Blue Moon Winter Sample Pack 2014: Blue Moon Gingerbread Spiced Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Blue Moon Winter Sampler 2014 bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer, 5.9%

Reported IBUs: 16

DAE Macro sampler packs?

Over the past few years of penning horrible blog reviews, I have never actually reviewed one of America's classic beers: Blue Moon Belgian White. I did review their god-awful Grand Cru once upon a time, but how about some of their more seminal releases? I couldn't pass up on the Winter Sampler Pack for 2014. This thing cost about $15, and comes with five unique beers. Well, five really, because who hasn't had the Belgian White? About MillerCoors aka Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoors' R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

The Gingerbread Spiced Ale is a Winter seasonal brewed with Pale, Munich, Caramel, and Wheat malts; Hallertau hops; and some ginger, molasses, cinnamon, allspice,and nutmeg.  

The beer pours into a filtered, dark red body, that is nicely carbonated, and kicks up a finger of caramel-tinged head. This is a fine looking beer. Wooo.

Blue Moon Gingerbread Spiced Ale

It's hard to believe we just wrapped up with the onslaught of Halloween/Pumpkin beers, because this beer would fit right at home with all of those. This smells like any generic spiced beer: I'm getting big nutmeg, allspice, clove, and cinnamon. The cinnamon in this beer veers into the land of Big Red, which is either good or bad...I can't decide. Beneath all the spice is a layer of suggestive caramel malt base.

Wow...this basically tastes exactly like the aroma. This is super sweet, and basically unloads a bunch of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon (with some faint Big Red) on this caramel-sweet malt backdrop. This is lacking in complexity, and pretty much just goes cookie sweet with the malts. But the cookie sweet malts work with this style of beer, and they do deliver a pretty effective gingerbread cookie into your mouth. 

I can sort of see the appeal to this beer. The cookie/caramel sweetness on the backdrop is pretty superficial, and despite being relatively moderately-full with good depth, this lacks complexity and nuance. But this is a "gingerbread spiced ale," and to that end it pretty much delivers what it promises. Up front: caramel, gingerbread, cookie-like malts, ginger spice and nutmeg; the mids roll into cinnamon, more nutmeg, clove, ginger, spice; the back end drops more cookie sweetness and spice, and finishes cloying and spicy. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. I'm trying really hard to hate this beer, but it pretty much nails the gingerbread cookie thing. It's not very complex, and it's not very big, but this would work for me as a beer to pair with a Holiday meal (Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner), or with some pie. Honestly...not a bad effort from Blue Moon.

Random Thought: Serious question: what's the difference between Winter and Pumpkin spiced beers? 

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale (Spice/Herb/Vegetable), 5.7%

Reported IBUs: 16

Blue Moon. Huuwhhhuuuuttt? Yeah, I know, right. I really wanted to give this one a fair shake because it's not a terrible beer. I also have nostalgia tied to this one. Back when I was 18, dumb, and a freshman in college, snagging beer was a bit more challenging than it is today. That's the amazing thing about having an ID and being of the legal drinking age. Oh, and having a beard helps. Anyway, on a chilly Autumn evening, my friend and I departed from the dorms on a quest for beer. We met up with a third party, a friend of my friend's, climbed into his jeep, and headed to Dominicks. Being the classy mofos that we were back then, we loaded up on fancy beer. Said fancy beer included the Harvest Pumpkin. I'm not gonna lie. I enjoyed the Harvest Pumpkin way back when, when I was 18 and dumb. I can't emphasize the dumb part enough. This was one of those gateway beers for me...and again, it's not a terrible beer. But yeah, MillerCoors and Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoor's R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

The Harvest Pumpkin Ale supposedly dates back to 1995. Blue Moon also states that this was the first nationally available pumpkin ale. I dunno. This one is brewed with Munich and Caramel malts, Hallertau hops, and Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, and Allspice. 

