Jacks Pumpkin Spice Ale

Draft at Olive’s in Cincinnati. I had never heard of this, but it was the only one of the 10 taps I hadn’t rated already. My girlfriend then told me it was an A-B beer. Pours a red amber color with a small beige head. The aroma is pretty weak for a spiced beer like this, but there are some notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, clove, caramel malt, and pumpkin. The flavor has a lot more pop, but those elements all add up to an artificial-tasting brew. Easy to drink, but a weaker example of the style and nothing special.

Had this at my work’s october beer club meeting. Pours a clear amber with a light amount of fizzy offwhite head that quickly dissapates. Aroma is a bit of corny carbonation, with a bit of sweet caramel malts and pumpkin/nutmeg blend. Flavor is a bit watery and stale, slight caramel malt base with more of a pumpkin extract flavor with is a bit off in my book. Overall, applaud the attempt, but not very good.

Ahh, I knew that this beer was suspicious. Got it at Ceol in Brooklyn (they also had Shocktop on sale... that should have been my warning). I feel like crap for having purchased this beer. It poured a pretty boring look, with quickly disappearing head. Watery. Some mild spicy smell. Some in the taste, but mostly it just tasted like a mediocre beer. Drinkable, but I wish I didn’t pay six bucks for this rubbish.

12 oz bottle- Pours reddish with a small head, aroma is actually of pumpkin and also spice. Flavor is the same, I hate to admit this but I liked this better than the Blue Moon harvest pumpkin ale.

12 oz bottle. I’m comparing this to Blue Moon’s Harvest Pumpkin Ale, which I just drank. Here’s AB’s answer to that beer. Aroma is much better, more pumpkin pie-ish than Blue Moon’s. Appearance is much worse. It doesn’t have that nice amber hue that Blue Moon had. Also, very little head, and not as good lacing. Flavor is more like pumpkin pie, so it gets the upper hand there. Still a little watery. Overall, it surpasses Blue Moon’s, surprisingly. I wasn’t expecting that. Shock Top, for example, is inferior to Blue Moon. Here comes my rant against AB. The reveiw for this particular beer is over. Not that pumpkin beer is a new trend or anything, but I have to get something off my chest. I swear, almost everything Anheuser-Busch does is a ripoff of the latest trend in brewmaking. Bud Light and Lime? 1st there was Miller Chill. Kilarney’s? This was their lamest ripoff. Of what? Killian’s, obviously. Bud Light Golden Wheat/Shock Top? Blue Moon. Bud Ice? Icehouse. Bud Light?? Miller Lite! The very name Budweiser? The original Budweiser from Czechoslovakia. I hate AB!!! Rant over.

Poured from bottle into wide mouth single glass. Bright, clear amber with foamy white head that recedes leaving little behind. The spices really come through in the smell and can detect the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Does give off the impression of pumpkin pie, although I do not think they use any actual pumpkin. Simple malt backbone that would be expected of an Amber Ale. The spices are pretty subtle overall, just giving the impression of pumpkin pie or other autumn spiced goodies. Minor noble hop presence as well. Moderate carbonation, light to medium body. Pretty easy to drink as it is smooth and well balanced, but I wish it had a little more spice and/or hops.

12oz bottle. Pours a crystal clear, golden-copper colored body with a thin, fizzy, white head that dissipates quickly and leaves a light lacing. Aroma is weak caramels with a hint of pumpkin spices. Flavor is similar. Watered down malts with an odd twang spice. A very light pumpkin taste with ginger sticking out the most. Finishes corny with a bland aftertaste. Thin bodied and watery with a light carbonation. Overall, a poor example of the style. Watered down and subpar.

Bottle - Light copper/amber color. Small off white head. Minor lacing. Strong spicy aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice. Rather smooth with a malty favor, however weak and watery. No body. Overall pretty mediocre.