second: In some ways, it's better than Pumking.

Harvest Pumpkin Ale is a fall seasonal available from September to October and in Sam Adam's Harvest fall mix pack. The beer uses ale yeast, and is brewed with 11 pounds of real pumpkin per barrel. The beer is also brewed using a spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, along with East Kent Goldings and English Fuggles hops.

Suddenly, pumpkin beers are all the rage in the world of craft beer. Southern Tier's Pumking has been heralded as one of the best, if not the premiere pumpkin beer to get. The appeal of Pumking is that it tastes like Pumpkin Pie (it does, it really does). While it tastes like Pumpkin Pie, it is both sweet and heavy, and many reviewers report that it is a beer you want in moderation. Considering that Pumking clocks in at 9% ABV and drinks like the sweetest of sweet Imperial Stouts, you probably want to share it with a friend or two. Unless you're a pumpkin pie masochist.

Outside the truly unique beers like Pumking are all the other pumpkin beers. The problem that many people, myself included, have with pumpkin beers is that more often than not they don't actually taste like pumpkin. And if they do taste like pumpkin, the pumpkin notes are deeply buried behind a wall of spices. New Holland's Ichabod was a good example of a beer with pumpkin notes buried deep behind spices. Pumpkin beers are often too spicy, or the pumpkin notes just don't register.

*    *    *    *    *    *

So here are my observations on Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin Ale:

The beer pours with a nice caramel-red-amber body, with hints of orange escaping the beer when held in lower light. The beer yielded a nice 2-finger, toffee/caramel/copper head. The head is made up of thin bubbles, and dissolves into a thin coating of bubbles. Carbonation is moderate, there is no noticeable lacing, and the beer looks to be filtered/clear like many of Sam Adam's more main production beers.

The aroma is nutmeg, meaty pumpkin, pumpkin pie, ginger snaps, squash, cinnamon, allspice, and some pulls of malt that are toasty and caramel.

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

The taste is where this beer really shines. Right up front you get a big meaty pumpkin note, some pumpkin pie and nutmeg, and there is a huge malt balance on the front end including toasty notes. There are big pumpkin pie crust notes, pumpkin cookie notes, some subtle squash notes, and lots of spices like nutmeg and allspice. The spices are really grounded though with the smooth and slightly carbonated mouthfeel.

On the front of my palate I get carbonation, pumpkin pie, sweet malt, and pumpkin meat; this rolls into spices like allspice and nutmeg on the middle, and some toasted notes, pumpkin pie crust, and pumpkin cookie. The beer finishes with lingering pumpkin pie cookie notes and spices on the back end. The mouthfeel is smooth, the body is medium-full, and the beer has good depth across the palate. This is moderately complex as well, and very balanced. 

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 91%

 

And here is where the controversy starts. I think this is an insanely accessible pumpkin ale. This is a drinkable and balanced beer. This isn't cloyingly sweet like Pumking, and it is not assaulting my palate with over-the-top spices.

 

A lot of reviewers have called this beer "too watery" or "too light." Some reviewers have said this beer is "too spicy." Some reviewers have said this beer "doesn't have any notable pumpkin notes in it." I disagree, but then my palate is different than yours.

 

I offer a few theories. The first is that I'm an idiot. I believe this is a pretty sound theory. My second theory is that Sam Adams tweaked their Harvest Pumpkin Ale recipe between 2010 and 2011. My third theory is that the recent explosion of pumpkin beers in the industry has changed people's perspectives on what a "good" pumpkin beer is. My fourth theory is that people are just unfair to Sam Adams. Sam Adams is looked down upon by many craft beer drinkers (which is a damn shame, but we can save that rant for another day), so it is not surprising to see some clearly low-ball reviews for Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin. Meanwhile, Pumking has so much hype surrounding it, you would be an outcast to not rate it highly.

 

My fifth theory is the best theory, and it is that there are no fucking standards at all for pumpkin beers. Every pumpkin beer is a unique experience, so it all comes down to drinker's preference. Hence, all pumpkin beer reviews are bullshit. Some pumpkin beers dial up the spices, some dial up the pumpkin notes, some dial up cloying sweetness, and some actually taste like pumpkin pie. So far, I have yet to taste two pumpkin beers that are exactly alike. And so, what you like best will hinge on whether you want a nutmeg enema, a pumpkin pie injection, or something lighter and balanced. When it comes to pumpkin beers, evidently I like light, balanced, and refined; so in my dumb opinion, Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin meets those requirements.

 

To my palate, Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin Ale tastes a lot like a toned down, more balanced version of Pumking. The spices play off the malts and the pumpkin notes to give off pumpkin pie and pumpkin crust flavors. But unlike Pumking, I want to drink two or three of the Harvest Pumpkin Ales.

 

Pumking is a really delicious treat. I quite enjoyed Southern Tier's Pumking when I tasted it, and I plan to enjoy it again next year. For my palate, Pumking was really big, sweet, and strong. It hit the "pumpkin pie" note home, for sure. It was a special beer, and a real treat. But I'm content with drinking half a bomber of Pumking, and leaving the rest for a friend. It's a great sipping beer, or a good dessert beer. But not something I want to session or drink with a meal. Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin Ale is balanced, has good flavor, and still reminds me of pumpkin pies and pumpkin cookies. That's why I would rate the Harvest Pumpkin Ale a bit higher.

 

So there you have it. This review is useless. Every pumpkin beer review is useless. Stop reading this shit now. Go to your beer store and "mix-a-six," or whatever you call it, and sample a number of pumpkin beers. Because your results will vary, and there is a 100% chance* that what you like will be different that what everyone else likes.

 

I can say this: Harvest Pumpkin Ale is balanced, not cloyingly sweet, not super heavy, and has good spice/pumpkin/malt notes that work in harmony. Peace out.

* Yes, this is another made up statistic. How many times do I have to tell you: beer reviews are full of shit.