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

The appearance is very much typical of the style, with a dark caramel-orange body in the realm of an Oktoberfest or Brown Ale. This produces a finger of short-lived, orange/brown-tinged head. In bright light, the beer takes on an orange color, and this beer is very clearly transparent. There's good carbonation at work here, and faint head retention. It's not a bad looking beer, all things considered.

I like the aroma on this one a lot. It's simple, overly sweet, and straightforward...very much like the standard Blue Moon Belgian White. Even with my lingering head cold, I'm getting overt pumpkin, pumpkin cookies, ginger, gingersnap cookies, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and crackling pie crust. Really, this beer packs a ton of flavor on the nose. It has a club soda vibe on the aroma at times...so it's missing some malt depth you would otherwise find in stronger pumpkin beers, but this is way less soda-like than Shipyard's fuck-tastic and truly awful Pumpkinhead.

The taste delivers a solid continuation of the aroma, with big pumpkin pie sweetness, clove, ginger spice, pie crust, and even some malt depth. I'm getting some nice bread, pie crust, and cakey Munich malt kick in here. You get a little gingersnap, a little nutmeg, sweat potato pie, and some ginger soda. This does veer very close to club soda and ginger soda, but the malts pull things back and round this out into a real beer. It's like making a sandcastle. You want some moisture, but too much and the whole palace comes crashing down.

This is ridiculously drinkable at 5.7%, with a light to medium-light body, tons of carbonation, and a clean and attenuated finish. The finish here is impressive and clean. Really impressive compared to swill like Shock Top. Palate depth is straightforward but good, and complexity is average if not above average. I shit you not, there's good stuff going on here. From the sweet pie notes and pumpkin pastries up front, to the ginger and gingersnap spice in the middle, to the ginger soda finish that is grounded with bready Munich malts. This is a good pumpkin beer. Say it with me, even if you hate to.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Light Above-Average. I'm not just drinking the nostalgia Kool-Aid. This is a legit beer, and definitely one of the better Blue Moon variations. This may be the best Blue Moon variant after the original. In a lot of ways, this beer functions well as a Marzen or Oktoberfest...I suggest pairing this beer with football, cooling weather, and tailgating. Really, this is fantastic at around $8 a 6-pack. You don't even have to go to Binny's or whatever to snag it. Seasoned beer drinkers owe it to themselves to revisit this one every once in a while.

Random Thought: I'm so ready for football....

Milwaukee Brewing Sasquash

Brewed By: Milwaukee Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Porter / Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 5.6% 

Reported IBUs: 12.5

The story behind tonight's beer is that I put a big dent into my Autumn beer supply. I went to the liquor store to replenish said drained supply, and spent a few minutes contemplating which 6-pack of Pumpkin/Spice beer to roll the dice on. There are too many pumpkin beers out there, and most of them come in the 6-pack format. I'm not hating, I love having options. But I'm riding the line between Fall and Winter. I ended up grabbing a 6-pack of tonight's beer, which is from the Milwaukee Brewing Company. About the Milwaukee Brewing Company:                             

The Milwaukee Brewing Company was started as a brewpub with a 15bbl brewery. Founded by Jim McCable, the brewery produced its first beer in October, 1997. Due to increased demand and popularity, the company kegged their first beer in 2007 at the 2nd Street Brewery in, a 50bbl packaging facility. For more info, check out the brewery's website.

The Sasquash deviates from the standard pumpkin beer a bit, in that it is a Porter. Punching in at 5.6% ABV and 12.5 IBUs, the beer is brewed with Tettnang hops, a Pale/Special Roast/Honey/Chocolate malt base, and features pumpkin and sweet potatoes. In fact, the beer uses an impressive 700 pounds of pumpkin and sweet potato, straight to the wort. The beer also features some cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. 

Milwaukee Brewing Sasquash

The beer pours a dark brown, almost-black color in low light, and kicks up a finger of dark tan/khaki head. The head is creamy, and departs with some nice lacing, and settles into a nice hazy, cauldron effect. Bright light betrays the beer's ruby red body, but you can see brown tones even in lower lighting. The beer is hazy and features some floating sediment (yay, bottle conditioning!), and you can see some nice carbonation. Nothing looks amiss...onto the aroma.

Whew. This has a nice, sweet, malty aroma. I'm getting a lot of toast, some roast, sweet molasses and sugars, and malty sweetness typical to a Brown Ale, Porter, or malty Bock. I'm also getting some nice pie crust, with some cereal graininess. Actually...the aroma on this beer channels the same aromas you get on the Pumking or Warlock. I'm getting pie crust, meaty pie filling, meaty sweet potato, some cinnamon and nutmeg, graham cracker, and some slight canned corn. The aroma on this beer is really solid, here's to hoping it carries over into the taste. 

This is a nice, subtle beer. You get a lot of roast, toast, and hints of coffee and dark malts. In fact, the roasted flavors have quite a bit of depth. There's hints of cinnamon and pumpkin spice in the taste, with some subtle pumpkin pie, and hints of pumpkin pie/sweet potato towards the back of the beer. For the most part, the pumpkin and spice in this beer is very subtle compared to the roast.

If you want a pumpkin beer that isn't overly assertive with the pumpkin and spice, this beer might do the trick. At 5.6%, this beer is super quaffable, with a nice medium-light to medium-full body, and good palate depth. Complexity could definitely reach a bit further, but there is nice depth with the roasted flavors. You get a blast of pumpkin spice up front, followed by coffee, roast, toast; the middle rolls into more roast, with some earth, more coffee, some pumpkin spice and cinnamon; the back end has subtle hints of sweet potato and pumpkin, and more roast. It tastes like a Porter with a hint of that Pumpkin/Sweet Potato twist.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I commend this beer for the depth of the roast. And for 5.6%, this beer packs a lot of flavor and punch. It's a good Porter...just not a mind blowing Pumpkin Beer. So, you're gonna love this beer if you hate overly assertive pumpkin brews. It also is a nice dark beer twist to the somewhat cliched Pumpkin Ale style. You can pair this beer with hearty pumpkin dishes, pumpkin soup, sweet potatoes, any Autumn pie (apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, etc.), or just drink it with a burger. It's light enough at 5.6% to pair well with a wide range of foods. Good stuff from Milwaukee.

Random Thought: Deep Ellum became the subject of controversy with their "Dallas Blonde Ale." It goes down easy. The controversy is a bit convoluted, but word on the street is that Deep Ellum was participating in the drama. Not cool. Even worse is the "Apology-that-is-NOT-an-apology" issued by the brewery, basically saying they're not sorry for offending people. It's a whole lotta bullshit, but the non-apology is a classless move on the same level as douche nuggets like Daniel Tosh. When will people learn.

Doc’s Draft Hard Pumpkin Cider

Brewed By: Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery in Warwick, NY 

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Cider, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Bro, do you even cider? Apparently Ratebeer doesn't, because there are no ratings for this cider. That means this review is more indie than vinyl, right, Mr. Paul? About the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery: 

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery was founded in 1989 when they purchased an orchard and began to grow fruit. After experimenting with hard cider, they purchased a cider license in 1993, and opened their doors to the public in the Fall of 1994. In 2001, Warwick pourchased a grant to develop New York's first fruit micro-distillery. In addition to making ciders, wine, and gin, Warwick is also host to weddings and other events. For more info, check out their history page or website. 

"Grow the football." 

The Doc's Draft Hard Pumpkin Cider is a seasonal release, "made from pressed NY state apples and fresh pumpkins, fermented with champagne yeast and malic acid to excite the action." I don't know what they mean when they say that this cider is going to "excite the action," but it sounds like a Mark Trestman-ism. This cider features roasted pumpkins, cinnamon, allspice, fresh ginger and nutmeg.

Man, cider reviews are so easy compared to beer reviews. This pours into a golden/apple juice body, with a finger of white head that rapidly dissolved before I could even capture it on camera. The cider's body is mostly transparent with good clarity, and features a storm of rising carbonation. In bright light, the cider takes on that white wine appearance. I'm impressed with the numerous streams of carbonation still rocketing upwards.

Doc’s Draft Hard Pumpkin Cider

I'm shocked at how much pumpkin I'm getting on the aroma. If you were handed this blind, you would say: cinnamon apples, apple, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon. That's pretty much the gist of this cider's aroma. Just...huge cinnamon apple and pumpkin spice. There's a weird grape/honey/rubber sweetness on the aroma as well, along with nuances of ginger and nutmeg, and a hint of sulfur[?]; but mostly cinnamon apple and pumpkin spice. 

This is bubbly, effervescent, and refreshing. I'm getting a lot of apple cider up front, and this definitely dials the sweetness up and keeps the dryness at bay. The apples up front are complimented with ginger and nutmeg kisses, and then you get blasted with cinnamon, pumpkin spice, honey/grape sweetness, and more pumpkin. I pretty much get every flavor this advertises in the taste, and this stays true to its cider base.

This is light-bodied, effervescent, bubbly like champagne, and really refreshing. You don't feel or taste the 6.0%, and palate depth and complexity are both on point. This is just tasty stuff. There's no false advertising here: you get lots of apple cider and nutmeg/ginger zing up front; that rolls into cinnamon, pumpkin spice, honey/grape sweetness, and hints of pumpkin; the back end features pumpkin, more pumpkin spice and cinnamon, and the finish is light and not dry at all. 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm gonna toss this a Light Divine Brew. You know...this could be a notch better if it had a bit more complexity, but this is pretty much perfect for what it is. This is a cider with some pumpkin punch backing the apples up. Now, I'm no cider expert, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt...but this is a pleasant libation that would be right at home during the Fall/Autumn months. This is also priced well at around 6 or 7 bucks for a 22oz bottle. I'm about to pair this cider with a BBQ-pulled pork sandwich, which is the perfect cider pairing. I would pair this with lighter foods the benefit from the apple sweetness and high levels of carbonation. I'm not picky with my ciders; this hit the spot.

Random Thought: I should drink more ciders and meads, I really should.

Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 750ml (1 pint, 9.4oz) bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 5.6%

Reported IBUs: 25

For all the reasons to have scorn and wrath and hell fire for Rogue, they do occasionally do good things. Tonight's beer is brewed using fresh pumpkins grown at Rogue's 42 acre hop yard. The pumpkins are picked, taken to Rogue's brewery in Newport, roasted, and pitched into the brew kettle to make this very beer. Even a douche canoe clock is right twice a day. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

As previously noted, this beer is brewed using fresh roasted pumpkins from the brewery's pumpkin patch. In addition to the fresh pumpkin, the Pumpkin Patch Ale (formerly the Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale) is brewed using a list of 13 ingredients, including Rogue Farms Dream Pumpkins; Rogue Farms Dare, Risk, Carafa II & Crystal Wheat Malts; Rogue Farm Independent Hops; Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Vanilla, Ginger & Nutmeg; and Rogue's infamous Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast. Punching in at 25 IBUs and 5.6% ABV, this beer is modest in its execution like many of Rogue's ales, despite the huge grocery list of ingredients. 

Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale

This beer pours with a fizzy, effervescent, and rapidly dissolving sand/tan-colored head. The head starts out with two fingers that rapidly drop off, leaving some lacing on the edges of the glass when you swirl the beer. The body of this beer is a darker amber/brown/orange in low light. In bright light this beer is a vibrant dark orange, has a semi-transparent appearance, and features lots of carbonation rising upwards with mid-to-large sized bubbles. Good times.

The aroma on this beer is really awesome...I'm getting lots of ginger and cardamom, some nondescript sweetness (maybe from the yeast?), and lots of vanilla. Swirling the beer and stirring it up brings pumpkin spice, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the forefront. The aroma is too mild to point in the direction of a mulled wine or Winter/Spice beer, but I'm not really getting tons of pumpkin spice or pumpkin seed or pumpkin. 

You do get more pumpkin in the taste...I'm picking up soda-like carbonation and spices working in tandem with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, spritzy ginger, and some pumpkin spice. There are actual notes of baked pumpkin and pumpkin puree in the taste, though subtle they are (/yoda). There's also mild malt sweetness, with toffee/vanilla and some breadiness. It's not overwhelmingly spicy like many Pumpkin beers are.

This is an easy-going, well-made Pumpkin beer. As the beer warms up, you pick up more and more of the pumpkin and vanilla in the taste, which is awesome. The beer has good palate depth and complexity for the style, and the drinkability is super high (especially at 5.6%). The mouthfeel is medium-light, with lots of carbonation and spritzy spices helping things along. You get blasted with malt sweetness, vanilla, and pumpkin up front; that rolls into baked pumpkin and spices; the back end is trailing spices and malts. It's actually a really nice, well-balanced, Pumpkin beer. Especially at the ABV.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and jives well as far as Pumpkin beers are concerned. The subtle use of spices coupled with the big vanilla and pumpkin that starts to pop as this beer warms up is what makes this beer work. Additionally, this beer isn't overly boozy, so you get a lot of flavor in a reasonable package. 750ml bottles of this go for around 10 or 11 dollars, which is more or less a good deal. I'm about to pair this beer with some potato and leek soup, but this beer would pair well with any pumpkin foods, Thanksgiving foods, or Fall trimmings. I rarely say it about Rogue, but this beer comes highly recommended. 

Random Thought: Or for you folks in Chicago, highly Wreck "O" Mended. 

The Bruery Autumn Maple

Brewed By: The Bruery in Placentia, California  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

In keeping with the Fall and Autumn beers, I thought I would deviate from the pumpkin beers for a bit and try a beer brewed with another Fall staple, yams. But first, about The Bruery: 

The Bruery are based out of Placentia, California. As with many craft breweries, The Bruery began as a homebrewing adventure when Patrick Rue, his brother Chris, and his wife Rachel brewed their fast batch of beer. Patrick Rue continued to homebrew during his first year of law school, until he decided that he had a passion for brewing beer. The Bruery opened up in 2008, and since then, they have built a reputation around their experimental, and wild ales brewed with a Belgian flair. To read more, check out the Breuery's website.

The Autumn Maple is an Autumn seasonal brewed with 17 pounds of yams per barrel. In addition to the yams, this beer features cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and is fermented out with a Belgian yeast strain. 

The Bruery Autumn Maple

The Autumn Maple pours into a dark, brownish/amber body, and kicks up two fingers of thick, bready, Belgian-esque head. The head is khaki/tan in low light, and an amber color in bright light. The beer is a deep, hazy orange color in bright light, with nice streams of peppery carbonation. Head retention is good, there is some lacing, and there are some alcohol legs. 

You get a lot of spices on the aroma...nutmeg, namely, along with some allspice, clove, and cinnamon. There's a mulled wine thing going on with the spices, and beneath all that is some Belgian funk and band-aid/vanilla/clove. There's a vinous quality to this beer, and I'm picking up on some vegetal tannins on the aroma...you definitely get some of the yams on the aroma. It's a strange, spicy aroma.

As this beer warms up...it really progresses. You get a lot of fruity bitterness and spices in the mix, but there's also a lot of sugars in this. I'm getting molasses, yams, allspice/nutmeg/cinnamon, clove, and some vanilla. There's some shades of fruit, grass/lemongrass, and Belgian funk in this as well. 

This isn't bad...but it's not blowing me away. This beer is full-bodied, but at 10% the alcohol is well hidden and drinkability is good thanks to the high levels of carbonation. Palate depth and complexity are both okay. You get some Belgian yeast funk, molasses, and nutmeg/cinnamon/allspice up front; that rolls into clove, more molasses, big yams, maple syrup, vanilla; and the back end lays on some trailing sweetness. Some fruity and bitter hops show up from time to time.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I really want to love this beer, but I feel like it's kind of just doing the style justice. That's not a bad thing by any means, but this isn't blowing me away at the moment. I'm also hesitant to age a beer like this, because I feel like the big yam and spice character is going to drop off unfavorably. At around...what was it? Ten, maybe fifteen bucks a bottle, this is a tad bit pricey, but what can you do. I'd pair this beer with turkey, Thanksgiving dinner, sweet potatoes or yams, or a hearty beef and potato dish or stew. This is good stuff, and would taste good on a Fall/Autumn evening.

Random Thought: I'm really pulling for the 100 games lost for the White Sox, but they have some work to do if they are going to suck that much over the next few games. They are off to a good start after tonight's game, but we still have a few more to go. 100...come on, baby!!!

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Smuttynose Brewing Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 6.3%

Reported IBUs: 35

I'm hoarding beers like...well, I had something for this. Hence tonight's twofer. About Smuttynose:

Smuttynose is a brewery based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The brewery was founded in 1994 by the same folks who started the Norhampton and Portsmouth Breweries. To be a bit more exact, the brewery was founded by Peter Egelston. In 1987, Peter and his sister, Janet, founded the Northampton Brewery, which Peter worked as a head brewer until 1991. In 1991, they opened the Portsmouth Brewery, New Hampshire's first brewpub. In 1993, Peter attended the auction of the bankrupt Frank Jones Brewing Company, and purchased what is now Smuttynose. Currently, Peter and his partner Joanne Francis own Smuttynose and Portsmouth, and Janet owns Northampton Brewery. For more info, check out the Smuttynose website, their FAQ, Wikipedia, or Peter Egelston's blurb. 

The Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a classic homage to the traditional American Pumpkin Ale. This beer features the addition of natural pumpkin puree in the mash, along with spices to give the beer some pumpkin kick. Using a malt base of North American 2-Row, Carastan, and C-60; this beer is hopped using Cascade and Liberty hops. In addition to the malts and hops, this beer features Natural Pumpkin Puree, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves. My bottle says this is punching in at 6.3%, and the website quotes 35 IBUs. 

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

The beer pours a radiant, golden-orange color, with a finger of nicely formed white head. The head has a Belgian look, with sustaining sea foam, placid bubbles, and a fantastic cauldron effect. The head also left some really nice lacing on my snifter. In bright light the beer is clearly orange, and the head is white/off-white. This beer is actively carbonated, with tiny bubbles streaming upwards.

The aroma on this beer is unique because there's a floral and lemon/grass hop character that is very distinct and noticeable. There's also a nice blast of refreshing and tart pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, and vegetal pumpkin. You get cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg on the aroma, with some hints of lemony-bready-pie crust.

The taste is a nice follow through, with some refreshing grass/lemon and tart pumpkin and pumpkin seed up front, followed up with some grain. That rolls into big nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and spice, and then you get malty-thick pumpkin, pumpkin pie crust, and pumpkin spice. The back end hits you with some more lemon and grass, and the whole thing is creamy, smooth, and well-carbonated. The finish is a touch dry, with lingering vegetal pumpkin and pumpkins seeds.

This isn't the most assertive or flavorful pumpkin beer out there, but it's a really well executed beer. If this really is 6.3%, it is stupid drinkable. The beer has a medium-light mouthfeel, with good palate depth and nice layers of complexity. The carbonation is on point, and the appearance (which I rarely have fucks to give about) is fantastic. You get pumpkin-to-grass/grain up front; spices and malts in the middle; pumpkins and floral grass in the back, with a dry pumpkin finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and one of the best Pumpkin Beers out there. This beer is highly functional, and quite quaffable. I'm biased because I love the style, but this is a beer I would pick up every Fall, and stock in my fridge. This beer would pair well with football games, Autumn weather, changing leaves, early October, and anything with pumpkin, sweat potatoes/yams, chili, or strong spices. This was also priced very reasonably at around 10 dollars a 6-pack. Good job, Smuttynose. 

Random Thought: And now for a hoppy Brown Ale...

New Belgium Pumpkick

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I can't believe Pumpkin beers are already on shelves. Well, some of them are. Like Shipyard's cinnamon soda, Pumkinhead. That beer is like the Miller Lite of Pumpkin beer. Like, someone dumped cinnamon and allspice into a Miller Lite. And then you have Pumking, which apparently already hit shelves. There's supposed to be a second wave, but what the hell? Anyway, New Belgium, of all breweries, has a lot of experience brewing pumpkin beers and Autumn seasonals at this point. For those reasons, I happily gambled on tonight's beer, even in mid-August. About New Belgium:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. At this point in time, New Belgium has mainstream fame from their Fat Tire, and craft beer credit for their sour beers. New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their company page, and definitely cruise their website.

The Pumpkick is a is a spiced pumpkin ale, brewed with pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, lemongrass, and cranberries for a little tart twist. This looks to be the 2013 Fall Seasonal, and my early impressions are this is pretty tasty. 

New Belgium Pumpkick

The beer pours into a dark, brownish-orange color, and kicks up two fingers of off-white head. In bright light this beer is a dashing Autumn-orange, and the creamy, porridge-like head is soaking up nice orange/amber tones. There's some moderately busy carbonation in the beer, and this looks to be semi transparent. I suspect there will be lacing and all that good stuff.

You get a lot of nutmeg on the nose, along with some pumpkin, a tart note (cranberry?), tart wheat character, some tart pumpkin, and raw pumpkin seeds. There's also some hints of sugary stuff, probably from the cinnamon.

I'm reminded of the New Belgium Kick, without any hint of sour. Lots of meaty, cooked pumpkin comes through: it reminds me of Thanksgiving, turkey, and gravy. The pumpkin mingles with some caramel/bread malt sweetness, and the advertised cranberry does come through. There's a hint of tart wheat pop on the back, along with maybe a touch of hop bite. There's a layer of nutmeg and cinnamon that is present throughout, but not overly assertive.

At 6.0%, this is targeting the "standard" pumpkin ale market. That is, this isn't an Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and it doesn't come in a fancy bomber. This compares favorably to other similar beers, and it might even rise to the top with a nice balance between real pumpkin flavors, light tartness, and mild malt. It's not bad, with good palate depth, above-average complexity, and good drinkability. The mouthfeel is medium-light, and the carbonation is lively and present. The only thing that might hinder drinkability is some light astringency that I assume are tannins from the cranberries or pumpkin. After a quick wash of tart wheat, I get big pumpkin, Thanksgiving trimmings, and toast up front; that rolls into cranberry, a hint of hop bitterness, pumpkin seeds; the back end lays some sweet malt, lingering pumpkin, and the whole thing has underlying nutmeg and cinnamon.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. I almost went Above-Average, because I feel like this beer is in the B-range, but there's an astringency that grows as you work through this that I'm unsure of. That same astringency is probably the result of the cranberry and lemongrass (and wheat???) twist. It's a case of damned if you do, and damned if you don't. However, I actually think the cranberry twist works here, and the whole beer has a very Thanksgiving-dinner vibe. The best part is 6-packs of this cost 7 or 8 bucks. I would pair this beer with Thanksgiving food, a turkey sandwich, or chicken and rustic potatoes. This is a very good pumpkin beer with a twist, just make sure you keep the twist in mind.

Random Thought: Pumpkin beers are some of my favorite things, so I always welcome Pumpkin beer season...even if it is only August.